Ah, REI - the company that prides itself on community, nature, and integrity. Unless, of course, you’re a job candidate. Then you get a front-row seat to The Great Disappearing Act. I was told, verbatim, that I’d be moving forward to a second interview for the Senior Leaves and Accommodations Partner role. Spoiler alert: that interview never came. What did come was weeks of silence, ignored follow-ups, and finally, a templated rejection email that read like it was copied from a dusty HR playbook written in 2003. The email thanked me for my “time and patience.” Patience? Oh, you mean the part where I sat around wondering if I was professionally ghosted? Cute. For a company that claims to value people, this process felt more like being breadcrumbed by a bad Tinder date, only less charming. Zero accountability, zero transparency, and a complete disregard for the time and energy candidates invest. If this is how REI treats experienced professionals just trying to get in the door, I can’t imagine what happens after you’re hired. So unless you enjoy being strung along and gaslit by corporate pleasantries, maybe skip this one and go for a company that actually walks its talk. Oh, and to the recruiter who vanished like mist in the mountains after promising a follow-up—you could’ve at least ghosted me with style.