CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL INTERVIEWEE: The powder monkey
I once interviewed with a fund hoping to capitalise on the 'expertise' they had gathered in trading sub-prime, foreclosed, rat-infested homes.
The only problem was that the guy they hired to do the office build was an ex-trader. A serious player at an infamous hedgie in Mayfair, but a life of Columbian marching powder had taken its toll. This recruiting business was far too cerebral and he had the attention span of a goldfish.
Our first interview was completely surreal.
He swans into the hotel where we scheduled to meet (this was to be discrete, as fate would have it, my employer at the time was based on the same floor of the same building as they were), about 45 minutes late. I would have been more tolerant had he not asked to meet at
19:30.
He than monologued about the diet his fiancé had him on. The merits of organic food. A conspiracy theory (for good measure). How fantastic he was as a trader. How fantastic he was generally. He offered some advice for Gordon Brown etc etc. All unsolicited, I assure you.
The cherry on the top was the colonic irrigation he whole heatedly recommended*. I don't think I got a word in edgeways and we certainly didn't discuss my experience or the role in any depth. He talked at me for close to an hour, punctuated by his unnerving Cheshire cat grin.
I received glowing feedback from the recruiter, who said he had felt we had 'fantastic rapport' and they were keep to move on to the next round.
I foolishly agreed.
I was then interviewed by the analysts who would report to me. This was a little better, but as they were actually his blood relatives, it raised some serious questions about the impartiality of the recruiting process. I had wasted half a day of leave for this? I then heard from the recruiter that they were no longer dealing with this client as he had refused to pay their fees.
He called me that direct that evening to see if I was ready for round three...
*i have been surprised to find out how popular it is with my colleagues, both male and female. I guess nothing puts a stressful day on the trading desk into perspective quite like a well-placed high pressure hose...
