Horrible. The HR or recruiter person contacted me via email after I submitted my app on the company website. We went back and forth a few times until we found a day and time that worked for both of us -- no big deal. We finally settle on a time...then she calls me a day early while I'm driving on the freeway. I said I thought we had agreed on the next day, but still continued with the "interview". I say that in quotes because I was completely unprepared and caught off guard. She asked me questions I could have answered, had I the time to do a little more research on the area and the company like I was planning on doing that night.
Moreover, in the middle of the interview her dogs start barking -- wildly and loudly. She apologizes and says she's working from home so she's trying to control them. Their barks and howls interrupted my explanation I was in the middle of and she came back and tried to pick up the tone but it just didn't work.
Then, she asks if I have any questions. I start going into specifics about the particular paper I was interviewing for and she says she can't answer a lot of those questions because they are specific to that paper but can answer anything else. But, when I asked how many reporters are in the newsroom of this paper, she says, "Well, there are other people in the newsroom besides reporters. There are photographers, editors, production people, etc." Well, no kidding, lady. I've been in a newsroom before. I understand that everyone is a reporter when it matters, but I asked how many reporters because I understand the difference in those roles and was interested in the number of reporters. Basically, it was condescending and led nowhere.
THEN, I don't hear anything at all after that. I got no call from the editors at that particular paper, or any other recruiters ready to move me up the chain. Not to sound petty or sour, but I'm not surprised when the recruiter botched my initial screening. I've negative things about this organization before, and the interview process was totally consistent with reputation.
