Do not waste your time with this company. They insist on giving a completely unnecessary math test before they'll even look at your resume. I thought the test I'd be taking would be related to my marketing abilities and experience and after staring at it for about a minute, I asked the receptionist, who administers and times the test, if she had give me the correct exam. She explained that everyone took the same test, regardless of position. I have seen this position advertised repeatedly since 2009 and it has never been filled. At one interview with a headhunter, she brought up this position with an "anonymous" client that they could not fill because the client's expectations and requirements were completely unrealist for the position. I asked if she was talking about HCSS and once she confimed that it was, we had a long talk about how weird the culture is at HCSS. She said that HCSS had turned down every candidate she sent, even those that passed the stupid test. She said they went out of their way to find fault with every candidate and were never satisfied. I'm sure this position will remain open indefinitely.

I learned about the position three ways: from job listings posted by the company and two independent recruiters (in blind ads). I found this awkward, because I had to ensure that both recruiters would not make a claim that they had referred me. That can cause disputes with the hiring company and result in loss of the job. Step 1 of the process was a timed, computer-based test, with about half the questions comprising situational math problems (mostly algebra). Other questions focused on business and financial knowledge, plus vocabulary. Apparently this test is required of all candidates, with different minimum scores required for various positions. Step 2 was unique in my interviewing experience. It wasn't unfair because it could be argued that anyone competing for a marketing director position should be able to do this in 2011, but it was different: I was given a list of eight questions related to the job and issues that I would face if I won it. Two of the questions required an answer and I was told to choose any three of the remaining six. I was given five business days to create (and publish to YouTube) a video of myself answering these questions, with a limit of 15 minutes. Step 3 would have been a phone interview, but the company skipped this step and went directly to face-to-face interviews with members of the HCSS executive team. I interviewed with four key leaders, including COO Steve McGough and founder and President Mike Rydin. A breakdown of internal communication was obvious, as Rydin (to whom this position reports) was not even aware that I had prepared the required video interview. The company is strongly employee-oriented, rare even among employee-owned companies. There are many amenities for employees and the atmosphere is very casual yet professional. Amenities include an onsite gym, gourmet kitchen, and Wifi in an outside, park-like setting. My own research (I called company employees before i met the exec team) indicated that employees see this employee orientation as a very positive benefit of working with HCSS. Even though all my interviews seemed to go well (except for some apparent philosophical differences with Rydin), my rejection came in a form letter with no explanation for the decision to continue their search. Asked for feedback, one executive said "it's our policy not to provide any" to interviewees.