A Columbia Tech manager contacted me through a job search site. I met the manager and had a tour of the engineering department. We discussed my experience and education. I offered suggestions of how to improve processes based on my past experience. Everything went very well, until I met the HR person who was supposed to complete the hiring process.
The HR person gave me a personality test, poorly photocopied and looked like something you would receive while applying for Walmart. He started asking me when I would be graduating from high school, and whether or not it was a technical school. He never read my resume.. He had no idea what the job position was. I explained I was a college graduate and had a degree in computer science specialising in software engineering. He left me for about 30-40 minutes while he talked on a cell phone, pacing back and forth in the next room over. He then asked me into an office.
He placed the hiring manager on a conference call and accused me of being dishonest. He said he was going to hire me until he saw the personality test I had taken. Now he does not believe he can trust me. I had answered all of the questions in the personality test perfectly, and this was the problem. I won't write all the details of the conversation that ensued. I regret that I did not record it. I endured a litany of insults and unprofessional accusations, one after another, based on the fact that I can answer all of the questions on a personality test correctly and in a manner that most sane and intelligent people would answer the questions. i got up and walked out.
I considered calling a lawyer and suing them for defamation and harassment, yes it was that bad, or at the very least going to the newspaper and having them do a story on my experience. If you are a serious engineer, stay away from this company.