I had an initial phone screen with the recruiter, which went smoothly and led to a panel interview with two people. One was clearly a seasoned leader who asked thoughtful, strategic questions and stayed engaged throughout the conversation. He mentioned he had recently taken on oversight of the business development team, and it was clear he had a deep understanding of business metrics and team strategy. I genuinely enjoyed speaking with him and felt he’d be a strong mentor and manager. The second interviewer had recently been promoted and may have been the new hiring manager for the role, but that was never clearly communicated. Unfortunately, she seemed disengaged during most of the interview—frequently looking at her phone or fiddling with her nails. While she acknowledged learning something from our discussion, her lack of engagement and interest in my responses made the experience feel disjointed. Overall, the experience was mixed. I appreciated the professionalism and insight from one interviewer, but the unclear structure and lack of engagement from the other left me uncertain about the team dynamic. In hindsight, if the disengaged interviewer is indeed the hiring manager, not progressing further may have been for the best.