gainful employment once more

(I still haven't worked out how to get those drop caps to appear.)

Since my last post, a lot has happened: I've attended two interviews and accepted a job offer from one of them.

Both interviews were remarkably positive experiences, which contrasts strongly with many interviews I had when I was starting out about twenty years ago. (Strange interview experiences could make an interesting series of posts...)

The first of the two recent interviews was particularly stimulating, comprising an observved group discussion between the three candidates followed by individual interviews.

We didn't complete the set task for the group, which was to produce a prioritised work plan for the first three months of the job, mainly because the discussion revealed widely different assumptions about the job, but it led to useful (though polite) challenges to those assumptions.

The whole atmosphere of the event was friendly and relaxed, and I appreciated the opportunity to see the list of questions fifteen minutes before the individual interviews.

For the second interview, there were six candidates, each interviewed for an hour, so we each arrived for our set time rather than all wait around all day. I therefore only caught a glimpse of one other candidate, and the event felt more isolated.

Nevertheless, the questions asked were interesting ones, with several parts, and I found that I had plenty to say in response to each. I may even have answered too fully, because I suspect that at least some of what I said was irrelevant, but never mind. I was assured at the start of the interview that there was plenty of time, so I used it all.

It was this interview where I was offered the post, and I gladly accepted. I hadn't been completely sure beforehand that I would, but it became apparent from the discussion that the post is in an exciting area of development, and I'm looking forward to starting.