The job search continues (Car crash interview)
Sorry i've posted a few threads recently about seeking a new job. The thing is - i'm not looking for a quick 5 minute gig - i'm looking for a long term career and i'm struggling to find that kind of place. Somewhere where I can learn and grow over the next 10 years+. I currently work as a security analyst and although I detest security analyst work - I happen to be quite good at it (not to blow my own trumpet!).
So I currently do a 40 mile round trip every day to my current place of work. I found a security analyst position advertised for a large global company which was only 10 miles from me. This would reduce my mileage by 50% and pay very similar. Perfect. That I was prepared to do. So I applied for the job and was lucky enough to get a telephone interview (stage 1). I passed that with flying colours and got invited to a face to face interview (stage 2).
I turned up to the building 20 minutes prior to the interview time slot. As I got there, there was a fire alarm. I walked into the building to see if it was a drill, or whether it was a false alarm etc etc. There was no security, no fire marshal to stop me going in. I walked into the building to see reception empty, the building empty - I quickly realised, ok, this isn't a drill. I walked back to my car and called HR. HR told me to wait around and it will be ok to go in late.... first red flag (complete lack of security).
I eventually got into the interview room around 10 minutes later than planned. I was greeted by an "ITIL" woman and a "Security" gentleman for the interview. The woman asked about my background in IT. I told her how I started as 2nd line and did that for 5 years, then I told her about getting a first class degree and getting certs etc. She looked a bit confused (second red flag) but I thought nothing of it.
The security guy (let's call him Bob) was asking about the certs. "OSCP? I've never heard of it" (third red flag). I couldn't quite believe a security guy had never heard of the OSCP, but I told him about it. His response? "i'll have to google it." Ok, fair enough. Maybe he genuinely hasn't heard of it. The woman asked me what I do day to day. I told her how I run reports and speak to clients and provide security consultancy. In my previous security analyst role, I was the guy monitoring log sources and fighting off malware, insider threats and the like.
She looked completely and utterly confused. I was about to ask "is something wrong?" when she picked up her book, folded it in half and said: "This job isn't technical. This job is all about policy and procedure" (forth red flag). I told her how I do that in my current role and she opened the book and continued the interview (I got the feeling she was going to end it there and then unless I did something special). I managed to get back on track.
Then the guy asked about my degree "What made you do that degree? What is computer forensics?". This was the fifth red flag and I really, really didn't want the job by this point. Here is a guy, working in security, who doesn't know what the OSCP is, doesn't know what computer forensics is and is asking me to explain the very basics about what these things are. At the end of the interview, I asked "what would I be doing day to day?" and the ITIL woman gave me 10 minutes of what I can only describe as "waffle". She was trying to impress me with acronyms she'd learned on the ITIL course and mentioned i'd be "signing off projects" and "using the development lifecycle" - but failed to tell me what i'd actually be doing day to day and in the grand scheme of things. Signing off what projects? If the job isn't technical why would I be using a development lifecycle? What about the ESM's? What about Splunk? Arcsight? Alienvault? How can you have a non-technical security analyst? etc etc.
I received an email today saying they wont be taking the application any further, but in my defence, I genuinely didn't want it. I've said it before on this forum and i'll say it again. ITIL is the devil. I was 99.9% convinced before, but i'm 100% convinced now. ITIL is a course for non-techies. I'm convinced it produces ineffective managers who have "the gift of the gab" aka like to talk. What I got out of the interview, was that she wanted to hire a non-technical person to do a technical person's job so she could relate to them. But it's not just her, i've yet to meet one person with ITIL certs who is any good.
Now, although I can be grateful i'm not working for her, but the problem is - there are no more jobs in my area paying over 20k (£). I'm in between a rock and a hard place. I'm not sure where to go from here.
