I applied online and then had Teams interviews with marketing in Italy and UK and the country manager. I got the feeling they were impressed by my knowledge and experience. When I dug deeper, I understood that really this is a reporting role that reports on other people's activities, events and campaigns. I met the country manager who talked in terms of when I would start, I would do this or that and he made it sound like a got the job. Then rejection and they promote someone who has been there for many years. It seems I was used as a comparison and the internal person got the job after waiting 8 years or more. Waste of my valuable time. Why not just give it to the internal person and be resonable.