WARNING- RELIGIOUSLY AFFILIATED, CONSERVATIVE VALUES, SNEAKY ABOUT DISCLOSING THAT INFORMATION This is specifically for the Alliance Insurance branch in New Braunfels, TX. Job description looked normal (one of the words they used to describe company culture in the description was “progressive”) and I set up an interview. They were kind enough to reschedule after I had to miss the first interview due to illness, which I appreciated. The whole process took THREE hours. During round one, they slid over a piece of paper with their mission and values and asked me to read it to myself and let them know if I agreed with everything on the paper. The mission exactly matched what was included in the job posting aside from the first line, which said something like “We honor God in all of our business practices.” Was a little strange but I decided to go with it because I was already there. I thought maybe it was a broad statement- honor your own God/religion perhaps. My mistake. Completed hour 1, fairly typical interview. The “God” in question was clarified for me when one of the interviewers mentioned that the company does charity work with a local Christian church that involves a chapel session. Then another 2 people came in and I did basically the same interview again for another hour. At one point, one of the interviewers asked me what my ideal workplace would be. I threw around a few key words, including “feedback culture” etc. I also said “accepting.” The interviewer furrowed her brow and asked me to expand upon that. I said “an inclusive workspace, one that is supportive of their employees.” She looked displeased and took some notes in her tablet. At the end, I asked “do you have any reservations about my qualifications for this position or anything on my resume I can clarify or expand upon?” She said something along the lines of “your resume is fine, my main goal is to find someone who aligns with our values and fits in here. We are very protective of our workplace culture.” I asked if she could tell me any specific attributes she was looking for and she didn’t really answer. There were several things I mentioned about myself that probably were red flags to someone looking to maintain a conservative staff- I believe in income and pay transparency, I value work/life balance (she specified she wanted someone willing to study and work nights and weekends because they were so passionate), the inclusive bit, etc. Hour three was a computer skills test. Basic outlook, word, and excel exercises. They mentioned something about talking more about the pay in “the next interview,” which indicates to me that in addition to a phone screening and a three-hour initial interview, they intend to do another interview. At one point I visited the restroom and there was a sign about honoring God on the wall. I found the whole thing to be very shady. They were all trying to figure out my religious beliefs without outright saying it. I have seen jobs before that note their religious affiliation in the description. My advice to them is to do just that in order to filter in the sort of candidates they are looking for before wasting three hours of my time and theirs. I also ask that corporate Alliant look into this and confirm it is in alignment with their company vision. (As far as the interview outcome, this was only yesterday and I’ve sent an email rescinding my application.)