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> If you're at home, make sure there's a closed door between
> you and your dog in case it starts barking while you're on
> the interview. I learned this the hard way.
I had a phone interview with Intel recently or last Summer, whenever. Intel
is a place that I would rather not work again, but just like when I tried a
squash dish last night, I thought maybe my impressions would change after so
many years. In both cases, my impression did not change. As far as squash
is concerned, it really is not that bad, but I do not like it. As far as
Intel is concerned, they got creepier.
However, during the phone interview, my cats started to play with me. I
think that could create some sort of endearing quality, but it did not help
with the interview, although it did not harm matters.
I could not hear one of the interviewers (there were two) over the phone, so
I sounded like I did not know what he was talking about. I kept telling him
to speak up or repeat himself, which he did not do. He mentioned SDLC and I
thought he said XP OC. I thought this was a windows thing in Orange County
that I had never heard of.
They also had a really stupid personality test that only made them look like
a very controlling company that should be avoided. They had three questions
in their little test about bricks in a boat. One question was, "If the
three of us were in a boat with a stack of bricks and you throw one of the
bricks into the water, would the water rise, lower, or stay the same.
Explain your answer." Well, is the boat in the water, too, or are we dry
docked?
They mentioned that there was no right answer, they just wanted to determine
how I would react. I was a little stalled on the absolute stupidity of the
"test," that I did not know what to say, so I mentioned something about
water displacement. I also laughed at their "test" a few times, since I did
not realize they were serious at first.
All in all, the phone interview was very frustrating. I think phone
interviews are great for saving gas. I would have been very upset if I
drove all the way to Intel to have to answer their nitwit questions and
learn that Intel is just getting creepy these days. So it was good to learn
this without having to leave my house.
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