Interviews Update
So, I had two interviews on Friday and they were interesting to say the least. I had work, so I went in Thursday at 8 PM and didn't go to bed until Saturday at 4 AM (not all for the interview mind you, I got home at about 8 PM on Friday, but went out for a drink with a friend). Tired is not the word to describe what I was, as when I calculated it I did about 9 hours of travel between car, train, and walking. But, I digress.
First interview was at 10 AM in NYC for a Digital Evidence Tech position. I caught the express train out of Trenton and arrived at Penn Station at a little after 8 AM. I figured I had enough time to get to the interview by foot, but I totally underestimated how far I truly had to walk. It was about 15 blocks over and another 15 (I was lost so it could have been more) up. It quite literally took me an hour to get to the building and I had passed it once. I arrived with about 45 minutes to spare, so I waited outside and headed to the 10th floor at 9:45 am. I get there, knock on the door, and speak with one of the workers....they had no idea who the person was I was looking for. When I explained that it might be with legal services, they said that was the 4th floor (thanks HR Lady). I get to the 4th floor and that was the right place. I waited and the Director walked in, said hello let me put my stuff down and grab the team. I spoke with two of the team members (one of which I had my phone interview with) and then spoke with the director. Another team member came in and asked me a couple of questions.
I had a great feeling about this interview and I am sure I will get an offer. The issue that will come into play is how much the salary will be. They seemed to really press about the position being entry level and to me that means low salary. With my student loans, I will have issues living in NYC or anywhere close. The commute of at least two hours will be extremely hard given the long hours that will be required (I don't take issue with the long hours as I know I will learn a ton!). But I had a good feeling, the team seemed really laid back and a lot like myself. Plus there would be a lot of chances for travel and to grow with a brand new forensics team. So we shall see how that pans out!
My second interview was at 4 PM with Verizon Wireless for a NOC position. I had high hopes for this position as I had talked to HR and also the NOC Manager, it all seemed pretty awesome. I arrived and the manager came to take me into a conference room. It all started out pretty well, I had examples to all the questions he asked and I wasn't really concerned with the schedule. But during the interview and especially after I analyzed everything during my two hour drive home, I really felt that the manager really wasn't interested in what I was saying. I wasn't expecting him to be wowed with my answers, but I would literally answer a questions and only get an "ok" as a response before the next question. I did get a tour of the NOC and I got to sit with a NOC Lead for about 20 minutes. Let me tell you, their NOC blew me out of the water. It was truly amazing all of the technology they use, all the things they can see, and all of the stuff that effects the cellular networks we use on a daily basis. The main reason I got to sit with a NOC Analyst was because they wanted me to answer HR's questions so I wouldn't have to drive up again.
So I sat with the HR person and let me just say this was probably the worst HR person I've ever encountered. I felt she talked down to me the entire time we spoke and she seemed to harp on the fact that I was coming from a small business. She questioned whether I could handle their environment and the hours required for the position. She too seemed not interested in the answers I provided to her questions. It got to the point that if the interview wasn't going to be over, I was going to consider walking out. The interview ended and I expressed my gratitude in her staying late to accommodate my schedule, to which she replied snidely that "this is what a team that works 24/7 does for each other." Let's just say I was not very impressed with the manager or this HR person and while I am pretty sure I will get an offer, I will be turning it down. The salary is really good and I know I will learn a ton, but if that is the caliber of people I will be expected to work with I will just as soon stay where I am.
My final interview is tomorrow and that is for a support tech position with my college. I actually interviewed for this position almost a year ago, but there was a bit of a shake up and it wasn't filled. I didn't see them post for it again, but they called me out of the blue to see if I was still interested. I won't lie in saying I am kind of holding out for this position as it offers me free education (up to a free PhD) and is a pretty laid back environment. I'll post tomorrow on how that goes, but I believe it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
I will say that I did learn somethings throughout the process. First, experience does truly matter. When you are given situational questions, it is a great feeling when you can apply something you have done to the question. Second, be true to yourself and answer honestly. Finally, go with your gut as it won't let you down. My gut was basically telling me to run during the second interview and believe me I am listening. I honestly don't believe I've ever walked out of an interview so mad. I once had an interview in NYC and the day before they called to talk to me. The person asked where did I live and I told him it was a two hour drive away. He then asked if I could be in at 10 AM the following morning and I said sure. I drove all the way up and had a 15 minute interview that literally could have been done on the phone. All the questions pertained to work history and courses found on my resume. I walked out mad that day, but not nearly as mad as when I left Verizon.
