Had an hour long job interview for an IT/Engineering manager job at a local TV station. As seems to be the case for things like that the first interview is all the management bollocks. Is it me or are there no right answers to the sort of questions that get asked at interviews like that? It's a shame that they don't ask any proper technical questions at that stage. Worse still I might have to wait 2 weeks before I find out wether I get a second interview.
Now I'm going to spent the next few weeks torturing myself by going over all the answers I gave in my head.

In my experience, for most of these type of interviews the answers you give aren't necessarily that important. It gives the interviewer a way to see how you respond.

After all, any technical details can be read off your CV and then confirmed with a couple of questions, but at the end of the day any manager worth their salt should be interested in you as a person, your aspirations, your drive and passion.

I always recommend people go for lots of interviews - not just ones for jobs they want - for practice!

Hating the management before you've even been offered the job, sounds like you're exactly who they're looking for!

Oh year, and well done for getting the interview in the first place.

Steve

Fingers Crossed here, from an eternal optimist!

Well - best of luck to you.

I now have a suit. Although I did have to go out an buy a tie the day before. If I get another interview I might have to get another tie, that way it doesn't look like I only have one shirt and tie.

I'll mail you one from my extensive collection, waiting to go to the charity shop, I haven't worn one since March (Except for dinner at our Hotel in Wales), any colour preference?

Nice one! I'll PM you.

Ugh! Too late, the bin liner has left: Choice is now down to blue or blue!
I'll be keeping: Black, Winnie the Pooh and Father Christmas!

I think blue could work. Is it dark blue?

SWMBO keeps telling me I have too many ties and that I need to 'rationalise' before moving house on the 26th...so potentially I'll cheer her up and zap one or two your way!

Wow this turning into Tie Aid! After meeting you in Amersfoort I just can't picture you in a suit. You looked like you were more at home dangling from a rope off a cliff (or maybe in high security vault looking for an unsecured workstation )

Both a sort of mid blue, one in a fairly sober abstract pattern, the other in a very sober small grid pattern, of course, I should have mentioned that I shall be keeping the old school tie, also!

Ha ha ha - the day I joined my current firm I had hair about a foot long and wore black leather and jeans by preference, but the partner who gave me my job offer answered my question of "So, do you have a hair length policy?" with "Just do what you think is right for the client, Rory."

So short hair. Luckily most of my clients are smart casual, so no ties, unless I'm chatting with CEOs, FDs etc.

And even then I tend to wear Tigger, Pink Panther, Winnie The Pooh, or Kangaroo ties

I think if you're customer/public facing then it's important. However, if you're on the end of a phone or running cables then I think it's less important.

Looks like I'll definitely be needing another tie, just been offered a second interview.

Result! Congrats - and best of luck with round two and the blue tie!

Congrats! That's gotta feel good.

New tie and shirt purchased, now onto interview prep. This one's going to be technical. I'm not worried about the broadcast side too much, nor am I worried about pure computing stuff. The bit I think I could fall down on is heavyweight windows admin. I'd like to think there's nothing I can't usually do with windows, but that usually involves sitting in front of a machine and having a poke round first, not sat in a meeting room in a suit.

I there anything you guys could recommend to have a read through before Monday? I'm not saying I want my MCSE in a weekend just something to bring me back up to speed.

TBH, I don't think they'll ask much, if at all about it. I'd just like to prepare myself in case.

Just be honest and say you can do it when your at a computer but find it hard to rattle it off at interview. Its what I say and it works!

Yeah, generally I find that you needn't know the exact answer as long as you can show you know where or how to find the answer and that you understand the question in general.

Makes sense, almost like showing your working out on a maths test to get extra points even if the final answer isn't right or missing.
I've never really been to an interview where i haven't had a really good grasp of all the key skills before. Windows network admin isn't listed as a skill in the advert, but thought they might assume the candidates would know it anyway.

Nice one Andy, best of luck, hope it goes well!

Got it!

WELL DONE ANDY !!!!

I hope it's the good move you have been looking for, I am sure Amy is over the moon too!

When do you start?

When are you taking me for a beer to mark the occasion?

Cheers

Cris.

I'm waiting for the letter (which should arrive tomorrow) before I give my notice in. But it should be a month of which I've got 2 and a 1/2 weeks of annual to take before I go. So I should start at the end of September. It looks like I have to hit the ground running, they want their new broadcast center up and running by xmas.

Let me know when you're in Manchester next and we can go out and celebrate, although we are going to York on Saturday, so maybe we could meet up in Leeds if you're over there?

Mmmmm Digging in 11m of fence and putting up a deck this weekend, so I'm not going to be much fun. Feel free to pop around, but you will have to make your own Cuppa, unless you talk nice to Nicola

Will any nice BBC gear be leaving with you?

Cheers

Cris.

I'm hoping they'll let me take my toolkit with me, I've also got an old crotch cooker of a P4 laptop that I'm hoping they won't miss. I think it's unlikely they'll let me take my new 20 inch Dell TFT though.

You can always come and look at mine

I have 2 now

Cheers

Cris.

So where'd you get it from at that price?

Decided the deal was worth the risk.

So far so good, there is a little more light bleed than on the other, but I would be really nit picking then, it won't bother me.

So what's the new job title then?

Cheers

Cris.

IT/Engineering manager, I have minions!

Congrats.

Pointy Haired Boss or Psycho Hose Beast? No danger of either hopefully.

I was guessing pin head boss.

Congratulations Andy! Was confident you'd get it from what you said.

Minions, eh...nice!

Congrats! Sorry, been nursing a bug for a couple of days, only just caught up with the site.

Thanks guys, there will be two people working in my department. I hope we'll be able to get along and there won't be too awkward as it sounds like they might be older than me.

On a related note, I found a suitable resignation letter on http://www.i-resign.com/uk/home/ there's some corkers on there.

Do they have any idea that you have got another job?



Cris.

Decided to tell my project manager just as we got into a meeting this morning. He looked quite upset.

If you were offered a better deal would you stay where you are ?

Although I know this sort of thing doesn't work at all at BT, if you try that sort of thing on they just replace you with another number.

I love working for a big corp, it's great! (I don't think so!)

Cheers

Cris.

It would have to be a pretty bloody spectacular offer for me to stay.

Nope, I'm happy to work for a company with 30 employees of which I'll be responsible for 20% of them. There's only the ops director between me and the big boss too. Working for a company the size of the BBC (or indeed BT) eventually just got to me. Too many chiefs and not enough indians.

Many thanks Godfrey, who needs Trafficmaster when you've got the empeg bbs?

B'locks, I've just watched the northern news, and that section is all closed for an accident: sorry to give you duff info., but I couldn't have known!

s'okay, I just asked tomtom to avoid the a64 and it took us a little further up the A1/M1 instead, no problems at all. In fact we took the a64 back and it was fine.

The motorway signs said it was shut and it still said it coming back so it must've been quite serious.

Amy said we should've popped round, can't exactly remember where you lived.