Sep 24
I finally had my phone interview with Mercury Interactive today. It went pretty well overall. There were a few times where I would just shake my head while I was talking because I was thinking to myself 'what the hell am i saying?!!… this is the worst ever'. I guess the good news is that I have (what i would consider anyway) a really strong resume for someone my age. So hopefully a few blunders over the phone won't hurt me too much. Things got better as the interview went on and I became more relaxed and conversant. At the end of the interview the guy at Mercury (the director of operations for the central US/Canada/Mexico for Mercury) seemed pleased and said he would make sure that I got at least two more interviews next week with other people in the company. I have to admit that I am pretty psyched about all this. Mercury is one of the top ten largest software companies in the world and is pushing to make the top 5 within the next few years. So to be interviewed personally by one of the higher ups makes me happy. Apparently the first guy I talked to (like 2 months ago) decided to pass me over all the normal interview people and instead sent me to this guy.
I think my worst speaking trait is being too wordy at times. When I am trying to explain something I often feel that the person doesnt understand me (though usually they do). Because of that I will explain something, and then keep explaining for no reason. Things can become complicated and I feel like an ass. It is especially rough when there is nobody saying anything back to me. In the interview the guy would ask me a question and then stay quiet while I spoke. He would stay quiet until I stopped talking. The lack of interruptions and 'uh huh's often made me second guess the quality of my answers and more than once led to what we in the technical field call 'rambling'. I took more control of myself during the interview's second half, but during the first 15 minutes I was sure that I had no chance of ever getting another interview, let alone a job. If you have ever received a voicemail from me, you understand. I just sorta get lost in my own voice and words and being saying outloud whatever happens to flash across my mind at that particular moment.
Ultimately, I hope things went well. I am compulsively paranoid about these kinds of things though, so I really have no chance of feeling comfortable about my chances. I missed out on a consulting job at ZS this past winter because, like a huge ballsore, I talked too much in one of my interviews. Well, I actually talked too little, then talked too much. It blew. I am trying to at least learn from my interview mistakes on the off chance that I may actually have to interview for another job sometime in my life. So when they call me and say “man, you are super cool and handsome, but we can't offer you a job' I will take solace in having learned not to say 'ummm' 30 times in as many minutes of conversation.
Btw, the job I am hoping to get is as a consultant to whatever company is willing to pay through the ass for my advice. The people at Mercury who do this job are 28-35 and have a solid 10 years experience being badass. Being new to the world of badness I was skeptical of my chances. However, Mercury recently decided to find some 'new blood' and train them to levels of ridiculous. That's pretty cool too. I have the opportunity to jump ahead in the corporate pipeline and go straight to the cool work. I find a certain appeal to flying out to major companies around the country and advising people 2-3 times my age. The problem is, the more awesome the job begins to seem, the more doubtful I am that I will get it. I have a good amount of optimism and confidence in my ability, but I also possess a large dose of pessimism and insecurity. When it comes to the quest for things I want, the negative tends to take control of my thoughts. When it comes to stupid shit of no importance, I am the awesome center of a universe that slowly revolves around me.
God, just give me the damn job so I can get back to being a self-centered asshole.
Nobody Cares Yet.