Had a job interview today. Haven't interviewed for a job since I got out of the Navy. Was kinda nervous. Wasn't so much the interview itself (cuz they were very cool), but rather the idea of interviewing that made me nervous. (Know what I mean?)
I dressed nice and wore a tie. Normally I only wear a tie to court (where I usually get killed by a system that is mom-biased). So the act of putting on a tie is normally associated with impending pain & suffering.
The position is with a software development group in a financial services company. They use bleeding-edge technology to develop cool software products, so I'm very excited about the prospect of working with them.
How it came about .. at the coffee shop last Friday, I ran into this guy who I've known for years (from the coffee shop), who has seen me there reading my books on XHTML/CSS and PHP. So he knows I'm into web development.
On Friday he says, "You looking for work?" (I originally thought he knew about a job .. not had one himself.) He checks his watch and says, "I gotta run, but give me a call later this afternoon and I'll tell you all about it." He hands me his card and runs off.
••• today's entry continues here below •••
Yesterday we talked .. after which we scheduled an interview .. for today. (This stuff is happening so fast it's making my head spin.)
He wanted his whole team to meet me and buy in, which is why I interviewed with everybody today. Nothing is definite, and I don't want to count my iguanas before they hatch, but afterwards at lunch (where he took me to a fancy sushi restaurant) he seemed to indicate he felt I would be a good match for the position.
To be honest, I was feeling a bit antsy, cuz I could see (as he was listing the duties and responsibilities on the white board) that many of them were things for which I had no experience.
In the nuclear industry (out of which I've come) they don't let you touch anything until you know everything about everything. In bleeding-edge software development however, it's a different story. (You ride the cyclone.) Reactors + excitement generally do not mix well.
While I'm very comfortable with XHTML & CSS, I have no programming experience .. no database experience (to speak of). I'm not gonna lie and say I do.
Back when I used to conduct interviews myself (sitting on the other side of the table), I had two questions:
- Can we work with this guy? (personal)
- Can he do the job? (professional)
Number 2 is more important than #1, cuz you can usually work with somebody, even if you don't like them, long as they can do the job. I have no worries about #1, cuz I can get along with prettty-much anybody. Regarding #2 however, they would know (better than me) whether or not I could do the job.
After the interview(s), he took me to a nice sushi restaurant. I ordered the sashimi sampler. (Best dang sashimi I ever had.) If you could choose your boss, you couldn't pick a better guy. He's smart and professional. Techno-savvy. Appreciates cool technology. Never seems to be in a bad mood (.. at least not in the coffee shop). I have worked for some real tyrants in my day.
If things work out, and his crew gives me the green light, he's even gonna let me have off the 1-day-a-week I have with the Bug. (That was very telling .. about the 'rightness' of the job.) So it seems too good to be true. Seems like a geek's dream. An opportunity too cool to pass on.
I must say, something about the way everything has unfolded "feels right." I mean, I always had a feeling (a hunch, an intuition) that something (a professional opportunity) would "come along" .. when the time was right. (Tho I sometimes wondered if this wasn't just mere wishful thinking.) Didn't think however, it would happen until the Bug started kindergarten. (He turned 4 last week, btw.)
I feel fortunate for even being considered for the position .. cuz (as you probably know) the economy is sucking right now .. in a major way. Millions have lost their jobs (literally). And millions more are worried .. cuz things seem to be getting worse.
If it's meant to be, then things will fall into place .. without me fretting. (So I'm not.) If his team likes me and they feel I can do the job, he was talking about, "Starting Monday." So fast. My head is spinning. I've never worked for a small company before. (Only monsters.)
