I had an initial phone screening that went really well, probably because I spent a few hours prepping (even for this first call!). I received an email from the HR coordinator two days after that saying they were going with an internal candidate. While I'm happy they went with an internal candidate - it shows they promote from within - I'm disgusted by the internal policies some companies have that force them to interview external candidates as well so they can make a case for hiring the person they planned on hiring the whole time. It's a waste of job seekers' time, not to mention the recruiter's time. Policies like that prove a company must not be too concerned with efficiency and productivity, since this is clearly a waste of everyone's time.