The hiring manager (who was the only HR person that I met with) was helpful & direct, but I only met with her twice. The first contact was a phone interview. After the phone interview, the hiring manager scheduled a 1:1 interview, which turned into a series of 1:1 interviews with the entire legal department. The legal department staff (four in all) seemed very edgy and stressed out. One seemed to be almost telling me "you really don't want this job." He was younger than the other two, and was second in command by title. He seemed the most genuine and open about the company "culture" of gearing up for those quarterly reports on profit. A few days later, I was asked to come in for another round of interviews -- this time with two people in top management. There was no advance notice for the last series of interviews; they asked me to come in within the hour because the two people I'd be meeting with had to leave for a charity event -- never mind that there was a Nor'easter (that's a major snow storm for all the West Coasters). I agreed to the interviews, believing that perhaps they were testing my level of commitment and flexibility. The first interview of that second day was straightforward and friendly. He explained more about the organization and what the position would require. The second interview, however, was a bit creepy. To my surprise, he asked if I was married. Wondering if it was a trick question, I paused to reply. (FYI: Questions about marital status are prohibited by federal law.) Before I could form an appropriate response, he then asked if I had any children, and if I did not, if I planned to have any. I was taken aback and uncomfortable with the questions. I did not want to be evasive, nor did I want to hurt my chances of getting the job, nor did I want to convey to the him that I was unfamiliar with the laws relevant to the interview process. (The position I was interviewing is in the legal department, after all.) So, I formed a simple compromise in my reply; I replied that though I believe both questions are in violation of the law, and that the answers are not directly related to the position, I would answer honestly. I reasoned that he was testing whether I was aware of the law, able to quickly compromise and solve problems. At the end of the last two interviews, I sat down for one last informal interview (with someone who I had previously interviewed with before in the legal department, and who I would be directly reporting to). He indicated to me that, given my previous experience and skills, I was their first choice for the position. Three working days later, the day before Christmas, I got a rejection by email from the hiring manager. Very classy. Even if the company had found a better candidate who was willing to work for less money, or I totally bombed the interviews (which I believe I did not), any company who delivers a rejection by email the day before Christmas is not a company that I really want to work for. One year later, I now realize that rejection email was a Christmas gift.