I had an interview with a hiring manager last week. I thought we really hit it off. He explicitly said he was putting me through to the next round.

I heard back this week that I wasn’t selected.

They *did* interview me early because I was going to be on vacation this week. It’s possible he was completely blown away by the rest of the first round, but it feels cruel to do well enough that he says, “I’m definitely putting you on to the next round” and then not do it.