I interviewed for a manager-level role in the international trade group at CBIZ. Throughout the process, I was told by multiple team members that they were excited about my background and wanted to move quickly. At one point, I even received a personal call from the recruiter saying how much the team liked me. After what seemed like the final interview, communication went quiet for a while. I followed up after not hearing back, and was then told another interview was needed. I completed that one too and felt like it went well. But again, I didn’t hear anything until I followed up several days later. Eventually I received an offer, but was only given a day and a half to make a decision right before a long holiday weekend. I wasn’t sent a benefits summary or bonus details, even though I had asked. I replied professionally, requested a few extra days to review everything, and asked if there was any flexibility in the salary to better match the scope of the role and market standards. Instead of a conversation, the offer was abruptly withdrawn with a brief email. The experience felt confusing and left me feeling like I was possibly a backup candidate. The early excitement didn’t match how things played out toward the end. A little more transparency and respect during the offer stage would have gone a long way.