Not only do they make you talk to a salesperson before buying their software... a lot of these places make you talk to a "salesperson" (i.e. an internal recruit

Not only do they make you talk to a salesperson before buying their software... a lot of these places make you talk to a "salesperson" (i.e. an internal recruiter) before even referring your resume to someone who can actually evaluate it. Which is sad because I find these "buffer" discussions to be a waste of time, and all-around drag coefficient in the process, generally. (Though I understand also what secondary functions they serve -- or at least appear to serve -- for some companies).