I just experienced a tough setback in my job search after going through a grueling five-stage interview process for a position I was really excited about. It started with a recruiter interview, followed by a hiring manager interview, and then I tackled a 72-hour take-home assessment. After that, I presented to a panel and finally had an interview with the COO. The process even hit a pause for two weeks, but they reached out to continue with me, which gave me hope. However, the day after my interview with the COO, I received a generic rejection email stating they were moving forward with candidates who were a 'better match.' I understand that reaching the final stages doesn’t guarantee an offer, but after investing so much unpaid time and effort, receiving such a vague rejection without any feedback feels incredibly disheartening. Right now, I’m feeling really sad and drained, and I’m not sure I have the energy to dive back into more interviews.