I applied for a position at Stanford University in February 2025. Shortly after, I received an email from the hiring manager asking me to thoughtfully respond to a set of written questions and return them by a specific deadline. I took the time and care to answer thoroughly and submitted everything on time. Unfortunately, I never received any follow-up communication from the hiring team. The only update I received was a generic rejection email sent through the applicant tracking system mid-June 2025. This kind of process is disheartening. Candidates invest time, energy, and genuine effort into these applications, answering tailored questions, meeting deadlines, and preparing materials, all without the courtesy of a direct response or acknowledgment from the actual team. Stanford is a prestigious institution, and I expected more professionalism and respect for candidates’ time. I hope the university reconsiders how it approaches recruitment and implements a more transparent and respectful process moving forward.