Today I have an interview at QPS. So it's on with the suit, walk to Morningside station, and get the train to Roma Street. I'm quietly confident. Christine and Lisa have outlined the role to me and I know that, when the applications were being sifted, I came out top of every selection criterion except one, in which I freely admitted I had no real experience. So, without taking anything for granted, I know that I'm in with a good chance.
I'm interviewd by three people - Christine, a man from another team within the IT project, and a police sergeant who is attached to the project as the business expert. I've been told in advance that the sergeant is a bit of a tough character and will probe for weaknesses. As it happens, we get on pretty well. The interview seems to go well enough until, having finished one of my answers, Christine is looking at me with a "Yes, that was good so far. Carry on." expression. She's trying to encourage me to finish, but I don't know what I've missed. I say so, and they move on to the next question. The rest of the interview seems to go well enough, and there are a few nodding heads and approving expressions (including from the sergeant) and many things I say are noted down. At the end, there are handshakes all round, and I step back out into the Brisbane heat. I think back to the answer that Christine was trying to get me to finish. I still can't think what I'd missed. I can't think of anything in the interview that I didn't answer. I'm puzzled, but there's nothing I can do about it now. And anyway, there are other things I have to attend to. When Lisa and I worked together in England, the dress code was casual (and some peope took that to extremes). So, now that the interview is finished, I'm supposed to ring Lisa so she can see me wearing a suit.
Ten minutes later, Lisa is standing in front of me laughing. But I know she's secretly turned on.
We talk for maybe 10 minutes and then she goes back to work and I go back to Hawthorne to get into my normal attire - shirt, cargo shorts and flip-flops.
