Well, after my arrival for my interview was announced by the check-in desk, the HR person greeting me called me by the wrong name, then proceeded to tell me how sick she was. She seemed disengaged during my interview and inexplicably walked out of the room a few times while I was talking. The Executive Assistant who also interviewed me asked me the same question I had answered only moments before and seemed to confuse me with another candidate. I get it, conducting interviews can be monotonous and it’s the holidays, and sometimes people have to work while they are sick, and that’s hard. BUT, I came prepared, excited, and engaged (despite having a wicked sinus infection myself) and it seemed like I was talking to a couple of brick walls. Ever heard of the expression, fake it to make it? I could only conclude that: a) they wrote me off as soon as I sat down. b) they had already decided on another candidate and it was a courtesy interview (which, no thanks). c) the whole thing was a mistake and I was sitting in someone else’s interview. d) I said something to the equivalent of defecating on the table? I think not. In the end, the sickly HR person seemed like she’d rather be getting a root canal then see me out to the lobby. I sent a personal thank you note and follow up email, and a week and a half later, I got a form letter in return from the anonymous HR email alias, “regretting to inform me...” So yes, I’m a little irked. I formerly worked in HR so I’m double irked because - it’s literally your JOB to keep track of your candidates and to present as - not rude. Ultimately I felt cheated out of a fair shot at a 2nd round interview (with the folks actually in charge of the Dept.) by an HR screening that felt like a deleted scene from Mean Girls.