EMC Interview Questions & Reviews in Research Triangle Park, NC

Interviewed May 2011 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took a day)

Phone screen went waay! beyond 75 minutes. Face to face interviews went on for 4 hours as I was shuttled from one conference room to another. Looked a little chaotic. I answered all questions in detail and was on top of my game. It turns out that the responsibilities matched work I had done previously so I was a really good fit for the position. I described in detail my plan to approach various scenarios they put in front of me. I felt very positive and upbeat and left with the feeling that they will be extending an offer out to me very soon. An HR guy called me less than 40 hours later! to inform me that I had great skills but not all the skills they need. AFAIK, the position is still open.
So what did I learn from this experience?
1. They were only interested in getting information from me that they could use to build their solution. They were data mining for answers, with no intention of hiring me. They will re-use parts of my answers to their technical questions. It also gives them a baseline, i.e. a feeling that there are candidates out there with the exact experience they are looking for.
2. Indians who have climbed up the corporate ladder, resent other Indians who have better technical skills, or better interpersonal & communication skills than them. Especially if you talk without an Indian accent (you don't sing your English!). That is, they really feel threatened by the person they're interviewing. If you're Indian and 4 out of 5 interviewers are Indians, well you know what you're in for.
3. Many or most companies already have 1-2 candidates in mind who they will pick from, regardless. They post these jobs on their websites because by law they are required to open it up to external candidates. Just know this, so you can manage your expectations better. The director's kid brother or niece has a better shot than you.
4. Companies are more and more into asking behavioral questions (soft skills) to predict your future decision making skills based on your past experiences. Prepare. Borrow someone else's stories if they sound better than yours.
5. A very important question to ask the recruiter is what kind of a balance are they looking for as far as hands-on work and managerial duties. If they are only focused on your management skills, you might want to keep away from going too deep into technical hands on work you've done. If you divulge too much information, thinking you are impressing the interviewer, you are wrong. Stick to high level answers and only dive down into details if they are required.