first telephone interview
1. questions included but were not limited to:
- what do you feel are the benefits of sport?
- what do you feel are the benefits of sport to the individual?
- what do you feel are the benefits of sport to the community?
yes, those are exactly the same question, to which I gave exactly the same answer each time. i answered each one and became more amazed each time when the next question was exactly the same as the last one. my answers consisted of various bollocks about how sport brings different religions and cultures together and how this was especially evident in my homeland of, ahem..., Northern Ireland, it being the paradise that it is, and hoping against hope she did not know about the whole Rangers/Celtic thing.

2. the Dutch girl on the other end of the phone obviously couldn't understand my No'rn Irish accent most of the time. but she didn't want to admit to it.

3. and then came the best bit. at the end of the interview she decided to check my qualifications:
her: so what is your doctorate in exactly?
me: er, i'm still in second year of my undergraduate course.
her: eh? you do realise for the advertised research position you are required to have a doctorate in an engineering subject?
me: yes, i am aware of that. however, i'm applying for your work placement scheme.
her: oh. ... (extended pause) ... thank you for your time, MBar. Goodbye.
/ puts phone down.
me: Jesus watermeloning Christ. well, thats (large well known oil company) off my list of people to apply to next time round then.
( MBar And now back to your regularily scheduled lurking., Thu 20 Jan 2005, 13:40, Reply)