The first interview with the gentleman who would have been my actual boss went great. It was the second interview with the HR gatekeeper a week later that was a waste of time for both the would be employer and myself. The interviewer never smiled once, and I should have walked out the first two minutes. The interview process seemed awkward and the style somewhat stilted, A lot of great talent goes overlooked with this approach. I was hired a week later in a different industry but with the same expected pay. I felt that I was blocked because of my age quite frankly. But I got this elsewhere as well, so it seems to be just a fact of our times.
To be fair they usually use a third party to do their hiring so it is not reasonable to expect a well-qualified HR department if it saves the firm money. I was a walk-in so they were out of their element.