In between the usual work this week, I had two job interviews -- which as ever were a whole world of fun times. Because I didn't want them to interfere with my actual work, I arranged them both for 8.30 in the morning -- though on different days, I'm not a complete idiot. Despite some suggestions to the contrary.
Thursday morning's interview was in the B2B Technology (BizTech) sector, for an up-and-coming, hot new agency. Because they're still just starting to blazing their trail through the industry, they're looking to take on a whole bunch of people. One of those people could have been me.
The agency weren't too far from where I'm working, and I found the building without too much trouble, and was on time. Go me. I pressed the buzzer to be let in, waited, and just as someone answered about 10 buses all drove past so I tried to shout above the noise. Something must have got through as they buzzed me in. As the door clicked shut behind me I remembered how I'd been told to take the lift entrance because the office was on the fifth floor. No lift here, maybe I have to go up the stairs a bit first?
Let's rethink where I said I wasn't stupid, as I merrily trooped up the stairs, all the way to the fifth floor. I got the agency, the door was locked, but somebody inside noticed me and let me in -- they probably had been waiting on the other end of the office, by the lift. I was slightly early, so I sat and pretended to read a newspaper while they prepared themselves for me. And note when I say "pretended to read" I don't mean I mimed reading a paper, there actually was a real paper I was holding, I just wasn't really focusing on what it said.
The interview itself was pretty short. The nice interviewer lady admitted she couldn't find my CV and just asked me to tell her about myself. What bugs me is when I'm trying to tell them all succinctly about my history to date and they keep interrupting and taking me off on tangents.
Let's skip ahead, we don't need to hear about all the question and answer bullshit. The interview itself was incredibly shot, since after telling them about me and them telling me about who they are, it seemed quite clear they had never read my CV. Because I had no previous tech experience -- especially not any BizTech experience -- there was nothing there for me. Nothing. If I even had some consumer experience in the tech field they might have been able to work with it, but they pretty much told me straight out they had nothing for me. It seems they only interviewed me because I came highly recommended.
Sure, I'm a great guy. I'm funny, I'm smart, I'm spectacular in bed. But what the hell does a recommendation mean if they are going to waste everyone's time interviewing you for a job they have no intention of considering you for? On the positive side, they were very nice to talk to -- I had been worried that although I'm like a frigging Jedi master of PR these days, I didn't know enough about tech. It wasn't a problem there. I also think that should I ever be in a position where I do have some experience, they would probably consider me and meet me again.
I took the lift back down. It was one of those old wire cage lifts, where you heave open the doors manually and shut them behind you. I wished I had taken my camera. And that was Thursday. I was out of there within 30 minutes total.
Friday's interview I didn't even want to go to. I didn't want the stupid job. It was an interview for a position working in the financial services sector, and was going to last two hours because they also wanted me to take part in an assessment. It was for as junior position as it is possible to be, yet they still want you to do an assessment first. I only agreed to have my CV sent to them in the first place because the recruitment consultant rang me up while I was trying to work and I just wanted to get him off the phone.
So anyway, again Friday I find the place and am on time. This might sound obvious, but it doesn't always happen, so I'm pleased when I can get it right. Ran into a girl in reception who was also there for an interview, she asked me if I was there for the graduate program too? That explains all the assessment bullshit then. Before too long, we're taken upstairs to our respective meeting rooms.
I was interviewed separately by two different people, both quite pleasant. Same old question and answer about my experience, what I've done where and all the rest. Second interviewer explained how junior the position is -- no contact with either press or clients, or presumably the outside world -- and asked me with my background would this not be a step backwards? I'd already worked out for myself that this time I really was over-qualified. If they're only recruiting let's say 10 people -- they are going to take the 10 with degrees in marketing or whatever but no actual experience, looking for their first jobs.
Nonetheless, I assured them that because I was changing industry sectors and leaving the consumer side of the force behind me, what I wanted really was a junior, entry-level position where I could prove myself, work my way up through the ranks with my hard work. I don't know if they went for it. I did mean it though -- unlike some agencies, they claim to promote on merit. With previous jobs I've missed out on for being apparently over-qualified there has been an understanding that promotion would come only after 12 or 18 months -- which is not the case with this agency, and that could work out well for me.
The assessment side of it was a bunch of tests -- organise a bunch of tasks in order of priority, reformat a table to make it suitable for a client to see, fairly straight-forward stuff. And that was pretty much it.
I got lost after leaving the offices -- probably because I was talking to my Dad on my mobile, trying to give him tech support on why the broadband wasn't working. I kept walking for a while, in the hope it would magically transform itself into the right place or a tube station, but when it didn't I gave up and took the bus. I like bus journeys. You can't be in a hurry and they're no good if there's like any traffic, at all, but I like being able to sit by the window and stare out at the world going by.
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