Wierdness

[eurydicebound]

On Monday, I'm expecting a "phone screening" from Wizards of the Coast, ostensibly regarding the editor position for which I applied last month. I believe this is the stage wherein they decide if it's worth paying for plane fare to fly me out to Renton for an actual interview. I am torn between being utterly nonplussed, madly researching schools and apartments, and just ignoring it entirely.

Y'know, if I thought I'd actually get the position, I'm not sure I would have applied for it. I like what I do. I like staying home and freelancing. But... such a thing, with benefits and in a place I've wanted to live for years now, not reliant on the husband at all for regular income... Sigh. I am aimlessly adrift once more, with a shore in sight that is filled with possibility, and yet leaves me utterly fearful and longing for the things I may be leaving behind. Oh, and just to top it all off, I don't even know yet if I'm still tied to the dock or not, or if I'm actually going anywhere at all, to continue the metaphor a bit.
Just once, I'd like these sorts of things to be a bit more clear cut, you know? I think I'll send that up in my next Departmental Reality Memo.

But in the meantime.... if there are any Seattle-area people who would care to comment on schools, neighborhoods, suburbs, etc., your input would be highly appreciated (if potentially moot). :)

Comments

[maliszew.livejournal.com]

Good luck. I did one of those phone screenings at WotC and it wasn't a great experience for me. I suspect it's because I kept being honest and answering questions the way I felt they should be answered instead of what my interviewers were hoping I would say, but I can't be sure, since they never explained in their follow-up call why they went with someone else. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't get the job, but I was bitterly disappointed at the time.

That said, I suspect you'll have a much better shot at this than I. You've more than got the chops for the work and WotC obviously thinks well of you. Good luck!

[anaka.livejournal.com]

So what sort of things did they ask?

[maliszew.livejournal.com]

Mostly they asked me about decisions WotC had made or might make in the future in developing their existing or hypothetical properties. I remember being asked about how I'd handle spellcasters in a putative Lord of the Rings RPG, for example. They also grilled me about a design test I took for them, which was basically a very short D&D encounter. They asked me to defend almost every design decision I made, right down to word choices. I recall being asked whether using the term "ecstasy" in relation to a psychotropic fungus was appropriate or not. Weird stuff.

I do not think they liked a lot of what they heard from me.