When looking for a job, recruiters can be a wonderful thing. They want you to get a job almost as much as you do because that way, they get paid. This means that in looking for a job, you have an advocate working for you, someone who can beg and bug for you, someone who can pester and plead for you. That is all a good thing. Except, of course, when they do such a good job pestering that the only reason you get brought in is because that way they get the recruiter of their back. This is known as the D.O.A interview- when you have no chance going in and it doesn't matter what the hell you say or do. Or, it's known as the "I just took five hours off at work to schlep down for an interview for no fucking reason" interview.

And yes, this just happened to me.

Schlepped all the way down to Redwood shores, a close to two hour commute by pub trans, for an interview which I didn't have a chance in hell of getting. All with visions of a cool-ass, high-paying job dancing in my head. I should have known what was coming when it took the recruiter a couple of days to set-up the interview, meaning she had to talk them into it. But still thought I had a chance.

I really knew I was doomed in the middle of my first interview, my first of three. The person I talked to didn't say anything, didn't show any interest, didn't ask any questions. It was like being on a date with someone who pretty much has no interest and is only being polite and while you have no hope, you still have to try and still have to care. So, you pretty much through any trick out of the bag, short of juggling, in any hopes of having something work. And, if you have to juggle, you do it. That's what this interview was like. And yeah, I still was taken through the gauntlet and introduced to two more people, all for a couple of minutes and all who cared as much as the first person, before they showed me some mercy and led me out the door.

Yeah, it was nice they were straight with me, but still. If I could curse in Italian, that's all I'd be doing right now.