**GHOSTED after Interviews** Timeline: Oct–Nov 2025 I applied with an internal referral, then had a thoughtful screening call with the People/Talent director. She went over the position and culture as well as the overall process which would consist of three additional steps before an offer. She also spent the first 15 minutes of our call going over their values, their culture, a high-level of how they've changed over the course of the last 6-7 years, and her own experience working there. I really appreciated the way she spoke about how core their people are and that treating people with respect was just such an important part of the way they do things. I moved to the second round which was an interview with both the President of Apex and the VP of Technology about a week later. They asked thoughtful questions, were warm, and straightforward, and left about 10 minutes for questions from me at the end. They let me know someone would be in touch with me by the end of the following week with an update. When I didn't hear back by the following week on Friday late afternoon, I sent a brief check-in to the People/Talent director. The following Friday after still hearing nothing, I sent another quick check-in email. I had been emailing back-and-forth with the People/Talent director a few different times directly to schedule my interviews and she was responsive then. A few more weeks have passed now with no communication from Apex. At this point it's clear that ghosting applicants is an acceptable part of the culture at Apex Leaders. I was extremely disappointed by this, not only because I invested significant prep for the conversation with the President and the VP of Tech, but also because the culture I was sold now felt performative and more like sayings on a wall then something they actually live by. I truly wouldn't have guessed that this kind of disrespectful and unprofessional behavior would be acceptable. As someone who has hired hundreds of people throughout my career, including a number of positions in the last two years, I know that a quick email takes all of 1-2 minutes to send (particularly once you've moved a candidate through interview rounds). There's no excuse here. Advice to candidates: Protect your time and proceed with caution. Advice to the company: Actions speak louder than words. The interviews set a strong tone, but when basic operational respect isn’t matched, especially given your stated people-first values, it creates a trust gap and reflects the culture you actually have vs. the one you say you’re building.