This was a cattle call of sorts. An open house with a few newly promoted sales managers (former sales superstars), as well as 2 HR/Recruiter contacts, 3 current account executives and about 14-16 prospective Account Executives, There was a very nice cocktail hour, as well as a presentation by the Sales and Operations VP and the ability to mingle with Gartner employees afterwards. We were told that it was a highly selective group of which we were basically told we were fortunate to be selected. At risk of violating the "Community Guidelines," of Glassdoor, I will say that the room was dominated by white men between the ages of 25-35. There were also five white women - four of which were already with Gartner Invest (two of whom were recruiters/HR) . I stood out because of who I am, as I am not white, nor a woman (who were all white) and definitely out of the aforementioned age range - older. Frankly, it almost felt as if I was there to help with their EEOC guidelines/statistics. I mention this because although I felt it went well and there was an enjoyable night, it very much felt like they were looking for white men who were younger than 35. If they're not careful, this is a lawsuit waiting to happen as the managers - specifically Area Sales Managers - did not have more than 18 months of experience in the position. One of them was literally in the position for a month. Congrats to him, but if you have several inexperienced sales managers who were promoted simply because they were great salespeople, it doesn't bode well for the organization. It was a bit of a red flag. One manager asked me in a bit of a suspicious/condescending tone - "How did you find out about this event?" As if he were surprised I made it through - despite being well qualified, if not over qualified for the position. At that point, the evening took a bit of a darker turn and I wasn't so sure if I was going to make it through. I did not feel welcome at this event at this point. This was a basic meet and greet for Gartner. I did my best to speak with the various Gartner employees, but did not leave with a feeling that I had accomplished my goal of moving forward to the next stage of the hiring process. The following day I followed up with all of the Gartner contacts whom I had met. Which was significant, as it was about half the room - about 10 people or so. After what I thought was a very good event and some feedback and contact with a few of the Gartner employees, I wasn't surprised that I was not contacted to move on to a one on one interview and start the hiring process. However, I was disappointed. After a week of no contact after my follow up, I decided to follow up with my HR contact directly and asked about how I would find out if was moving forward in the hiring process. I was told by my HR/Recruiting contact: "We would love to keep in touch for any future opportunities we have on this team and any other team at Gartner. Look forward to staying connected with you going forward!" In so many words the HR contact said "Thank you but no thank you. We are passing on you." Which frankly I would have appreciated a bit more directness in the communication, but I realize if I didn't follow up again, I probably would not have heard at ALL from the HR person. She probably needs a little work in rejecting/working with prospective employees. While I thought the night went well, apparently it didn't go well enough for me to move on in the interview process.