A call came out of the blue. I had submitted an online application, and at least a month passed without hearing anything. I assumed the worst.

The call was from a very friendly, young-sounding woman who asked a bunch of very standard background questions – the kinds that determine your ability to carry on a coherent conversation.

At the end of the phone call, I was informed that I would have a second phone interview.

The second "phoner" was with two "managers" who spoke on speakerphone in what seemed a large conference room, so much echo that it was difficult to understand them.

The questions they asked were purely HR-put-together. I could tell instantly that they had no idea how to conduct an interview, much less what questions to ask in order to gain a better understanding of me as a person and if I would be a good fit for their team.

I worked in retail before and interviewed people with the universal HR packet of questions, including "key points" that earned a higher mark on the interview worksheet.

Very nice people. But they offered me a job after that interview without ever having even seen me in person. I could have just as easily been well-coached for that interview and been a complete, awkward failure.

I suppose this is to be expected for an entry-level internship from a large, multinational corporation, but it seems to me that they would at least want to shake my hand before offering me a position.

Describe a time when you were working in a group and you completely disagreed with the person taking the lead, and you weren't able to resolve it.