Had two experiences. First one was with a Director. I applied and was advised they were already in offer stage but she wanted to have an interview as they expected additional roles to open soon. She cancelled our first interview less than 30-minutes prior. No issue there- things come up. We set another interview and I had to cancel as I was sick and lost my voice. I cancelled from the doctors office, a few hours in advance. I tried contacting the Director 3 times after to reschedule and she never replied. To say that was disappointing is an understatement. A few months later, other roles did open. I had 4 referrals for the one I applied to, including a Director, Supervisor (from different departments) and someone who I had worked with prior who was on that very team. I had a phone screen and then was supposed to meet with 3 Directors but one was out that day and couldn't make it so I met with two. The interview couldn't have gone better. I had every experience they asked for and they started using my language by the end of the interview. Two things were clear- I was very well qualified for that job. And that I was more experienced than either of them. I sent thank you notes and the reply I got from the hiring manager seemed to indicate I got the role, though it did not outright say that. The feedback I got from the team member indicated the same. Out of the blue, I got a request to interview with the 3rd Director, who missed the prior interview. We went ahead with that and it went very well. I always ask questions during interviews and it was clear that they knew I could do the job and again, they used the same language as I did. This is a sign of complete alignment. After that interview, it was over a month and I still didn't hear back. So I emailed the recruiter. I received an email rejection shortly after. She was kind enough to call and let me know the role was filled. Not sure why I didn't get notified timely- this was more than 2 months after my first interview. I was shocked. The four people who referred me were beyond shocked. They all thought I was a perfect fit for the role and the culture and were at a loss for words. In a conversation I had with someone else who works there that I started becoming friendly with, I told him what happened. He said "Not surprising. Two things stand out to me. First is that financially, we aren't doing as well as most think. With the current Presidential administration, we lost government funding. The second if that I know the team you are talking about and I work fairly closely with them. They hired a woman 20-yeaars younger than you. In fact, the entire department looks like that". It worked out for me as I got another offer a month later for a role that paid nearly double. And while I do not think I was discriminated against- I want to be clear about that because I feel I was given a fair opportunity by this company - it is eye opening that there is a lack of diversity on that team. Not just in age and gender but in experience. Also- when you put people through multiple rounds of interviews and take months to make a decision, please notify the people being rejected as soon as possible. It's common courtesy.