I had a connection with the hiring manager, and upon seeing the job posting, I immediately expressed my interest via email. She kindly replied and looped in the recruiter, who scheduled a 30-minute screening call for the following week. She asked about my experience, background, and compensation expectations, and mentioned she would inform me about the next steps the following week. However, after initially requesting an additional week to interview other candidates, informed me late one night that I was not selected for the next step. This unexpected and unprofessional communication left me waiting for almost two weeks without a follow-up call with the hiring manager, and my application was ultimately rejected without feedback.