________________________________________
From: Rick, Slick [mailto:slickrick@newcompany.com]
Sent: January 19, 2005 10:19 AM
To: JonasParker
Subject: RE:

Are you available for an interview this week?

________________________________________
From: JonasParker [mailto:jonasparkeratcheeseorgydotnet]
Sent: January 19, 2005 10:34 AM
To: Rick, Slick
Subject: RE:

Looks fine. I am available this week. By the way, I have appointment in a couple of weeks to cut my hair. It will be much shorter by Valentine’s Day.

________________________________________
From: Rick, Slick [mailto:slick@newcompany.com]
Sent: January 19, 2005 10:43 AM
To: JonasParker
Subject: RE:

Lovely.
I’ve sent an interview request to BOSS re: preferred day & time for him to meet you.
…So it may be short notice (maybe even today).
I’ll keep you posted.
________________________________________
From: Rick, Slick
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 10:41 AM
To: BOSS
Subject: Interview availability this week

I have another Penisoft guy I’d like to bring in. Possibly ready to start Monday.
Do you have a preferred day/time this week?

________________________________________
From: BOSS
Sent: January 19, 2005 11:47 AM
To: Rick, Slick
Subject: RE: Interview availability this week

this afternoon would be perfect.

________________________________________
From: Rick, Slick [mailto:slickrick@newcompany.com]
Sent: January 19, 2005 11:51 AM
To: JonasParker
Subject: RE:

Are you free at 3pm?

I got there at 3 pm sharp, and of course, both Rick and BOSS were in unexpected meetings. Luckily I had a book to pass the time. At some point some guy walks into the office and asks me if I have been "served". He's a nondescript guy and I'm not paying much attention to him. I thought he was a sales guy from downstairs. He was a fairly well-built guy about 6 feet tall. I told him that I was fine and that someone was coming to see me soon.

At 3:30, I was getting up to get a message to Rick that if he was going to be much longer, I was going to go grab something to eat because I was starving. However, just then he was coming to get me. BOSS wasn't ready yet, but Rick was introducing me to the marketing people so that I wouldn't get too bored. The VP, Dick, is 6 feet tall, about 45 with curly hair. The strange thing about him is that he looks as though he has to make a real effort to look people in the eye and speak to them, otherwise he would be in a corner, invisible. And now he's VP Marketing, but he seems to struggle with this daily.

I looked into the main office. There were four men inside. Rick had told me a little about BOSS in that he is very much a leader and is very direct. I saw the men through the glass doors, and it was obvious that the man in blue was BOSS. In fact, he is the same guy that I almost dismissed earlier. BOSS was finally ready in another ten minutes after that and we got started.

The office was quite large. There were four sweet, leather chairs arranged around a coffee table at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock, respectively. Pictures of his famil were all over the walls. BOSS' desk was considerable, like the man. He was wearing a nice blue dress shirt, no tie, grey pants. He has Middle-Eastern looks, with a prominent nose and intense eyes. When he looks at you, he's not just looking at you, but looking inside you.

I think I did pretty well with him, except for the first question: What makes you tick? First of all, I don't even know what that means. My answer was so full of shit that I can't even remember what I said. I do believe I used the word "results", though. I feel dirty even now. The rest of the interview was completely fine. he asked me what I like about New Company. I said that I enjoyed the Telus Mobility colour scheme. He liked that answer. BOSS said something that I really liked: "I've got four beautiful kids, great wife, awesome friends and I like what I do. What else do you need?" I nodded in definite approval. Rick, ever the wiseass, said, "Decent weather?" And BOSS responded, "Fuck the weather."

Fuck the weather. I think that I could get along with this guy. He seems to have all of the good qualities of my older older brother (as opposed to my younger older brother), and none of the bad ones.

BOSS then went on to explain that the team loves what they do and takes pride in it. They are a cohesive whole. There isn't a lot of hierarchy. And either you fit in with the team or you don't. He likes you, or he doesn't, and he thought that I was a good guy. I was offered the job right then, and I took it. No muss, no fuss. No bullshit.

So now I am enjoying the last of the lazy days of unemployment. *sigh* Back to the grind.