Done at last! This last entry will be a short one.

The Interview That Wasn’t

This took place right around my second Graphic Design gig. I hadn’t been there very long and there really wasn’t very much work to do. It eventually changed, but the first year was very, very slow. Made me nervous. So even though I had just gotten a new job, I kept up the job search just in case I was either laid off, or the place closed down (it was really slow).

One place I applied to, decided they needed someone really, really quick. They tried phoning me up at home (I was still living with my folks; earning enough to move out was one reason why I changed jobs) but I wasn’t there. They wanted me to come in and interview within the hour, but my Dad told them I was at work and that just wasn’t possible. They could phone me up later and book an appointment like regular people. This was before smartphones (and the general ubiquity of cellphones) and having an email that could reach you just about anywhere was still a few years away. But that’s okay, they had a solution.

The phoned me up at work.

Now, I didn’t really have my own phone at work. We did have a communal phone for the whole department. And a pretty open concept office design, making it pretty hard to have a private call. Not to mention we had someone working in the main office who really didn’t like employees getting personal calls while at work. So depending on who answers the phone, this could get real interesting.

But as luck would have it, the call didn’t get transferred to the communal line. It went straight to my supervisor’s phone instead. I never said it was good luck. Now, my then supervisor could be the prickly sort. At the time, that wasn’t an issue for me. We got along fine at the start. But I would imagine even a fairly easy-going boss wouldn’t be too enthused about an employee fielding job interviews in the workplace.

So there I was with the receiver in hand, and my career flashing before my eyes. Turns out my heart can stop beating for a long, long time before starting back up again. Anyways, the person on the other end understood the situation they had placed me in, and that I couldn’t really talk, but could I get over there in 45 minutes for a job interview? Needless to say, the interview never happened. We weren’t busy like I said, but busy enough that day that I couldn’t just bolt like that. Especially since I was punching a time clock, and wouldn’t get paid if I was out and about.

And the worst part? Not my worst job interview. But that will have to wait until next year’s Tales from the Darkside!