Weird interview...

that lead to something even stranger

Yes the last 24 hrs have been somewhat strange, but I can't actually complain about the way it turned out.

Yesterday my mobile was ringing and I figured it would be someone contacting me for a job, as everyone else I know is at work, and would call me at home. So I answer it and it is a job I applied for. They wanted to know could I come in in 4hrs time for an interview. Not a problem says I, and off I go on the bus/walking to find exactly where it is, and how long it will take me to get there. I like to be prepared for these things.

So I return home with a little time to spare before I have to actually be there. So I get ready, iron my shirt (I loath irioning!), have a bowl of cereal, brush my teeth, and run out the door.

I get there and have to fill in a paper with all the regular details. Then the interviewer comes along, and we start.

Now the interview was really strange, with strange questions that I have never been asked before. We'll see what I'm talking about in a minute!

I tell the woman when I'm able to work (full time summer, part time during Uni term) as I'm doing my post graduate in veterinary medicine. So she starts to tell me about her dog who had chemotherapy, which was interesting, and good developing some connection between us.

Then I get asked the usual questions of "why do you want to work here" and I give my honest answer, which she didn't seem to be interested in. I was wondering what I was supposed to say, since whatever I just did, didn't seem to work. Then I get asked "Why do you live in Edinburgh" "ahhh it's home???" I went on to explain that I was born here, but grew up in Canada, but here is home. I don't plan on leaving any time soon.

So my accent is right dodgy. I sound to Canadian for the Brits, and too British for the Canadians. I can't win. My friend told me before that if there was ever a country in the middle of the Atlantic, everyone would sound like me. Too bad there wasn't cause at least I'd fit in better. I find sometimes that because of this I get treated like a foreigner which is really annoying. Hello! I'm Scottish with a foreing accent. This in all honesty puts me at a disadvantage sometimes as I have had dealings about it in the past.

So she asks me a few more questions, and I answer. Again, nothing I said seemed to be at all interesting or scoring me any points. At this point I was pretty much sure nothing was going to come of it. I was asked did I have any questions, and I asked 1 question with two parts. Now the interviewer herself, actually didn't answer either of my questions. To which point I was wondering did she understand what I asked, or did she not understand because of my accent. She asked if I had any more questions, and rather than repeat what I had just asked her which would have ended up making her look like a right plonker, I said she answered everything I had thought of.

So that was it. Total bad feeling about this at it took less than 10 minutes, and after I put my coat on, and put my hand out to say thank you for your time, she was already walking away from me. Since I did have my hand out, she had to turn around, and sort of come back. Like I said one strange interview.

I went to eat tea with one of my mates and his family last night. Conversation came around to this interview. I said to Johnstone and his wife that I was sure I wasn't going to get this job because my answers didn't seem to be the least bit interesting, I was asked some really strange questions that didn't really have anything to do with the job, again my answers didn't seem to be appropriate, and the interviewer pretty much walked away at the end. Totally resigned myself to the fact that this job was a practice run for other interviews. I was convinced it was either she was really busy with things behind the scene to be focussing on me (give her the benefit of the doubt), or I had done one lousy interview that was actually strange and painful at the same time.

So this morning up I get to go to a job fair that is in town, and to run some errands. I'm waiting at the bus stop, just about to get on when my phone rings. If I want that job I can have it starting tomorrow!

Will wonders never cease. Makes me wonder how badly the other interviewers did! So yey for me, I'll be starting to make money which will come in handy, you know paying rent, bills, food etc etc.

I guess yesterday taught me a lesson in weird sometimes is good.

Told you so

See I knew if I said that the Chinese goverment hadn't found me, that sooner or later they would! And that is where I have been, locked out by the Great Firewall of China. See! Told you so.

Anyways I'm back in Sunny Edinburgh and I'm soooo happy to be back. China was really doing my nut in and it was time to go.

So at the moment I have no job, but I'm on the process of looking for one. It's going well....slow. Maybe not slow, but I'm getting a little tired of sending applications and resumes out, and hearing nothing, yes nothing, so far. I'm hoping the old adadge of "when it rain, it pours" will happen to me about some interviews jobs. I am employable, I know I am! I've never not had a job, it's just finding the correct timing for everything. That is pretty much all I've been up to since I got back more or less.

I decided to go back to choir last night and it was a good thing I did as that was the last night until the autumn. I ran into my favourite drinking partner who we all lovingly refer to as "Johnstone" when he is drinking as he sort of gets a new personality. Nothing bad or anything like that, just someone different. He's one of my best mates in the choir, as he's been looking after all my luggage for the last 2 yrs. So one of the other members (again a good friend) twisted Johnstone's rubber arm for a half pint at "The Real Ale" beer festival, he in turn twisted my rubber arm. So x amount of pints later, Johnstone and I were well on our way into our regular routine of me giving directions/keeping an eye on him, and him giving me money to buy drinks!

So since the festival is still going on tonight, I might be getting a phone call to go out an play again. This time me watching/giving directions to Johnstone and buying him drinks. We take turns at the buying part. I didn't have that much to drink yesterday, but I was 'jolly' then again I hadn't really had anything to drink in 2 years so I realised I need to get my drinking back up to where it was when I left.

Nothing exciting planned for the weekend, other than searching the internet for some more jobs. Like I said...nothing exciting for the weekend.