I would count that. I've never had an interview that didn't lead to a job offer. As soon as I can talk to the people who matter (as opposed to HR gatekeepers),

I would count that. I've never had an interview that didn't lead to a job offer. As soon as I can talk to the people who matter (as opposed to HR gatekeepers), I can demonstrate that I'm the person they want for a job. On the other hand, when I'm applying through HR, even for jobs that I know I would be a perfect fit in, I get a response well under 5% of the time.