It happened in the UK. It started as an IQ test, followed by HR screening over the phone.

The regular screening, which is tell us about yourself, what do you know about the company, blah blah blah.

Then, I was asked a series of questions that should be targeted to someone applying for a marketing position.

He never asked about my technical experience or skills. He asked me to tell him a story where I haggled. I told him I don't remember a scenario where I haggled before. He tried to help me remember, then suggested a story where I managed to reduce the price of the house where I currently lived!

I told him I live on campus, so it's not an option. Then he asked about my previous accommodation. I told him the truth, that I owned (inherited) the house where I lived (in another country) and this is where I used to live.

Actually, I never told him that I owned 3 houses, and he informed me immediately that my application wouldn't be going further. He suggested that I should rent an apartment and try to gain that experience.

Again, I was applying for a software engineer position. I fail to see the correlation to the position. I understand that he wasn't expecting someone young to own a house. Well, I didn't choose my family or the environment where I was raised in.

Cons: Clearly, he wasn't open-minded or expecting/prepared to interview someone from a different culture with a different experience apart from the culture he was raised in. I understand that in the UK/EU or America, the majority of young people rent houses frequently. My culture is completely different on so many levels, to be short.

Pros: I am glad that this happened because it seems that if this is the HR who does the screening and decides who fits, and this is how he judges people from different cultures based on his experience, and I managed somehow to get in, then those who he deems to be fit would have a hard time adapting with someone from my culture and experience.

Tell us a story where you haggled over a price and succeeded.