Refreshing! Initial contact came from HR after an on-line app, first email, then phone screen, then appointment w/hiring mgr., also a phone screen. Face-to-face interview followed, preceded with an employment application and directions.
Face-to-face consisted of back-to-back 1:1 interviews. Started with lunch in their company atrium-like albeit plain cafe with someone who would be my peer, followed with another prospective peer, the hiring manager and HR. Good blend of sharing and probing, focus on experience/process and attitude,very candid, professional, friendly... folks I'd really like to work with.
Personal, friendly, professional phone call about a week and a half after the interview from HR to let me know I did not get the job. Found out later by asking from prospective peer what key experience person who got hired had that I didn't.
Culture/environment:
Typical tech: nice lobby, bland cube farm. Company's experienced a lot of downsizing and restructuring yet provides a good opportunity with right attitude, strong but not overly intense work ethic, and the right boss (also determined later from a former Intermec employee who did not have as good a boss).
Post-"rejection" notes:
Since maintained contact with hiring manager and and particularly with one of my prospective peers.
Tried contacting CEO for an info interview (mid sized company.... CEO has a reputation for being friendly and not overly hierarchical) and got stopped very cold by his Exec Admin. Also tracked one other position that opened and closed w/o hiring, though had to track down the hiring mgr (different group then who I interviewed with) to find out.
Take-away:
Good place to work if you land well (ask some probing questions up front) apply yourself, are flexible and ok that it's not a sure thing long term but can be a worthwhile albeit probably bumpy ride.