Reddit Experience · Mar 2026

Looking for advice on last round interviews.

SWE Onsite Director Hard
11 upvotes 13 replies

Interview Experience

I’m trying to figure out if this is a timing/market issue or if I’m missing something obvious in my interviews, and I’d really appreciate some honest feedback. Over the past several months I’ve been i

Full Details

I’m trying to figure out if this is a timing/market issue or if I’m missing something obvious in my interviews, and I’d really appreciate some honest feedback. Over the past several months I’ve been interviewing pretty consistently. My background is about 15 years at the director level in operations for two of the largest companies in the world, leading large teams and running complex operations. On paper my experience seems to resonate, and I’ve also figured out how to get past the AI resume filters because I’m consistently making it through the early rounds. Here’s the pattern that has me scratching my head: * Last 6 interview processes * Made it to the final round in all of them * 2 said everyone loved my interview but they went with an internal candidate * 4 completely ghosted after the final round These are full multi-round processes where I’ve met with Directors, VPs, and even CEOs. The feedback during interviews is almost always positive, and several times I’ve been told something like “we’re moving you to the final round” or “everyone really liked you.” Then… nothing. No rejection email, no feedback, just silence. I’m trying to understand what might be happening here. A few possibilities I’ve considered: * Is this just the current job market right now? * Are companies often already planning to hire internally but still interviewing external candidates? * Could I be coming across as overqualified or a potential flight risk? * Is there something candidates commonly miss in final round interviews that becomes the deciding factor? What’s confusing is that I seem to be consistently good enough to make the final round, but not quite the one getting the offer. For those of you who hire or have been through similar situations, I’d love to hear your perspective. Is this just how the market is right now, or does this pattern usually point to something specific a candidate might be doing (or not doing) in those final interviews?

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