Disorganized and Unclear Recruiting Experience I was contacted regarding opportunities with Hermeus, but the process felt surprisingly vague and unstructured, particularly for an experienced candidate. I received outreach while I was in transit regarding a role I applied to weeks prior and explained that I could not safely have a substantive career conversation at that moment, yet the interaction still left me questioning the level of professionalism and candidate consideration throughout the process. A time was scheduled for a conversation which an invite was never received despite a follow-up on my end to confirm. As a senior recruiting leader, I appreciate that startups evolve quickly and that hiring needs can change. However, experienced candidates invest meaningful time and energy in these discussions and deserve transparency, clarity, and a well-defined process. Hermeus has an exciting mission, but my experience suggested there is an opportunity to significantly improve communication, alignment, and the overall candidate experience for non-technical and leadership candidates. This experience was particularly disappointing because senior candidates have extensive networks and long memories. The recruiting profession is a remarkably small world, and candidate experience matters. Even when there is not a fit, experienced professionals should be treated with the same level of communication, respect, and follow-through that companies expect from the talent they hope to attract.