I applied for a position at Dynatrace Austria through a referral from India.

I received a call from a recruiter who explained the hiring process. They also advised me to read about the product and experiment with the free trial version, which I did. I also got a demo from a friend who was using Dynatrace.

The first step was a coding test with a 3-hour time limit. It was a straightforward test to assess basic coding skills. I completed it in 1 hour and provided feedback on the test.

*Note: Having participated in many interviews in Europe previously, I was aware of a common reason for rejection: "They found someone with more experience."

First Interview: This interview was with the development lead. We had a good conversation about my skills, past projects, Dynatrace, and the role. He asked many questions, validating my skillset and DevOps expertise. To avoid wasting time if they were seeking a local candidate, I directly asked in the first round if my experience, skillset, or relocation would be an issue. He confirmed that my skillset matched their requirements and they were looking for someone like me. I was relieved, knowing I would receive a genuine reason for rejection if it came to that. The first round went well, and I was confident I would be invited for a second interview. The interviewer referred me to two teams, finding me a good fit for both.

Within a week, the recruiter called, informing me of an upcoming round with the tech leads of the two teams. She mentioned the first interviewer was pleased with my profile and had given positive feedback. She also stated that after this round, I would need to travel to Austria for onsite interviews.

Second Interview: This round involved interviews with two tech leads from different teams. Both showed significant interest in my skillset and past projects. The conversation was productive, and they asked more questions than in the first round, further validating my skills. Both appeared satisfied after the interview and provided very positive feedback. They also discussed which team I would prefer to join. I responded honestly, choosing DevOps over Backend (Java). The interview concluded on a positive note, and I was certain I would be called for the next stage. I was promised a response from the recruiter within a week.

Seven days passed without any communication, so I sent an email and provided an alternate phone number in case the original wasn't working. After four days, I received a reply from the recruiter explaining that it was a holiday season in Austria and promising to get back by the end of the week at the latest. I inquired about the dates for the onsite interview, as I needed to inform my current team and had other travel plans. The week ended without any updates, and I sent another email on the following Monday, but received no response.

Finally, after 20 days, I received the rejection email I had feared. The exact text stated: "Even though your experience is very interesting for us, we regret to inform you that after the interviews with you we also interviewed with other candidates and here made the decision to go further with another candidates. This person brings a little more experience in the Systems Engineering field." There was no mention of my specific skillset or interview feedback.

I was extremely frustrated after reading this email. Hadn't I asked in the first interview not to be given this reason? I would have preferred a comparison of skill levels instead. The entire process felt like a waste of time, costing me travel plans and causing significant frustration. I contacted the recruiter and the development lead on LinkedIn. The development lead never replied, but the recruiter called. I explained my disappointment with the rejection reason and suggested how they could have handled the hiring process better. She offered two explanations: first, they found an internal candidate with Dynatrace experience, asking if I would have done the same. Second, this candidate referral was received just two weeks prior, explaining the delay. I agreed that prioritizing an internal candidate, then a local candidate, and finally an international candidate would be the standard approach, but questioned if it was the recruiter's responsibility to follow this order. The call ended with no further clarification and continued disappointment.

Feedback for Dynatrace: I genuinely liked the product. I enjoyed the interviews and felt they were good discussions for understanding and validating my skillset. The process was well-structured, and the interviewers were friendly and easy to talk to (5 out of 5 stars for the interviewers). I encourage you to improve other aspects of your hiring process as I have mentioned.

Moderate-level Java and DevOps questions were asked. They were more interested in knowing about the projects I have done, their scope, and my experience so far.