I responded to a job posting with my CV and a strong cover letter and was contacted by an HR staffing representative for an initial intake / screening by phone. The screening was a list of general questions related to making management decisions and experience or expectations regarding day to day work life. The screening went well and I was requested via email to accept 2 more phone interviews with 3 different members of the technical support management team in the coming week. These meetings also went well as the people I interviewed with used a similar script for questions and were very welcoming and relaxed. After a short week, I was contacted again and asked to accept 3 more phone interviews with different members of upper management in Seattle and a senior salesman in France. These phone conversations went well and I visited the local Dutch office to meet another sales rep. There was no support management to meet locally as that was the position I was applying for. As a result of these 6 phone and one face to face interviews I was invited to fly to Seattle from the Netherlands for a final round of interviews and quickly accepted. The request came Thursday evening and I flew the 9 hours the following Monday. Had time to excersise, eat and sleep at the hotel and walk to the Watchguard offices where I arrived 20 minutes early for my full day of hour long meetings with each of the people I had spoken with on the phone, plus an extra meeting with the HR Director, Development Engineering Manager, and Customer Service (Phones) Manager. It was at lunch that with the management team that I noticed an elephant in the room. I wore a suit as is custom on first interviews in Europe and my best shoes, I think the casually dressed team (jeans and sneakers) was put off by this. Also my behaviour throughout the day was calm and reserved as in the phone interview but in hindsight I think I could have been more outgoing and enthusiastic, stating my eagerness in a relaxed way as opposed to making small talk and asking about the day to day work responsibilities and talking about the team back in Holland who I had yet to meet. We were also offered a beer at lunch but no one accepted. Why? We were working and just not that comfortable. The rest of my afternoon went quickly, meeting with a senior HR manager, sitting with a tech to observe and ultimately going for a walk with one of my potential team-mates. At the end of the day from 5 to 6 I met with the Asia Pacific customer support manager and wrapped things up. I left the offices feeling expectant yet somewhat neutral or ambivalent. I was contacted 7 days later to be informed that the team had chosen the 2nd candidate.