I was contacted by a recruiter who saw my resume on LinkedIn. I had been approached by them a year before but declined to apply, but I decided to this time although I didn't feel it was the best match for me. I was keeping an open mind about it.
The phone interviewer , who had been a bit late, begins by telling me that the job I had applied for was filled. I had planned my interviewing around that, so I was chagrined. He suggested two other positions which could have fit. He then asked if I went to college right out of high school. I answered no to which he promptly responded that I had to give my entire work history, including dates. I tried to avoid answering as this smacks of blatant age discrimination. He kept up and I continued to decline for other reasons. Rattled, he moved on.
Things were somewhat okay after that, but deteriorated again when I asked for his last name. He said he wouldn't share personal information, but I mentioned that he said I could "shoot him an email," and I would need it to be able to do so as a last name is part of the address. He then sheepishly gave it to me.
We finished, and I knew I wouldn't make the next level. I wouldn't answer to dates which would betray my age, and if I had, I highly suspect I would have been "too old" for them. The interviewer reinforced my opinion that they hire young, bright things out of school with the notion that high academic scores means they can learn their system and will be successful. Yes, to the learning but thinking that guarantees success does not follow.
By the way, I was graduated summa cum laude in an honors program and have more energy then people half my age. To my thinking, Epic needs far more older, experienced people to give them better balance and stability. I have worked with people from 17 to 65 on projects and know a mixture of experience, talent, maturity, knowledge, freshness and excitement makes for a dynamic team. Monoculture leads to inherent structural weakness.