Dish has many job openings at any one time. I had been in contact with recruiters at Dish Network for a few months looking for the right fit for my background and career ambitions, when I saw a position open up that was perfect for me listed on Careerbuilder.com. I emailed my contact at Dish and got the ball rolling. He first sent me what they call their cognitive assessment--basically a test that throws algebra, pattern matching, sentence correction, and reading comprehension questions at you. The recruiter claimed it was supposed to last about 2 hours but took me 4 only because I insisted on rocking it. I had to push, but was brought in a couple weeks later for a first interview (and had to do another assessment). The first team that interviewed me consisted of two senior IT managers. On had been with the company 4 years and the other 4 months (I ran into many people with less than 6 months under their belt). They were polite and quite professional. The questions they asked appears to be focused on culture and fit more than skills. I got the impression that they wanted to make sure that I was someone that they could work with. Kudos to them. 2 weeks later I interviewed with a IT director. He had joined the company only 9 months prior. He was more of a seasoned interviewer looking to assess skills, talents, and passions. He was to be the hiring manager. 3 weeks later I interviewed back-to-back with a two VPs and a director with whom I would be working very closely. Each of them laid out the demands of the job and vision of the position. They were not exactly sure how to get there, but knew what improvements would look like. I liked the team. The position was very much a living option with me. They gave me a verbal offer and then I interacted with HR. Some companies are run by Finance. Other companies have Sales and Marketing with all the power. At Dish, unfortunately, HR calls the shots. From the mandatory core hours to the inflexibility it became apparent from the outside that Dish's culture was a bit restrictive. I hit up some professional contacts I had to ask them about the culture at Dish. Each did not out right say 'run away' but warned me to approach cautiously. They knew me and knew Dish and did not see a good fit. Strangely, the decision was made for me. Although they repeatedly told me that I had the job and that I was their number one and later only candidate for the position, HR dropped the ball. They never called back.