I applied online via job posting on a job boar. I was contacted by a recruiter via email the following morning and a time was scheduled that same evening to have the HR screening. Next steps were to be interviews with Hiring Manager, Use case round and a behavioral round. When the recruiter called me in the evening, he said my resume was already reviewed by the Hiring Manager and my skills matched exactly what they were looking for. The job was in NY and I was based out of LA, so I was asked if I was open to relocation . I agreed immediately. No relocation assistance was even discussed. I was asked to provide a few time slots so that the next interview wit the Hiring Manager could be scheduled. I emailed right after the call with my availability but the next morning the recruiter replied the business team identified a local candidate and they would directly make the offer to that person! Question to Management - How do you make a direct offer to a local candidate (possibly a referral) when the ideal situation consisted of 4 rounds of interviews? Also, how professional is it to reject a candidate (willing to relocate without assistance) on the grounds of finding local talent?