Applied to a contract role on LinkedIn for one of Aquent’s top clients. Recruiter contacted me less than 24 hours later to set up an interview. The interview was quick and easy, about 15 minutes total. I met with the hiring team a few days later and let the recruiter know that I was entering final round interviews with another company. The interviews were pretty straightforward, but I got the impression that they were having trouble finding the right fit for the role. About a week later, I received an offer from the other company and immediately let the recruiter know. She told me I was the hiring team’s top choice, but they had to finish up one last interview before making the offer. The next day she informed me that she was “99% sure that she would have an offer for me in the next day or two.” I followed up a few days later and she didn’t respond. A week after the “informal verbal offer,” I called to follow up again to learn that they were not extending me an offer. The recruiter was very unprofessional and it’s clear that she intentionally strung me along to keep me in the running for the role and misrepresented the hiring team’s interest in me. This is the very reason that I do not work with third-party recruiters. I am very disappointed and would never work with an Aquent recruiter ever again.