Tech Support
With an email, the day was pushed forth from the Thursday into the Wednesday, still at the same time. The sudden move didn't even factor into the need to wash the interview clothes saved from May of last year. Pants, socks, shirt and tie, all good and without an odour.
Enough time was taken to arrive at Green Square station with at least five minutes breather. This quickly dissolved as the wrong road was taken. The street directory listed two roads, one of which lies directly over the underground rail. What was planned as an easy stroll up the road turned into a beating around a huge radius in the other direction.
Alexandria was the destination so seeing it on the road signs was a shock. But not as much as finding Waterloo addresses along the streets and then at one point, standing outside the Moorepark shopping complex. One wrong turn at the first crossroads was all that nailed the coffin.
Accepting the fact that turning back would be hopeless given that a few too many inner streets were taken and hoping logic would win out, the big green street signs were followed, only some pointed toward Alexandria. The rest was guess work using an estimated arc of a few dozen blocks.
Fifteen minutes in and the rain started to crack down showing the umbrella what for.
Half an hour later and the familiar site of the train station exit was spotted and suddenly, so was the right road. Five minutes following the right path and like a beacon,
the Atari logo.
Through the doors and up the stairs. In the lobby, Lara Croft in full size mode with dual guns and a few gaming station stands, one with a dance mat. The receptionist made a joke about bringing along the bad weather. Diffusion was half breathed and ended up dripping the umbrella all over the counter during sign in.
A tall man, real tall, about 6'6", introduced himself as Stephen O'Leary, the webmaster and interviewer. Pass the work space and back into the rear boardroom section. Posters all over the place and a soundproofed toilet were quick in the glimpse.
Still having never come up with something to answer at the gun of "So, tell me about yourself," it started and pretty much stopped with "An insomniac who writes of paranoid delusions and falls awake with short term memory lapses." Or thoughts to that effect. It stopped at insomniac.
The usual questions appeared in a different form and things such as pinpointing a weakness grew into a fixation with hair and the rampant feel of having to pluck the sideburn(s) every week.
"What can you bring to the role?"
"I'm not sure really. I spent half of my uni years playing video games and I guess there's the writing thing and the hammering of code every now and then."
Blanking out here was not a great thing and it was showing on O'Leary's face. Videogames, consoles, edutainment,
Conker's Bad Fur Day. Little by little, things were getting a whole lot more hazy. Of course, learning a little of the lunch hour set things into a weird spin. Was it a positive sign, standard fare or just teasing?
Close to wrapping up, the role felt like that much surer until the gaffe of closed short answers about history and
paid experience were summarised into short and blank shots of "No." No doubt, the mention of a freeballing love would have put things into a higher reason. But then, this is an interview and these things never work out.
Atari
Address: 32 Bowden Street, Alexandria
Wearing: Pants and shirt with a tie. Unwashed since at least the last interview. Shoes with increasing crusting and dusty Vaseline. Transcripts and slightly old CV along for the ride.
Thursday, 05 February 2004 - 04:59
Unsuccessful
Earlier interviews
