Today saw my first job interview in a decent amount of time. I've become much too complacent in my cosy admin job here at the School of Education. The interview was with Detica, a technology consultancy which specialises in turning staggeringly large amounts of meaningless data (as organisations are wont to collect in this era of plummeting disk drive costs) into useful information and business/technology advice - and, often, helping implement said advice. Anyway their benefits package looked super and they seemed a lot like Data Connection - to whom, despite their awesomeness, I do not intend to return, because of too many bad memories - and they're taking on lots of people right now so it seemed like The Right Time.

I was more prepared for this interview than I think I have ever been, I had an inch-thick wodge of interview advice and information about the company printed out to go through during the previous week and I got a whole lot of my strategy planned out pretty carefully. I actually think it's crazy how much energy I put into preparing for that single 1-hour interview. Yes, it's necessary - but that level of investment of personal time is intimidating for me and yet another factor (in addition to the major hang-ups I find when writing job applications and cover letters) in slowing down my job search.

So I took a day off work and took the bus down to London where they have their nearest office to Nottingham (others being Chelmsford and Guildford, although I suspect the latter may actually be on Betelgeuse V). The office doesn't quite have a river view but it is sixty seconds from the Temple tube station which is right on the river bank. I arrived early enough to go and have a look at the London Eye but not early enough to actually have a ride on it - which I am still going to delay until I get myself some sort of portable picture-recording device.

Detica occupies the 6th and 7th floor of an otherwise actually-mostly-empty building (only two other floors in use as far as I could tell). I was given a badge at reception on the ground floor and another badge at reception on the 6th floor which was deeply confusing. Even more amusing was when I managed to somehow not press the lift button properly and re-emerged on the ground floor after the first lift ride. I thought that lift attendent looked familiar...

I was the only interview candidate around at the time, and to be honest I saw VERY little of their whole operation - the reception desk, the waiting area, with a kind of kitchen for hot drinks (which I don't drink, which always seems to be a drawback in such situations) and, just around the corner from this, the interview room, one of those tiny affairs with frosted glass panel walls.

As for the interview itself: well, this could go either way, and that's for two reasons. I was on top form. They set up the questions and I knocked them down. No unexpected questions which I think is a first for me. Two problems, though. First off, the irritating but true fact came out that I have spent over a year now out of university (Cambridge University, no less) and not in permanent work, which - bluntly - shows that I am a loser at getting jobs. Which I guess I kind of am. I have absolutely no doubt in my own capability to do any of the work I've applied for, but simply knowing how to convince the guys at the other side of the table of this fact is my Kryptonite. Secondly, it seems from my conversations with my two interviewers that their consultancy business involves a lot of travelling to other locations, commuting or even staying there, working odd hours. I, as I said to them, am a creature of routine. I could adapt, certainly, but I would prefer a nine to five job alongside a team I can get to know, rather than (as these guys seem to be) working with a different set of fellow Deticans every three months or whatever, or sometimes alone. I find travelling tiring, and I like leaving my alarm clock on the same setting, dig? Also, I can't drive. (Yet.)

Both of these would count for points against me but I think the second one is valid enough to make me reconsider my application most carefully.

What I'm going to do is wait and see if they ask me to come for a second (and final) interview. If they do, I'll trust their judgement and go all-in. If not, I'll be happy to chalk it up to experience and keep looking.

I just remembered I haven't written up last week's formal yet so I'll do that soon.

Update

I didn't get it.