The interview process was very lengthy overall, around four months and five different stages. I reached the final round, but in the end the role was offered to an internal candidate. On the positive side, I had a great impression of both the recruiter and the team members. Communication was generally good, and the recruiter was always available for questions, clarification, and support. Everyone I interacted with seemed professional and genuinely pleasant to work with. On the negative side, initially, I was told there would be no case study, but this changed at the last minute. I then prepared a full case study within a week, only to later be informed that the position went to an internal candidate who was already familiar with Zalando’s internal processes. Knowing this earlier could have saved a significant amount of time and effort. I would have loved to work at Zalando, and the people I met reinforced that interest. However, the overall process was quite draining, and I’m honestly not sure I would go through such a long and demanding interview process again if given the opportunity.

1. First call with HR: general questions about my CV, nice and friendly. 2. Call with Hiring Manager: deep dive into my CV, experience, skills, explaining the job and team structure. Great communication, very nice and open. 3. Case Study: I got 5 days to complete the case and to submit it back to HR. It ended up becoming a 20 slides presentation, very deep analysis. It required a lot of research and thought. For someone who is working full time and has a family it's extremely demanding, nearly impossible. 4. One week of interviews: interview with 2 team members (junior and a mid level, mostly tell about yourself, very friendly), interview with hiring manager and his direct boss (mostly presenting the case study and follow up questions), interview with HR (again), interview with a Team Lead from a different team. The last interview with the Team Lead was postponed due to her illness so I had to wait one week for the new appointment. When it finally took place she didn't ask me at all about the Case Study (I was told this interview will focus mostly on that). Most of her questions were about campaign performance which wasn't the focus at all in the other interviews (those were mostly concerned with stakeholder management and project management). I had the feeling she is leading the questions to an area that is less related with my skillset and the position description. She was eager to finish the call on time though being few minutes late. It didn't feel very friendly. After the last interview I was waiting for 4 days before receiving a rejection per email. To be honest, there must be a better, more efficient way to do it. It just doesn't make sense that the last round requires talking to 6 different people and spending one week on a case study (lasting in total over 3 weeks). Also, on the personal level, I do feel somewhat deceived because all calls and feedback besides the very last interview were extremely encouraging and positive. They really gave me the feeling that I am a great fit for the job. All in all, considering the amount of time, resources and emotional involvement I was required to put in this application process I am obviously very disappointed and I am not sure if I will be applying again with Zalando, even though I really saw a match between the company values and my personal and professional goals. I wish they would consider the effects of this process on the mental health of their candidates because I am sure I am not the only one feeling completely drained after it.