Initial phone interviews went normally. When I arrived for the on-site interview, I was given a brief tour of the office.

Unfortunately, when the first interviewers entered, I was told to remove my hearing aids. I am not totally deaf, but without them, hearing normal conversation is very difficult due to damage sustained some time ago. When I tried explaining that they were hearing aids, not earbuds or similar devices, my explanation was dismissed, and it was restated that I needed to remove them.

The rest of the interview was incredibly difficult. I had to rely on lip-reading or straining to hear, something I don't deal with often. During moments when I was focused on the whiteboard or a computer screen, I would miss comments or questions directed at me. As for speaking, I had numerous issues because I'm still not accustomed to having my own voice muted.

By the time we broke for lunch, I had basically lost motivation and was just putting on a smile for the people I was talking to. I will admit that for two panel interviews, I "cheated" by inserting a hearing aid so I could function normally.

While I was being walked out at the end of the day, I mentioned offhandedly that my fiancée was disabled and commented on how it affected our relationship and her work. In response, the recruiter pointed out that one of the engineers with the company was deaf and went into some detail about how it is working with them. I know this is supposed to be a professional review of the interview process, but I felt a bit of my soul die at the irony.

A week later, the third-party recruiter informed me they were considering another person for the job. While I was disappointed that the internal recruiter didn't contact me within the timeframe she gave, I aired a few observations about the process and didn't bother bringing up the fact that I was handicapped for most of the interview.

Good luck to whoever got the position; I fear you may need it!

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