A Veeam recruiter contacted my about an open role in on the Channel team. I was exited about the opportunity and I interviewed with the recruiter and two different team members via phone. I was told I was going to need a final interview with the Director, but that person was on vacation and I need to wait until they were back to schedule. I followed up with the recruiter after about a week and was assured they were in the process of getting the interview schedule and would need a day or two to schedule. Two days later, I received a call and was told that the role was given to someone else. Trying to understand what happened and why I was mislead regarding the final interview, I did some of my own research within my professional network. Turns out, I was never really an option. They knew the person the were going to hire all along. I was used as the external or 'due diligence" candidate. Providing this review as a PSA, so that others ask when interviews, if an internal or primary candidate is already in mind for a given role, and so others do not get hours of their time wasted over the course of several weeks.