Extremely disappointing experience with HR and recruiting professionalism. It became obvious the team already had a preferred candidate in mind before interviews even began, yet candidates were still expected to spend time preparing and participating in the process. Unfortunately, this appears to be a pattern with HR rather than a one-off experience. I got a call from someone and said HR has this policy to interview people even though a candidate has been selected. The Recruiter that works there is very rude. What stood out most was the dismissive and rude communication throughout the process. There is a professional way to handle hiring decisions, even when an internal or preferred candidate exists, and this was not it. Companies should understand that candidates talk, and unprofessional recruiting behavior damages reputation far more than leadership may realize.