interviewing for dummies

i suspect my title is some kind of copywrite violation because i'm sure there really is a book called interviewing for dummies, but since it came out of my head, and i'm certainly not profiting from it, i think i'll just leave it there.

my life is crazy right now. it's bloody fun. i fly to france on sunday. before then i have to get some key products finished on a project i'm working on (vague enough for you?) and i have two (yes, that's right, TWO!) job interviews. i haven't the faintest idea when i'll have time to prep for them. it seems i will either get time to work, time to pack, or time to prep for my interview, i'm really not sure how (except for the forgoing of sleep, which is something i am not willing to entertain, because i WILL not be sick in france) i will be able to do more than one of these things. plus i had this vague notion that i might do something social this week. (HA!)

one of the interview (the one that is tomorrow) is for something that i am not convinced i'm qualified to do. it's in performance measurment, which i am amply qualified to do, one may even (if one was being generous...) that i am a performance measurement expert. however, it is performance measurment in I&IT security. i am NOT an expert in I&IT security. not in the least. since there is nothing to indicate that i know anything about I&IT security i can only assume that i got the interview because the manager holds the same view i do (and therefor the correct view) that skills are transferable and technical things can be taught, which is, incidentally, how i started in performance measurment. i had the coaching and the facilitating skills and my manager had faith that he could teach me the technical aspects of logic modeling and performance measurment. and he was right. he was a clever chap. indeed, likely still is...

so, baring in mind that there was nothing in my resume/cover letter to indicate that i had any skills whatsoever in I&IT security (i actually just applied for a lark, didn't for a second expect to get an interview. come to think of it, my lark hasn't arrived yet. perhaps one of the cats got to it first.) my approach will be one that points out that i have the performance measurment background and i can learn the I&IT security stuff.

needless to say, i'm not holding out much hope for a job offer.

the second one is more up my alley. it's on friday.

it is a position all about negotiation, building consensus, working with people, and a bit of accountability thrown in for good measure.

plus, i'd get to work in the same building as john, so we would walk to work together, which would be really nice.

so, you know, for that one i'm crossing my fingers, wearing a horseshoe as a crown and keeping a rabbit in my pocket (i don't like the idea of a disembodied dead rabbit's foot, i think i'll go for the cute cuddly live version...)