I recently applied for a Solution Engineer role at a top-tier enterprise SaaS company for the LATAM territory. This is my second time going through their hiring process; the first was about seven months ago for a different position, where I made it to the final stages but ultimately didn't get the offer. In this current process, I applied through an employee referral in late April and had a recruiter screen in early May, followed by a hiring manager interview in mid-May. I then participated in a panel interview with the hiring manager, a skip-level manager, and a Principal Solutions Engineer in early June. They mentioned I would receive tentative feedback by mid-June, with the process closing by the end of the month. What’s been bothering me is the mixed signals I’m getting. The panel interview felt positive, and they even ran over time, indicating a good discussion. They mentioned that a 15-minute chat with the VP is usually the next step, which I took as a good sign. However, I received a cryptic message from my reference wishing me luck, which added to my confusion. On the downside, they never asked about my notice period, start date, or if I’m interviewing elsewhere, which is unusual compared to my first experience with them where they asked all these logistical questions early on. Additionally, communication from the recruiter has been sparse, and it’s now been over five business days since their promised feedback date. I’m left wondering if the lack of logistical questions and the silence past their timeline means I’m being considered as a backup candidate while they negotiate with someone else. Or is this just typical end-of-quarter chaos? I’d appreciate any insights on these signals.