Best interview ever

So, the key to having a great interview is not caring if you get the job but to look at the encounter as an opportunity to network. What a liberating experience!

After I met with several different people from the department I'd be working in (assuming I got the job), the manager asked me if the job sounded like a good fit. I asked her a few questions and then said, "Probably not." I then explained that I felt that I was a bit more experienced than the level one vacant position needed. She jotted a bunch of notes, and then asked me if a level two position were available if that would be a better fit, and I said that it probably would be. I reminded her of my years of experience and my current level of responsibility. She wrote a bunch of notes. We continued to talk. I said that I really enjoyed learning about their organization and that maybe we could help each other out in the near future. She seemed genuinely glad to have spoken to me, and passed me off to another person to talk to.

Two people later, I got to meet with the assistant department head. We had a wonderful conversation. Lots of similar experiences and viewpoints. She seemed to have gotten the word that I wasn't all that interested in the vacant position, so she started feeling me out for what I was interested in doing. She describe the other responsibilities of her department, and we talked about potential fits. As we ended our meeting she shook my hand and warmly said, "We'll be talking to you soon."

The Fates are very strange, indeed. I have never had such a positive interview experience. Everyone seemed very interested in my experience. I spoke their language. I understood their problems. I was totally comfortable with everyone and everyone seemed totally comfortable with me (had lunch with one guy, and had humorous and intelligent conversations with two other gentlemen). I'm not terribly anxious to change jobs at the moment. The place I interviewed at has a lot to offer. They also are just as dysfunctional (if not more) than the place that I currently work. If they offer me an interesting sounding position for a significant pile of cash, I will have some hard thinking to do.

So, when you are desperately looking for a job, you are screwed. When you don't care, you get people practically falling over themselves to figure out how they can get you in their organization.

The universe is a very interesting place.