The first step was a brief phone interview with an HR employee. Questions focused on my work experience, goals, and strengths and the process was smooth and stress-free. At the end of this interview, I was invited for an in-person meeting (out-of-state with reimbursement for travel expenses), but was told the next day that another phone interview was required first. I went into the next interview wrongly believing I'd made it to the second round and was a semi-serious candidate, but was met with a Creative Director who expressed doubt in my abilities during the very first sentence. He seemed to not have read my cover letter or resume and never gave me the opportunity to describe my work history or genuine enthusiasm for the company and position. He also assumed I was unfamiliar with industry standard software, the company I was interviewing with, designing for different audiences, and so on. I was caught off-guard by the constant negative phrasing—neutral questions like "What's your familiarity with this...?" would have been advisable over "It seems like you're not able to do this...", although there may have been no saving an interview with someone with such a clear lack of interest in hiring me. I didn't expect to advance any further, and a few days later was sent a rejection email echoing the Creative Director's opening statement of doubt in my skills and even my chosen career path. A ridiculous experience overall—clearly some internal communication and people skills were lacking in this process.