Initial phone interview with HR. HR rep very helpful and informative. Later emailed to schedule on-site interview. I was told to bring my portfolio. I fit the bill, per their job description and my experience. Plus they were aware of my salary requirements via their online application, so everything seemed good. The on-site interview with the HR rep lasted less than 10 minutes. We had already spoken over the phone, so it was mostly small talk and "Do you have any questions?". The interview with the marketing person didn't include a look at my portfolio. It was perfunctory and brief, maybe 10 minutes. My initial reaction on leaving was "What was that?". My best guess is that at some point before the on-site interview, it was determined that I probably wasn't a good fit. Which is totally fine – and if that was the case, I can see why they'd still go through with the interview. Or maybe it was something in the interview, who knows. I don't begrudge them; they were nice. Here's the kicker, though. You know how in the initial application, you often authorize companies to check your credit? I didn't get very far in the interview process; in fact I think I saw this job reposted well after I received my rejection email. But I recently found out they pulled my credit report before scheduling the on-site interview. (My credit's fine.) I haven't had that happen before. It was listed as a "hard inquiry", which suggests it cost me a few points on my credit score. But looking online, employer inquiries are generally considered soft, and won't affect your score. So I'm not sure what's up.