Weird interview
I had been creating various lap timing systems and in-car telemetry links for Formula 1. (Early 1990's)
A major worldwide car manufacturer (Dagenham) invited me directly for an interview to do timing systems for them.
I was shown to a large darkened room with a wooden (school type) chair under a spot light.
I immediately moved the chair from under the spotlight when I sat down, but received 3 or 4 people shout that it must go back. I should have left at that point, but the offered wages were 3 times what I was on.
A voice from my left started with standard fairly simple electronics questions - OpAmp configurations for various buffer types - I answered these as I had qualifications in Analog Electronics as well as Software, Digital Electronics and Telecommunications, but thought it strange.
OK, next voice starts, and as my eyes are beginning to adjust to the light and I count 10 people lines up behind desks. As I am counting the questioner berates me for not looking at him when he is speaking! He asks me about different control and feedback loops, but keeps trying to pull me back to analog examples. I just think he must be an old fuddy-duddy, but I throw in analog as well as digit feedback into the questions.
The third person asks about microprocessors, and so I am fine with this.
The fourth person asks about different types of gas sensors, and I have to say that I do not have a detailed knowledge of the ones currently on the market. He huffs and I am onto the firth person.
He really goes off on one shouting and demanding to know which car manufacturers I had been working for, so I listed the F1 teams. This leads to a tirade about how could I work on their engines and know so little about the sensors they were using. I try to bluff it out by saying that I had NDAs that would not allow me to disclose such information. That did not help and it suddenly dawned on me that instead of lap timing systems they were interviewing me for engine timing systems!
I explained this and stated that they had invited me directly for something different to what the letter had said, that I was unsuitable and that I wished to leave.
The right hand side of the room complained that they had not asked their questions, but I had left the seat already and heading for the door.
They also refused to pay me the promised expenses, and so I was out of pocket for a days holiday and 200 miles of fuel.