Is the traditional job interview truly dead and buried? I applied for a job at a local company, and got an interview. Or, what I *thought* was an interview. I showed up, all set to go, enthused and everything.

They stuffed me in a tiny cubicle to watch a video and fill out paperwork. When I say tiny, I mean TINY. Veal gets more living space. I filled out the paperwork the best I can, and wait.. And wait. The guy has forgotten about me. I dial his extension, leave a message. Nothing. He finally comes back, opens the door and looks surprised to see me here. Yep, he’s bringing in someone else to do paperwork and had forgotten I’m there.

So he takes me to a much more spacious office, and I think it’s time for the interview. Nope. He sits me down in front of a computer, gives me a sheet of instructions, and leaves again. I do a math test. A logic test. An english test. They’re timed, of course. Then the kicker: the personality profile. I know I’m sunk now.

After the tests, I wait and wait and wait again. Finally he comes back. Aha, thinks I. Time for the interview. Not so. It’s time for me to leave. That’s it; we’re done. He says I’ll hear back by next week. At least that part was true; I got a letter in the mail:

We appreciate your interest, however, the results from your assessments are not within the range required to be considered for this position. You are welcome to apply again for this position after twelve (12) months.

So much for THAT job. And what’s the deal with putting “twelve (12)”? Did I really do THAT badly on the math assessment that they think I can’t figure out what “twelve” means?

In a world where all hiring is done by the computer, what happens to the people who don’t “fit the profile”? Are we destined to flip burgers forever?