I applied on-line and the HR contact got back to me very quickly. I spoke with the hiring manager who was very nice and told me who else I would interview with and then got ghosted. I pinged the HR manager after a week and was finally told the position went to someone else. I get that "At this time, the team has decided to move forward with another candidate whose background more closely aligns with the responsibilities of the role." HOWEVER, be honest and let the person know asap instead of having someone "waiting in the wings" just in case your preferred candidate bows out. We are people too.