I got my call yesterday to set up an interview, and I told the interviewer that �the earlier [interview], the better,� trying to sound like a real go-getter. No consultant face here, okay? We agree on 9:30 a.m. for the next day, and I smack my head for being stupid enough to make an early morning appointment after weeks of not waking up before 10.

I can�t sleep at midnight, so I get all of my stuff together, map out my route, and iron my interview clothes, leaving very little for me to do that following morning. I finally drift off somewhere around 2:45, and the alarm rings before I know it.

I fight it, but it eventually wins. Damn alarm.

At this point, it�s a little later than I wish, so I quickly get dressed and head out the door with my CTA card in-hand. I have 45 minutes, more than enough time to ride up three stops, back down one, and then walk 0.75 of a mile to this place, right?

All would be well and good had I known what a fucked up road Armitage was. It makes this snaky zig, zagging in some other direction. I follow my directions, and there�s no Webster Street. At this point, my internal voice has �fuck� on repeat.

I ask someone where Webster is. I get pointed in this direction.

I ask someone else and get pointed in another direction.

With no money in my wallet (damn CTA card was low, so I had to throw my ten on there), I asked a taxi for directions. He told me to hop in, as I noticed that his clock read 9:24! I checked my pockets and came up with about two dollars in change, lint, and spare buttons, which I insisted he take for being so kind despite me having no money.

Lint is no substitute for dollars, but this was a truly kind man.

I walked in, rode the elevator to their wing, and had enough time to warm up and read some of their pamphlets before the interviewer came to get me. Whew! Bless that taxi driver!

The interview went really well. The Managing Editor was who interviewed me, and there was an instant connection between us. She received 140 resumes, invited six people to interview, and I was her first to see. We talked a little about the company, and then how my work at IBM was similar. Technical marketing materials, large company experience, the similarities between the translation server I used and the content QA program they use, writing for translation, and working to improve processes.

My IBM group ROCKS!

She had some more fluffy questions, and I was able to nail them all.

What�s more important: efficiency or creativity?

As long as it gets done on time and in-budget, creativity.

She wrote my answer and then, I kid you not, put two smiley faces beside it. I don�t remember being proud of receiving smileys since I was sub-5 feet tall. (Let�s remember that I�ve been my current height since the sixth grade...)

What do you want to be doing in five years?

Managing a writing team.

[while laughing] You want to put me out of a job, don�t you?

Of course not! By that time, you�ll be running the company!

This continued throughout the page. Then she got to the last question, and I nailed it too.

What do you think of our webpage?

First off, most people don�t use green on their corporate webpages. But the design is aesthetically pleasing and the content is laid out simply -- something that apparently works since you won the grand prize award last year for the site.

[Insert �It�s not easy being green joke here.] Going for an online content job, had you no idea about the site, you would�ve been out the door. I don�t think that could have been answered better!

Yes, I ROCK.

I took my editing tests, and she glanced over them afterwards, commenting on my teacher-esque handwriting. She looked it over, indicated that all was good, and asked that I follow her to meet someone else.

She introduced me to the Senior Vice President, and we started the second interview right then and there. Three years previously, she was ahead of the e-newsletters group, so she was acting as tech interviewer at that point. She explained that they set up a program that converted text into the customer�s desired format, how some HTML was necessary, and how the system worked.

Guess what? Can you freaking say bottomquark?

We talked about my incredible gig, how that was set up, and the �many different hats I wear with the site.�

The entire time she�s nodding enthusiastically, saying things like, �exactly,� and �right,� indicating that this is what she�s looking for. We wrap up the interview, and we shakes hands with big smiles.

I meet back with the Managing Editor. She thanks me for my time, says that she�ll be getting back with me, and then escorts me back to the front room.

I talk with the secretary for a few minutes, and she formally introduces herself, saying that it sounds like things went well and that she�ll see me again. She mentioned that the Managing Editor came and talked with her while I was with the SrVP.

Oh yeah -- This is the job I want.�