I received an email to schedule an initial phone screen with a "recruiter" (who was not the person who sent the initial email). Within the first few minutes of the call, it was obvious that this person knew next to nothing about the position I was interviewed for, had taken at best a cursory glance at my resume, and had not read the job description posted online. Repeatedly, when the recruiter asked questions about my experience, she did not appear to understand the answers I gave, even when I explicitly outlined how they were applicable to the position I was ostensibly applying for. When I asked about specific bullet points in the requisition that seemed to conflict with the position she was describing, she seemed confused as to why I would be asking such questions--and acted as though it was I who didn't understand the position. When I asked about how new projects were identified, and even helped her to answer by outlining what normally drives new projects in the software industry, she didn't appear to understand that the idea for a new project has to originate somewhere. When I tried answering her vague and sometimes self-contradictory questions by talking about projects I have managed in the past, and how I have grown professionally as a result, I could hear her eyes glazing over through the telephone receiver. The interview was difficult not because the questions were hard, but because the recruiter was impossible to interact with in a thoughtful and meaningful way. I was not surprised to receive a form letter a few days later stating that someone else had been selected. It's quite possible that this position wouldn't have been a fit for my skill set; I know better than to take a rejection slip personally. It's also possible that Boomtown found an ideal candidate, but Boomtown might as well be selecting people to bring in completely at random. At best, the recruiter was grossly unprepared; she didn't even know her own company's published materials, let alone what makes a good project manager. I've had bad interviews before, and not every interviewer is an expert--that's just life, and interviewing is an underrated skill. But the complete lack of basic professional standards in this case left me absolutely disgusted. Prior to this experience, I had a very favorable impression of Boomtown; I no longer do. If Boomtown is managing to bring in good people, it's blind, dumb luck.