Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes..

No news is good news when you ring your Mother, means no one has passed away or is ill, no news is good news from a school excursion, again no one has managed to swallow an iPod or injure themselves climbing a wheelie bin. No news is not good news when it comes to interviews. I did a second stage interview that went well on Tuesday last week, the interviewer said we would hear through the jobs portal in 1 or 2 days, no news till yesterday when the generic 'jog' on email came. I have done a fair few interviews and its been a long time since I got worked up before or after the event. I understand that there are many reasons you might not be right for that particular job, there might be a better candidate with more experience, an internal candidate who is already doing a fine job or you might just have made a dogs b@llux of the whole thing. Very few things annoy me in this life but when someone tells you they will let you know the result of an interview by call or email then they should do it. I have been to many interviews where they have said we won't call unless you are successful and I am ok with that, if they can't be bothered at least be honest. There are now two schools where I won't apply again for a job as they said they would ring and never did. Petty you might say and you could be right but my view is if they don't have the manners to do what they say they will what is the point of working for them? None in my opinon.

I went to another interview yesterday and again I thought it went very well. The interviewer said he would ring to inform all ten candidates that night and true to his word about 7 O Clock I got the phone call. In this case he said that they had narrowed the list down to four, that I was one of the four, they would deliberate over night and decide which two candidates they would pick in the morning. Its always good to know your on the right track and this was good news. Sadly it was not to be but its far nicer to hear over the phone than wait a week for the generic 'jog' on email and fair play to the man he gave good feedback. He said the interview was very good and it was a hard decision (the tiny pessimist in me says this is standard but anyways) but they had decided to go with two other candidates. He said I had to 'waffle' more and give more examples, yesterday the interview was over in twenty minutes and though I had answered all the questions well with good examples there should be more, it was too short. I hate interviews and don't see the point of talking for the sake of talking but I will take this on board and go again. I used to be the world's worst at interviews until after another average interview last year the depute head (a gentleman I knew) rang me back and gave me an hours feedback, it was mostly down to him that I got the job I am in now. Onwards and upwards, I think after I finish teaching I will start writing experiences and outcomes for the SQA so good is my ability to talk and write rhetoric! 

The great news in this case was that one of the two people was a friend and a lady I work for. It was her first interview and she was very nervous. We had practiced all week and she also got help from other members of the department and El Presidente (Our leader and a fellow Hibbee - 2 crosses to bare poor man but a legend none the less). People have said to me in the past 'Why would you help your direct competition?' and my response is after the interview they will still be your friend and if they are your friend you want the best for them as well. We practice together and both get better, now I will find a job and she no longer has that worry. As the Mammy says 'What is for you won't pass you by!' and she is dead right. At the end of the day though I love teaching, your friends and your family are more important. the secret for a happy life in my opinion is to be able to sleep like a rock every night, if you do your best and do your best by your friends this is easy done. On to more horrible applications but one will never ..