Right.

Today - mere minutes ago, actually - I underwent a telephone interview for a Technology Graduate Analyst position at Barclays Capital (a.k.a. Barclays-the-investment-bank).

This went fifty percent not-so-good and fifty percent good, in that order (about 10 minutes of each). Well, maybe more like forty-sixty, but there was still bad stuff. Basically what I didn't do so well on was the whole region of "What Barclays Does". Questions such as "What do you think are the most difficult issues facing Barclays in the field of Technology?" gave me pause for thought, since, as an incoming graduate, I actually know relatively little about the financial world (so far). Fair? I like to think they'll be more lenient, as 1) they explain in the blurb that full training will be provided and 2) as a Technology applicant, I'm not applying to actually, you know, do finance but to help facilitate others to do finance, but what do I know?

Questions I'd anticipated, such as "Why apply to Barclays? Why Technology? Why investment banking?" I did reasonably well on. I think I asked some good questions in return. There was a set question, which can be briefly summed up as "The data's three hours late, what do you do?", which I believe (hope) I aced.

The problem, I think, was with my articulacy. I was really jittery before this interview - sitting there with the phone next to you waiting for the call is a terrible way to spend the last few minutes, I should have done something to take my mind off it instead - and through the first ten minutes, that nervousness came through in the form of Ums and Ahs and stammers, most unlike me. Seeing as I was nervous because I believed the tiniest slip-up meant curtains, it didn't go away that fast, either, it was only after those first minutes that I managed to loosen up and get into gear. It's not the phone that scares me about phone interviews, it's the harshly judgemental interviewer I imagine is on the other end (although she sounded lovely).

There's an assessment round to come, and if I'm honest with myself, I don't believe I got through to it. Although this blows away my sole previous phone interview I've felt much better coming out of interviews in the past and my gut says no.

We'll see (end of the week, apparently).

Onward and upward! New application starts now...

Update

I GOT THROUGH! They emailed me practically instantly! Woo-hah! One more two-day assessment stands between me and that job!