Over the two months after I applied for the role (which I was quite excited for), I did everything asked of me and more. I did my initial screening interview, commuted to the in-person a week later, and the day after that attended a Zoom interview with two executives high in the organization's hierarchy. At every stage I was told I was a strong candidate, and I was asked for me references almost immediately after I finished my third interview. Overall, I felt my chances were good. A month passed after that with very minimal contact from the recruiter; I reached out weekly to ensure I was still on their minds, but was only informed there was a "delay" in their process. Finally, I was told we would discuss "next steps" within a few days, so I felt that after two month of diligence that I was finally due to be onboarded. As it turns out, they had selected another candiate after all, despite the fact I was "such a stronf canididate" in their words. I respect the work the organization does, but I simply cannot forgive the amount of time and energy I wasted with them.