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03/11/2004: "fun with interviews"
Yesterday I had an interview at a company that is literally down the road from where I work now. Thus, I left work, drove halfway down the road, parked, changed into my dress shoes and put on a tie, and drove the rest of the way. If my lunch hour was an actual hour (as opposed to 30 minutes) I could probably walk down there and back to have a lunchtime interview.
In any case, it was a fun interview....
The job decription that the recruiter gave me was extremely vague, so I didn't really know what to expect going in. I read over the company's website, but it wasn't all that helpful when it came to corporate information. The guy I met with was very friendly and showed me into a big office where we could chat. And "chat" is what we did. It lasted just about 80 minutes, and was likely the most fun I've ever had in an interview. (If you're reading this, hello, and thanks for the fun inteview!)
We chatted about all sorts of things, revolving around my resume: my interest in alternatively-powered vehicles, homesteading, my writing, battlebots... and of course some of my previous work experience. It really didn't feel very interview-ish, especially with an interviewer so personable. That was reinforced when somehow we got on to the topic of Commuter Cars. I started telling him about these funky electric vehicles, and his curiosity was piqued enough that he simply opened up a browser on the computer beside him and checked it out for himself. I mentioned that they have a video of a prototype racing around an autocross course, which really intrigued him. So much so that he left the room to get another engineer to come see this video! During my interview!! Can't say I've ever surfed while being interviewed before.
I even brought up Not From Toronto for him to look at. Yes, I have it on my resume under "Interests". Why not? I don't think I've ever had a hobby, other than my musical ability, that has lasted more than two years at a time. I would like to think that NFT also goes a long way in showing that my communications skills are excellent. I don't do a lot of writing professionally, but for the little bit I do I'm sure keeping my skills honed on a weekly basis really helps. As we weren't at my interviewer's desk, I have no idea if he managed to bookmark NFT and come back to it. Here's hoping! (I can always use another reader, not to mention the chance to say, "I had an interesting thought about the Cricket last night - call me back for a 2nd interview if you want to hear it!")
All in all it sounds like a great place to work. Ideas flow freely, lots of opportunity to get my hands dirty, a huge opportunity for growth and professional development, and not to mention that they have a product or two that I'd love to be able to snag at employee discount rates. Were this company involved in IT, I'd call it "nerdvana", but that term doesn't really fit my profession. I'll have to get a thesaurus and see what other plays on words I can come up with for synonyms for "nirvana".
Vallhelluvagoodplacetowork? Nah... I don't look viking enough.
