job hunting part 3

Had an interview on Tuesday (two days ago). Went very well. It started with them throwing me in a room with a 40 question test. They’ve been getting a lot of fakers. (The IT biz is full of guys who will write that they have the skills you’re looking for on their resume when they don’t. They’re gambling that they can BS their way through the interview and then learn on the job once they’re hired.)

So – after probably getting burned a few times, the first step of their interview was to give you a test and make you prove that you know what you’re talking about.

Which worked OK for me. I’ve been doing this job for 10 years. If I can’t pass a test on it by now, they should probably just give me a blue vest and let me be a greeter at Wal-Mart™.

I aced the test. That didn’t turn out to be a problem.

But I have problems with interviews. Well, sometimes.

If you ask me an awkward question, my knee-jerk response is to say the first semi-funny thing that comes into my head. Because that’s what keeps me from staring at you and thinking "WTF?!"

If I’ve got a prepared interviewer (one who has thought about what he’s asking you and has chosen questions hoping to get some kind of insight or information and isn’t just hoping to elicit the canned BS responses that they teach everyone to regurgitate in Business Communication 101 at the local Community College) then I’m usually alright.

If I’ve got a guy who’s winging it (like most computer guys do) then something like this exchange winds up happening:

—

Interviewer Guy: So, Mike. What kind of guys do you like to work with?

My Brain: Holy shit. Could you ask me a more useless question? Christ. I thought you actually had some smarts until this moment. Do you want me to work the words "collaborate" and "synergize" into my answer? Dorkwad.

My Mouth: Well. Big strong, strapping men, Bob.

—

Luckily, everyone laughed. That could have gone badly.

Anyway, the headhunter says they liked me. I’m supposed to go back next week for a follow up interview. Time will tell – but I don’t have a good feeling about this one.