Recruiter reached out right after I submitted an application. Upon a phone screen, she felt I was better fit for a different role which I appreciated. She scheduled an interview with the hiring manager within a few days and about a week before Christmas. The interview came across as much more exploratory than I was anticipating. The manager thoroughly explained the role and did not have any questions for me. As the interview wrapped up, she advised that I likely would not hear back for a secondary interview until after the new year. A few days after the new year, I reached out to the manager to which I received a vague "update" with a statement thanking me for my patience as the team returned to the office after the holidays. Another 2 weeks later, I reached out to the recruiter who immediately informed me the team went with someone else. The fact the manager responded to me with a vague non-answer left a bad taste in my mouth and was obviously intended to avoid delivering bad news and just strung me along. Why not just say you're moving forward with someone else? Why bother even responding to my email? Applicants are so incredibly grateful for interviews and display patience, the least you could do is be honest.