I've had similar experiences and it's ok. After all, we are always learning as well.
Depends on country and sometimes local jurisdiction. For example, if the employee is or claims to be a member of a minority the hiring manager and the company can be in hot water rather soon.
Not my chips though. Some are full of compromises because we must cram in more than usually fits. Design rules get chucked, electro-migration enters, the thing doesn't have to live for very long so it can be done. But all this does not unfold until the actual chip design begins, when the first hard collision with a design rule comes along, and then another. Which is why I am honest and always write that into the architecural spec that they get for bidding.