Interviews

I had a couple interviews last week. The first was at a company in the southish bay which models electricity generation, distribution and sale in wholesale electricity markets. In a loosely structured format, I talked with one person and then another, took an Excel spreadsheet test and a writing test, and chatted with other people who happened to be around. I loved the work environment and the main drawback would be the commute. The second was at a regional agency in charge of air quality. I thought from the job description (and this was pretty much confirmed in the interview) that they wanted someone more senior than I, but I thought I'd at least go there, see what it's like, meet people, get my name known, etc. No such luck. Here the interview process was tightly controlled by HR: a 40-minute writing test followed by a 40-minute interview with three people asking six prewritten questions. I got no chance to meet people, find out what working there is like, whether there may be other positions opening up more suited to me, etc. Everyone was friendly enough, but there wasn't much point to my going there. Perhaps the only positive aspect of it is that I know I can expect my rejection in about three weeks, whereas at the first place there was only a vague "yeah, you should come in and meet the president, who's at home today dealing with a burst sewer, and let us know what your salary requirements are". But, still, I hope it comes through.