I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Texas Instruments
Interview
I had a referral from a fairly senior, former (retired) member of the company. He was great and helped connect with a former colleague. I have kind of an unusual academic background, so I expressed interested in this position knowing that I might not be a good fit. Really just wanted to learn more and have a chat with someone at the company. Doesn't hurt to try right? So, I scheduled a phone interview with this colleague 3 weeks in advance and he ends up canceling with less than 24 hours notice through his secretary. No worries stuff happens and we reschedule. At the same time, I am contacted by a recruiter. We schedule a time to have a chat and when it comes time for the phone call, she never calls. I get an email from her later in the day, saying she is sorry and didn't come into work today for family reasons. No worries, things like this happen. We eventually have our phone call (very short ~15 mins) and she mentions they might have a different opening for me (she didn't know the details) and that she would get back to me after she talks more with the the colleague I had been trying to talk to. She never gets back to me. I follow up with her, she never responds. I also rescheduled my phone call with the colleague to late on a weekday (after 8 pm) . I rearrange my plans for the evening to be able to take the call. The colleague once again cancels with less than 24 hours notice. I try to reschedule with the secretary and she says she will check his availability. She never gets back to me.
I would say despite TI's claim they are looking for smart people from diverse backgrounds, this is not true. If you aren't coming from a tech, finance, engineering, or law background do not bother applying. Even with a great referral, members of this company could not be bothered to take 15 mins to connect with an applicant genuinely interested in their work. I was completely underwhelmed and disappointed by the recruiting of this company. My time might not be worth as much as theirs, but its not worthless. Don't lead people on and waste their time when you are woefully uninterested in what they could offer.