I had what started as one of the most positive and well-organized interview processes I’ve experienced, but it ended in a very disappointing and unprofessional way.
Communication throughout the early stages was great. The recruiting team was responsive, the conversations with leadership were thoughtful, and I was told I was the leading candidate for the role. I was transparent that I had another offer on the table and needed to make a decision within four days.
The day before my decision deadline, around 5 p.m., I was asked to complete a final project audit of their Google Ads account and return it by 9 a.m. the next morning. Because Neura was my top choice, I stayed up until 1 a.m. completing the audit, even though I had work the next morning. The next day, after submitting the audit, I received an email asking if I could push back my timeline with the other company. When I said I could try, I received a rejection email less than an hour later.
After all that effort, I was given no direct feedback, only a brief message saying the team wanted someone with a more robust background in digital health. That reason did not make sense given how far I had advanced and the fact that this requirement was never raised earlier in the process. I also have over 3 years of digital health experience, 2 of which were in start ups.
The whole experience left me feeling that communication and transparency broke down at the most critical point. For a company whose mission centers on empathy and patient care, the lack of courtesy toward a finalist, especially after requesting extensive unpaid work, felt unprofessional and inconsistent with those values.
If you ask finalists to complete meaningful work under tight deadlines, show them the same level of respect in return. Be upfront about requirements and provide constructive feedback. Even a brief phone call explaining the decision would have shown professionalism and care.