The whole process of going from first contact to interview was a speedy one. I responded to the cold call mid-week, and managed to get an interview scheduled at the end of the following week. Like I mentioned, when all of the fuss started I had just finished revising my résumé. In response to the voicemail, I sent an email expressing interest, and that was followed by one of those awkward phone calls requiring me to slyly slink away from my desk. I suppose the slinking was optional since walking away to take the call would have sufficed. Once I got all the info I needed, I sent over my document. Later that night I got a note saying I was presented to my prospective company. That’s when I started freaking out because I didn’t have anything to wear to any future interview. That’s why I took advantage of that sale at Moore’s.

By the following Wednesday I got confirmation that they were interested in interviewing me. It would involve a written test, a verbal presentation on a given topic followed by general questions. I was asked by the recruiter whether I needed more time to prepare for all of that. I gave it some thought but I ended up just scheduling the interview for Friday. Two days seemed enough for me. The topic for the presentation wasn’t too hard, and I felt like I could make it through the written part with whatever knowledge I already had on hand. I thought, if I had to study hard for the written part can I really consider myself as being qualified? Good question. As such I took a confident stance and just took the jump.

The day of the interview came quickly. I was decked out in my new suit, looking sharp. I made a conscious decision not to shave though in order to not raise too many alarms when I would later arrive late for work. I gave myself 40 minutes to drive to the company, not knowing what morning traffic would be like. I actually made it there in about 20. I chose to drive around the block to kill a bit more time. When I got to reception I noticed that no one was there. I started doing a head to toe check and noticed that one shoe was laced differently from the other. That’s what I get for not checking that out before dressing up. In haste I relaced the whole thing. I was under pressure because I didn’t want to be the guy that had one shoe off in reception for an interview. That would make for an interesting first impression, no?

The interview itself was interesting. For the Perl section I managed to hold my own, but as is the nature of the beast there were maybe one or two things that made me curse at myself: Why the hell did I know that type of special syntax? I just wrote down any assumptions and carried on. The linux section was a mild bust. The database section was OK. Overall, it wasn’t 100% but I didn’t embarrass myself. The verbal presentation went well. I wrote out notes the night before, and rehearsed things a few times. I tried to keep it to 10 minutes but I kept going over. In person, I spoke with as much clarity as I could muster. I am prone to mush mouth if I’m not careful. I think I made it through without getting lost. The follow up questions weren’t bad. I think apart from one odd question I gave them all the info they wanted. I left the office feeling like I didn’t screw it up horribly. I knew that even if I didn’t get the job the interview was a good experience. Win-win if you ask me.