1st September 2010

The interview

So it’s the 1st September 2010. Being Unemployed for 3 months is a sob story in itself. So you can understand my happiness as I stepped into the building for my interview at 3:00pm. I enter and there I find the start-up office (that’s what it looked like) with a couple of computers and a couple of people and a whole lot of empty space the only filling for which are the neatly distributed cubicles.

As soon as I enter a woman pokes her head up and signals me to “come here”. Asking me the purpose I proclaim that I have come for my interview scheduled at 3:15pm. “What are you applying for?” I was lost. In all the excitement I had forgotten to ask the caller this basic question. Being the way I am I had applied for 3 posts ( I will get in one I’d reasoned!). So a little embarrassed ( I made the face and all!) I told her that I had absolutely no clue! She gave me the “What are you doing here then” look and went in search of my interviewer. In walks a “guy” with shorts and t-shirt and slippers! My first reaction is “AWESOME!!!!”. I hesitate to follow him as I stop by the woman and very politely ask her what I’m being interviewed for! “Risk management” she states and already I’m all “This is great!!!”

We enter the interview room and begin. After the general somewhat obvious questions he begins to go to my past workings. “What did you do?” “What else” “How long did that go on for” and all the historical questions. The difference I found was that he ended up asking me by giving me cases, situations, scenarios. I was ecstatic. Being a believer of “?” everything I was at my best. When at my other interviews I ended up declining a position as I found the whole exercise boring, here I was on fire, racking my brains, sometimes failing to get an answer and even being called “You must really be stupid to think in this way!” and man was I loving it. I had the look of “glee” as we began to near the end of it all! (I sensed the end as he began to talk about “What we do here”) And there I was a little uncertain.

The one variable I lack is “experience” and he had begun talking about how much it is important “In this line of work”! In my mind I was literally going “*!@##!!&~^ I’m gonna lose this job cuz of the exp.! Damn it all”. But just as i began this chain of thought he said “but experience i can give... its the attitude i want!” OH YEAH BABY!!! That’s exactly what I told myself and I was not disappointed. He gave me the 90% hired shake-hand as I confirmed that time-line is no issue and that I’d be joining from the 2nd August as that’s what was stipulated in the e-mail.

The next day I get the call. 90% is a 100% I’m in. Beware the “joker” loving 22 yr old is in the building.