Had been looking for opportunities at Grainger for a while. Position opened and an internal referral recommended me. About a week later, HR reached out to schedule a screening. Very nice, very professional. The next morning I was invited to schedule round 1 with the hiring manager and their boss. The next week a 30 min panel call with the two. Very structured, but very conversational. They were both nice and welcoming (virtually) and the interview was strong. Three days later HR let me know they were passing me for someone else. I'm quite certain is an age/experience gap, hopefully not gender. I'm continually experiencing this across corporations lately.

Awkward, questions were irrelevant to position. HR person is brought from the beginning, which is not a good thing. Let the people who will work with the candidate ask the questions, they will work with the candidate if hired. So their input matters. HR should only be involved for paperwork.