Starting in 2006, I worked for a private company that provides IT professional services to various state and federal government agencies. I was lucky in that what was originally going to be a 6 month consulting contract ended up being a 5 year job.
In June of 2011, my contract ended, and I was on the hunt for a new job. Below are two examples of how two different companies interacted with me as a job applicant, and a job applicant that required minor accommodations during the interview process.
Personal Background
From 2006-2011 I worked as a IT contractor/consultant. I managed a team of 9 professionals for a large data-related contract for a state agency. My duties included all typical Operations Management decisions, including staffing decisions.
I have a BS in Information Technology and an MBA with a concentration in technology management. Suffice to say, my experience and education put me in the "above average" crowd of job seekers.
The "Wrench"
I had a non-elective surgery in May 2011 that required weeks of recovery and painkillers, which I was dealing with during the entire job hunting process I'm describing below. The type of surgery isn't important, suffice to say I was 1) in pain, 2) couldn't walk very easily, 3) couldn't sit very comfortably.
Company #1
I applied for a position at Company #1, hereafter referred to as C1, in April 2011. I knew my contract was ending in June and my work was winding down, so I started my job search early as any prudent person would do. I had a phone interview with a recruiter (not the hiring manager) at C1 in late May 2011, and it was the typical "recruiter" style interview: a clearly un-interested person who went down a checklist asking basic questions, that any hiring manager could have deduced by looking at my carefully prepared CV.
A week after I "interviewed" with the recruiter, I had another phone interview with the hiring manager. This would be the manager I would be reporting directly to. She asked more in-depth questions, technical abilities, business acumen, one or two easy "how do you handle XYZ" types of questions. It went well, but the manager at the time also seemed un-interested. Almost detached, as if she felt like the process of interviewing was hindering more important matters.
A week later (this is now the beginning of June) I got called in for an in-person interview. The interview would take place over 4-5 hours, and include a behavioral interview, a technical interview, a business acumen interview, and lunch with two of my potential co-workers. I mentioned that I was recovering from surgery and could not easily walk up/down stairs or any great distance, and that sitting was difficult so I may appear physically uncomfortable. The recruiter acknowledged my situation and said it wouldn't be a problem.
I showed up for the interview in slacks and a polo shirt (comfortable clothes due to surgery, but still classed up a bit), and started the interview-marathon. I sat with three people, each one reading a scripted series of questions to glean some quantified level of understanding at how I would perform as an employee.
I squirmed, because I was in pain. I sweated, because I was in pain. My interviewers smiled half-heartily, and never once asked if I was in need of a break, another chair, or even a glass of water. When the time came to go to lunch, my two lunch dates began walking down the street to a local restaurant, and I had to explain I couldn't walk that far due to a recent surgery, could we please drive. They appeared annoyed, as if I was merely too lazy to walk three blocks.
Leaving the interview after everything was done, I sat in the car shaking, but feeling good that I answered the questions properly and presented the best foot forward as I could given the circumstances.
Four days after this interview, the HR manager called to inform that I didn't not get the job. He had the following feedback for me:
1. My interviewers felt that my body language and mannerisms showed I wasn't really paying attention to the process, and I seemed distant and un-interested
2. My interviewers felt that my choice of dress was not appropriate for a job interview
At this point I was so frustrated that I merely reiterated my condition and that I had told everyone in the process of my situation, but that apparently had no effect. Now, it's entirely possible that they felt I couldn't do the job (doubtful), but their feedback was clearly a direct result of my post-surgical situation.
In essence, they completely ignored my extraneous circumstances, looked passed my experience and education, and turned me down because of my lack of wearing a three piece suit, a very uneasy demeanor, and the apparent lack of concentration during the interview.
Company #2
My surgical situation wasn't healing as well as I'd like, but unfortunately I still had to look for a new job. I applied for a position at C2 after being recommended the position via my LinkedIn profile.
I got the chance to do a phone interview with an HR assistant and the hiring manager only a few days after submitting my resume. The phone interview with C2 was a complete u-turn from how C1 conducted theirs. It felt very informal, the interviewers spent most of the time asking very broad yet pointed questions about my history, my likes/dislikes, the type of job I was looking for, etc. There was jokes. There was laughing. They were looking for a hard worker, but one who could have fun.
At the end of the phone interview, I was told to expect a call to come in to the office. They wanted to meet me, badly, and made that known right up front. There was no uncertainty about how they felt about me, the feedback was immediate and very constructive. I told them I was still recovering from a minor surgery, couldn't walk up/down stairs, etc. They seemed very concerned about making any arrangements I would need when I came in for the interview.
I suited up (literally) for this interview, not wanting to blow it. I had researched the company, and based on the feel of the phone interview, I felt this was the place for me. I showed up at the office and was escorted to a small web-conference room. Very small, very hot, no moving air. They apologized profusely, it was the only room available that day.
The hiring manager came in and as I stood up to shake her hand, I couldn't help but grimace in pain. Her face immediately changed to that of concern and she asked if I was comfortable, if I needed anything. I smiled and said I'm fine, but she called out for a bottle of water anyway. She said I could take my jacket off if I wished, it wasn't "that kind" of interview.
The next 3 hours were spent talking with various people from the organization, from my hiring manager, an HR assistant, a peer, and a Director. All of the people I spoke too had two things in common:
1. They only glanced at my CV
2. They were keen to ask questions that told them who I was as a person
Afterwards, I went home and soaked in the tub for an hour to relieve both the pain and stress I was feeling at the time.
The Offer
C2 called a week later and offered me the job. Not only did they offer me the job, they offered me MORE money than I was asking for. My (new) manager has since told me that during the interview process, she didn't care about my experience or abilities. She cared about me, as a person. A CV tells you everything you need to know about a person's qualifications.
A technical interview will tell you how someone can recite text-book responses to common questions ("What does this function do?", "How do you audit a GL account", "What's a common Project cycle?").
The interview I experienced at C2 told me that this company cares about new hires as people, not just as resources on a Gantt Chart. My manager emphasized through the whole process that they were after ME, not my degree or job history. This is something that C1 failed to do in any way shape or form.
Aftermath
As it turns out, I love working for C2. I've been with them for two months, and just had to undergo another surgery again earlier this week. I've spent more time working from home than in the office, which my manager is completely OK with. They realize that hiring someone who may need special accommodations (albiet temporarily in my case) can pay huge dividends if my personality, drive and ambitions match that of the organization.
When I hired people in my old job, I looked at CV's to get a basic understanding of candidates, but the interview process was never focused on that. I interviewed people in a manner to determine how I would be interacting them on a daily basis, if I'd feel comfortable having a beer with them after work, and how they'll fit into the social structure of the organization.
C1 treated me like a commodity, and a damaged one at that. I have no doubt that I would have excelled at C1, helping them generate more revenue in their niche market by delivering quality solutions to their clients.
C2 recognized this trait and looked passed a hiccup in my life that was making my job search difficult, realized the long term investment, and took the plunge.
C1 called me yesterday, and asked if I would still be interested in joining their organization.
I politely declined.
1:27 PM PT: UPDATE: Thanks for the feedback and repub from Community Spotlight. In a time with high unemployment, I hope my story shows that there's opportunities out there if you persist.
I'd also like to note, as I mentioned in a comment below, that I was directed to apply at Company 2 by an automated LinkedIn job match. I don't work for LinkedIn (own no stock, etc.), but I subscribed for a job seeker account when I started job searching. It's been a great tool during the process.