MFW Diary - Take 1!

Calfuray

Alchemilla wrote: »

Hugs Cal, thats hard.

Thanks

gallygirl wrote: »

Good luck for tomorrow. I hope you go into it easier knowing you have a fail safe business opportunity to fall back on :beer:.

:rotfl:

edinburgher wrote: »

Cal, all the very best for tomorrow, relax and be yourself

Thanks The relaxing part is where I have difficulty.

Just under 90 minutes until interview. Sorry, I know I keep going on about it. As far as I know it'll be lasting roughly an hour, on a $kype type medium but their own program, and being interviewed by panel of 3 people, all men. Don't know if it's competency based or any other details.

I've researched

- company, what it does, place in market etc.
- details of job on job description
- had mock interview
- taken notes of experiences to refer to
- read over CV and cover letter in case any questions come up from those.

Etc. I am as fully prepared as I'm going to be, just need to chill out and remember to smile, apparently I can look quite serious when concentrating! :rotfl:

________________________

First day back at uni tonight, just one lecture, short and sweet. Need to decide on Honours project, 3 choices just now but only two serious contenders. One is safe option, I know I like project area, supervisor has good record, would be great example of project to show in job interviews etc, supervisor seems really organised. Other one, supervisor doesn't have the same level of organisation as me, a bit more laid back, no clear plan of project, just ideas floating around, topic I've never done - have to do it for a year and risk I may not like it, etc. And obviously I need it to be of sufficient complexity to get a first.

_______________________

Rich beef stew last night, leftovers OH can have, I think I'll have an omelette or something lighter. Was starving this morning even after having porridge!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Cal, good luck, thinking of you.

Tilly x

Calfuray

Well, that didn't go well.

Fortune_Smiles

I think it always feels like that Cal - it probably went better than you think. Fingers crossed.

Fortune x

Alchemilla

Im always so impressed by how thoughtful and analytical you are about everything.

Calfuray

Thanks Fortune but not really. I forgot to expand on a lot of the things I was saying, I was so nervous I was doing classic stupid things like mentioning skills without backing them up with evidence.

Tried to go on the system at 10 to, it has three sets of 'click here' to make sure everything is working and packages installed. Everything worked fine. Got in at 5 to, I was only one in meeting, I'm like fine, I am early. Other guy joins the meeting and then an error message comes up and gives a US number to phone. I wasn't sure if this was to call a landline or enter into the software I was using, so I was confused.

Get an email asking where I am and if I'm planning on joining call. Series of emails, they are having tech issues on their side so suggest $kype. Quickly log on, change my display pic and start the conversation. They don't have webcam enabled so purely voice conversation. I'm nervous so think my voice is all shaky.

In total, the whole conversation, with 3 people, lasted 20 minutes. I was ummming and ehiing a lot, one guy was so faint i could hardly hear, and they didn't ask any competency or hypothetical or strengths questions.

All they did was talk software and programming experience and what languages do you know, which I know is not enough. I'm new to CS, don't have a lot of background experience but have transferrable skills and the ability to pick things up quickly. Forgot to mention grades and prizes as proof of quick learner, just kept bleating out that I was a quick learner :doh:

They were asking what I did project wise, what did I want to do in future, why did I choose CS, and everything I'd prepared just floated slowly out my ears to goodness knows where!

It's not the kind of interview I expected at all, because it was advertised as Accounting/Finance degrees being accepted I didn't realise it'd focus so heavily on the software side, otherwise I'm not sure I would have picked it because I know my software skills aren't up to par.

The fact that it was so SHORT makes me think they were like "yeah we've got what we need here, no good".

I dunno. _pale_

EDIT: Thanks Alchemilla, that's kind of you. I just wish I was better at first impressions and putting myself across. I definitely 100% don't feel I did myself justice today.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Cal, even if it didn't go well and they don't choose to take you in, you now have experience of all that can go wrong in terms of accessing vcc, of audio interviews and of types of questions asked etc. Now you can take that into your next, and there will be other ones.

Have a glass of wine and enjoy dinner.

Best wishes Tilly x

nattypants

Hi Cal, I've been thinking about you.

Firstly, you should be proud of yourself, this sounds like a tough interview, and would phase almost all of us out there.

Secondly, my very worst interviews have always resulted in a job offer - I kid you not, so you never know.

Thirdly, sometimes it's the interviewers who are c@cks, and not the candidate (see point 2 above)

Fourthly, you are still awesome and we all love you LOADS!

NPX

nattypants

Alchemilla wrote: »

Im always so impressed by how thoughtful and analytical you are about everything.

PS couldn't have put this ^^^ better myself!

edinburgher

Crivens Cal, sounds exactly like the job interview I had with Google in Edinburgh many many moons ago (i.e. we're taking a range of skills, but only the exact ones we want and haven't disclosed). The technical setup alone sounds like a total 'mare, I am not surprised you were a little flustered. To quote grans everywhere, 'what's for you will not go by you'. Now relax, sure you did well no matter how annoyed you feel atm