I went into the hiring process with Freese and Nichols optimistic after meeting several team members at NPC25 who encouraged me to apply. I had already applied for a Transportation Planner role in Dallas, which I was later told was “filled.” Instead, they created a new application for a position in Charlotte and expressed interest in moving me forward there. I followed up with both the recruiter and a Charlotte contact—then waited 22 days with no response. No updates. No clarity. No communication. Then, oddly, I was suddenly contacted about the Dallas role again—the same one I had been told was no longer available. I ended up going through the full interview process and made it to the final round. Throughout this process, though, I noticed major inconsistencies: • The recruiter said onboarding included 6–9 months of training; leadership said there was no formal training, just mentorship and performance reviews. • A senior staff member made a comment that I “wouldn’t want him as a mentor,” which did not inspire confidence in the support system. After all of that effort and time invested, I was told the role went to someone “slightly more qualified”—and that no entry-level roles were available. The very next day, a new entry-level Transportation Planner role was posted in San Antonio. The process left me feeling like my time and interest were not respected. It felt like I was strung along for weeks without honest communication. I also want to mention the disconnect between the company’s messaging and its reality: • FNI proudly says women make up “half the organization,” but it is a 130-year-old firm that has never had a female CEO. There are very few women in leadership outside of HR. • Benefits were underwhelming—$1,000 annually for childcare is not meaningful support, and the hybrid model was not as flexible as presented. I understand that not every candidate gets the job. But after a process that spanned nearly two months, with misleading information and poor communication, the experience felt dismissive. I hope Freese and Nichols takes a closer look at how they handle recruitment and how that reflects on their values.