Not Since Last December

I have an interview today.  Only, for the first time, this interview will not make or break me.

It’s a strange feeling interviewing for a job when you don’t really need it.  I don’t have the normal bundle of nerves in the pit of my stomach.  To top off this already unfair advantage, I got an interview question in advance.  Somehow it feels like cheating.  Here is what my interviewer sent me:

In this position you will spend most of your time solving problems for clients and co-workers.  Please explain how you solved a complex problem in a current or past job.

1. Describe the problem situation
2. What steps did you take to solve the problem?
3. What resources did you use to solve the problem?
4. What was the outcome?
5. Were the people involved satisfied with the outcome?

I worked on my response for a bit and even had Lucky 10-Key look over my answer.  I feel prepared and as confident as one can be for an hour long interview where you sit in front of strangers and they ask you to sit, roll over, fetch, and play dead.  Just kidding.  Sort of.

Interviews are always so forced, and no matter how hard you try to sound natural, everything sounds so canned.  I will eliminate, the best I can, all the ums and likes from my speech.  I will annunciate every word, make eye contact, sit up straight, cross my ankles, and smile.  I’ll tell them I have a strong work ethic and I’m a team player.  I will decline to state that I’m snarky when crossed and that I blog during my downtime.

T-minus 2 hours and counting…