The interview

it started at 11.40am pretty promply. i sat with the director lakshman, and the head of research anirvan (both of whom i had spoken with on the phone before). we spoke for about 90 minutes.. then we took a couple of hours break (while they could go and see the new furtniture for their new office in new jersey.. they are moving to a bigger office down the hall in a couple of weeks -- they will need someone to help them reorganize their stuff in there too too, which is really where the new person comes in at the start at least.. the job starts out as a basic assistant to the director and will develop into more client contact later so a good knowledge of biz cycle research is a big plus for the later-down-the-road stuff..)

after the 2 hour break i came back and spoke to 4 of the other 10 people there.. 2 at a time.. we talked for a total of 2 hours and then i was asked to answer 2 questions: what is the job description and why am i the best for it..

i got the feeling that the more i described my *ambitious* career objectives the more it made them think the job was beneath me and that i might be bored by it.. i tried to reassure them that since the job is what i make of it and will develop plus i am around people who are doing the kind of work i am interested in then there are obvious benefits to me being there...

they will let me know by the first week of april, so i have a couple of weeks to wait (they initially had 200 applications, interviewed 12 and now have a couple of people they will compare to me -- i am 50-50 on this.. i will understand perfectly why they opt for someone else but i will also understand why they like me.. either way this was a good experience and somethin i don't mind doing again (though staying at a cheaper hotel) .. i have 2 weeks off at the end of april.. i hope to use that time productively if i have the chance.. )