I applied for a contract position here and was interviewed by a manager with 16 years of experience at Intel, Portland. I have 5 years of experience in the software industry and was applying for jobs after a 2-year break in my career due to family reasons. I had worked on a startup idea, built, and published an app, which was my most recent experience.

The manager immediately began by belittling my skills and experience. His exact words were, "Why did it take you so long to complete and publish this application? Wasn't there anyone behind you with a stick (to beat you) while you were working on this app?"

I was horrified by the language used by the interviewer and did not follow up regarding the next steps after this experience. I was not asked many technical questions or anything about my previous experience. I do not know what was wrong with this interviewer, or if another interviewer was shadowing him, but I also noticed him giggling and talking while I was answering his questions.

If they did not find my skills aligned with the position during the interview, or if they had already found another candidate, there was a dignified and decent way of letting me know. I have since found an amazing opportunity with a company larger than Intel and am very happy in my current position.