BowTie Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed Nov 2011 in Irvine, CA (took 3 weeks)

Before you even sit down with HR or any manager, you sign stacks of papers stating the fact you understand animals may be on the property for photo shoots and if you're allergic or uncomfortable then they aren't held liable. There's also a ridiculous personality quiz that took nearly half an hour.
The building is located in an industrial park and is dark and dreary looking inside. No one was friendly or welcoming or acted like they wanted to be there themselves. The HR girl was dull and didn't do a great job "selling" the company. I tried to make small talk and ask her if she had any pets since I'm a huge animal lover and they publish animal-related content. She responded, "No. But I guess it's easier to work here if you do like animals."
Next I met with a gruff, disheveled business editor who had been there forever. I got the gist he didn't enjoy his job either and had a hard time filling and keeping someone in this position under him. I asked about the hours this job entailed and he said "there's more work than you'll ever be able to get done," and "I try to leave here by 9 at night." Although the job description clearly stated I would be "one of several writers for a trade magazine," it turned out this position was the ONLY writer and also the editor for trade mags. It was salary of course, so no overtime was allowed. I asked him about his management style and he replied, "I'm never satisfied."
That's all I needed to hear and just wanted to get out of there. Although it was a Tuesday afternoon, employees were speeding out of the parking lot at such a fast speed that I wondered if they had possibly worked there for 20 years and this was their last day. Everyone couldn't wait to get out of there apparently. I received a letter in the mail weeks later, stating they had brought in three candidates for that position and hired none of them, since they had not found the right fit. With such red flags during the interview, it's surprising to me they have any employees at all.