I first saw the manager at a recruitment event in Knoxville. If I wasn't young looking for my age (34 at the time) and attractive, I bet I would not have been offered the next step. First, there was a phone interview. Next, the company had a face-to-face interview with three different managers. There was a call back and an interview scheduled for the next week, again. After passing that test, the company had another face-to-face interview with the local managers. They told me to find out as much as I could about Advair, their current promotion. I researched and memorized as much as I possibly could. I knew details by memory that some of their seasoned reps probably didn't know about the drug. Each interview seemed to hinge on the same question-"Why do you think you can do this job if you've never been in sales." I didn't have sales experience or a business degree and this seemed to bother the district manager even though I possessed two graduate degrees and better grades than him ( He revealed this in the interview process.) in science courses in college. After the second-to-last interview, he said he would have liked to see a business plan. (He didn't mention wanting one for the interview.) I told him that I could get him one and drove back into Knoxville with one in an hour. After completion of this task, I was offered a ride-along, the coveted last step in the interview process. My ride-along partner pretty much assumed that my job offer was in the bag. The GlaxoSmithKline rep and I were in the middle of the day when we were told to meet the rest of the team for lunch ( a surprise) at a downtown restaurant. All the reps did was to talk badly about the manger and about what a jerk he was to work for. After the rest of the afternoon calling on doctor's offices and pharmacists, the rep was called and the manager asked if I could drop by to interview again. Another surprise awaiting me was the appearance of the regional manager who was sneering at me as I walked through the door. He was very negative as he looked at my resume and asked me questions. I had the feeling his mind was made up against me as I walked through the door, but I remained confident. The district manager asked me about the lunch and what we talked about. I did not mention his employee's comments, but maybe I should have. Maybe this was another of the company's interview tactics. One word of advice to GlaxoSmithKline candidates: the Knoxville group is full of local "celebrities" including an ex-weatherman and a former U.T. cheerleader, and they seem to take pride in that. Another successful candidate was an ex-Yellowbook rep who seemed a little too provacative in her dress. Business black suits must go after you're hired, I guess.