That was weird.
I arrive at ETI A/S. Building is quite large made out of brick, normal looking. On closer inspection I see a big metal fence topped with bar wire. There are cameras here and there, covering the building from all sides. Over the windows there are big sturdy metal shutters that can be closed and thus deny entry. It looks like a fortress of sorts - all that is missing is a dude with some boiling oil and some elves. Well, the satellite dishes would be outta place.
Anyway, i walk up to the gate, press a button. 'Yes'? 'I'm Claus, ehre for a job interview.' 'Identification, please?'. Now I'm sort of starting to wonder about this place, but I produce an ID card and they buzz me through the metal gate. Then a second metal door, also locked. When i enter I'm met by a secretary of sorts. She asks for my mobile phone and ask if I have other devices that can send signals outside, to which I answer 'no' in a sort of wondrous way. Then I sign a visitors waiver, put on a patch that said 'Visitor - to be escorted at all times'. These guys take security seriously.
All is spot clean inside and it feels like I'm in some film about the future - black and silver things, radical design. The place smells of competence and money. Am beginning to think I'm underqualified.
HR lady (heh, MY age, am trying to sell myself to her, why is this similar to a bar?) explains that they're a relatively small company with around 200 employees and that if any of the bigger companies got enough info about what and how they do business, they'd be run over. Plus there are lots of expensive things in the building. And there's a drug addiction treatment center across the road. And, after all, they make signal analysis, data reconstruction and other security related software, so there's a need for security.
Interview goes ok. Not many of the standard questions, mostly elaborations etc and they present the company. Very impressive. More questions.
It goes on and I can tell I'm not gonna get the job. Sure enough, they say that based on the interview and my application they don't think I'd be stimulated enouh by working in the internal tech support department. They even say I'm overqualified, that they're really looking for people with MS certificates and the like. 'F@rk' I think. They try to make me feel better by saying that there were 45 applicants and they only selected 5 for interviews - not that that helped my mood.
Then they mention that there's another position available. Technical Draft Writer. Looks very interesting. Only thing is they're looking for an experienced TDW - which I am not. But they ask me questions about how much I'd want in salary, when I could start and tell me about the fringe benefits (free food, free mobile phone, new laptop and new ordinary PC). Thing is they are still open for applications (til the 16th) and they'd have to go through the sorting process. But I should get an answer in two weeks, and if they're interested they'll go for a second interview where I am to go through a personality test (I can give them the answer: f@rked up) and a 'job test' whatever that entails. Company language is English but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Anyway, if I get the job I am to write technical documentation for the programs they develop, as well as in house SW development documentation in cooperation with programmers and engineers.
Now THIS is a job I want. Really bad. Too bloody cool. Never mind money etc - these guys are expanding rapidly (3-7 new employees a month for a year now) at a time when others are succumbing to the bad times. Working with engineers and programmers. I mean, I get to do technical stuff (which I love) AND write (look at the length of this to judge whether I like that or not).
Only thing is, HR lady says that the consequence of the job would be a rather narrow career path, at least in house. They have a documentation department with 7 employees so the top is leader of that. Not that I'm thinking about that.
To me, the job sounds pretty damned fantastic. Get to play around with the latest security related software developed by a leading company. Write stuff about it. Get PAID to do it. But the career path thing has me wondering.
Anyway, that's it. Thanks for all the tips I got earlier. Will keep you chaps informed
