I received an invitation to interview very quickly after applying and was excited as I saw the potential for a great fit. Unfortunately, the interviewer seemed apathetic about speaking with me before the call even started. Not only was she late to our phone interview, she was disengaged throughout the entire conversation and brought no enthusiasm or energy to the call. She even went so far as to tell me her dog was "guarding her" while we were on the phone. I couldn't even hear her dog. Was I threatening somehow or was this just her way of affirming she didn't care about interviewing me? After answering a question, she went silent for ~20+ seconds during our conversation, which was an excruciatingly long pause. She offered no explanation and I can only imagine what was happening on her end during the pause. Completely unprofessional. I've never experienced something like this before, but it was clear she had no interest in learning about me or giving me a fair chance. This was easily the least professional engagement I've ever had with a company in my entire career. She let me know in so many ways that she wasn't feeling me, so I had no expectation that I would progress in the hiring process. I also lost enthusiasm during the conversation because of her obvious lack of interest. Here's a tip eMarketer: You don't need to treat candidates with disdain to reject them.