I submit my resume on Zalando's website. Couple of days later, the recruiter reached me out and we arranged a Google Hangouts meeting with team lead. All questions are so basic and cliche. I wish I expected that whole questions are more technical.

I applied online and a few days after I received an email inviting me to an interview with the HR. The process consisted of 2 phone interviews (the second one was supposed to be a hangouts interview, but they forgot to send me the link), and a third interview at their headquarters in Berlin which lasted for around 3 hrs. At the last stage I was interviewed by the HR member (who had also interviewed me the 1st time/phone call), by the line manager (who also interviewed me the 2nd time/phone call) and by the departmental supervisor. In total all the three interviews lasted for around 5hrs, which is way too long. During the 3rd/last interview which took place in Berlin, it became clear to me that the departmental supervisor hadn't read my CV, had no idea about who I was or my background and although I am not sure, I think he had mistaken me with someone else who was possibly having an interview with them that day. In general he seemed to be quite hostile and unfriendly, making stupid comments during the interview and having a very ironic smile on his face. Luckily the line manager and the HR member were very friendly and relaxed. Halfway through the last interview, they announced to me that there is an internal candidate and it kind of became clear that he was going to get the position, and they were considering giving me another position which of course was a junior one. Just like someone else mentioned here, I cannot understand why they put me through the process if they knew they were going to offer this to another candidate. I have to mention that during the whole process they seemed really eager to give me the position (they showed me the offices, introduced me to the other team members, they explained the current and future projects, showed where my office will be, etc). Because I didn't want to let them down in case they wanted me to start asap, I decided to have my passport renewed (because there was a lot of traveling involved in the particular security position), and I also started looking for a flat in Berlin. They called 2 weeks after the interview to tell me that I didn't get the job because I didn't have a lot of crime-analysis experience, which is the lamest excuse they could have given. Did I feel valued? Absolutely not! Will I be applying again? Definitely not! My advice for Zalando: Be transparent and ethical! Plus, those who apply for your positions are also your customers, so you need to treat them wisely. My advice for those applying: I would advice you to save your time and apply to another company where you and your time will be valued. However, if you decide to carry on with the application then you need to ask questions from the beginning, for example: Is there an internal candidate? What is it that you like about my CV?/ Why do you think I fit in this job position?