The Proof of the Pudding

Interviews. Not my favourite pastime. Although I’ve had a fair share of experience where interviews are concerned, I still find the process nerve-wracking. The dry mouth. The clammy hands. The tendency to waffle. And this morning's interview was no different.

The prospective company is a publisher of theatre programmes and brochures. The job is the position of full-time proofreader and archivist. Now, I’ve no actually real-world experience as a proofreader, so this morning’s interview partly involved me twisting my skills and experience to fit the role. For example, I mentioned that because there are no proofreaders at the newspaper office I work at, I have to check all my editorials myself. I also mentioned two of the modules I did for my NCTJ distance learning course – continuity in feature writing and sub-editing – which I argued were relevant experience for proof reading.

However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and I was given three biographies to proof read as part of the test section of the interview. Luckily, I’d done an online practice test a few days before (although I only got 16 out of 30 on that one).

Positives of the interview:
I asked a lot of questions at the end
I was able to spiel off some knowledge of the company when asked
I maintained eye contact
I provided work-related examples of skills that were relevant to the job spec
The interviewer seemed a nice guy (although he did remind me a little of Jeremy Beadle, which was slightly distracting).

Negatives of the interview:
I hesitated and waffled a lot
I think I missed out lots of mistakes on the proofreading test
I felt the interviewer thought I was applying for the wrong job, as my qualifications seem more geared towards a writing career (which is true - I was hoping that there may have been a chance for progression in this role)
Stupidly, I managed to sign out with the wrong time just before I left, despite the interviewer telling me the time and a clock being in front of me. It was partly because of nerves and partly because the previous signer had put down 11:20 instead of 10:20. Anyway, it doesn’t give a good impression of someone applying for a job that involves accuracy under pressure, does it?

I don't think I've ever done as much preparation for an interview as this one; I would love to get the job. I find out the result next week.

The Enemy Coventry Colosseum 21-04-07

You can hear the sound of Bluebeat ska pounding from the PA, while the Sky Blue Army chant out terrace anthems. Tonight, the Enemy are playing at home; which makes it kind of ironic they’re here to plug a new single entitled ‘Away From Here’.

Hailed as the hottest thing to come out of Coventry since the 2-Tone era, the Enemy deal with the inner conflict that comes from living in the provinces; you hate it, you want to escape it but you’ll always have a rooted affection for it. It’s a theme that stretches back to the Kinks via the Jam, the Specials, Oasis and, more recently, the Arctic Monkeys.

The Enemy’s own addition to the canon is ‘We’ll Live and Die in These Towns’. It’s one of many from a big bag marked ‘tunes’, with the likes of ‘It’s Not OK’ and ’40 Days and 40 Nights’ uniting the crowd-surfing indie kids with the Coventry City fans in a fast, furious set. Up front, lead singer Tom Clarke has a Liam Gallagher-esque swagger to him that isn’t wholly original but is perhaps the kind of cockiness the band needs to rise above the indie-punk crop.

As they leave the stage to mutual chants of ‘City ‘Til I Die’, the band acknowledge it’s been a home game and it might not be so easy on the road. But the Enemy has enough ready-made anthems in it’s armoury to make it a promising new season.

Back in Time

If you know me well, you'll know I'm a sucker for anything retro-modern, so I was happy to receive my new LED watch through in the post yesterday. LED watches were big in the 1970s and original working models are near impossible to get now. However, I discovered a great site that sells replicas (see my URL list on the right), using modern technology but still retaining that cool 'red-on-black' display. Good thing is whenever anyone sees one while I'm out, they'll more often than not say: "where did you get that from?"

Ricoh Reception

Yesterday, I went with Noel and his young son Emerson to the Ricoh Arena to see Coventry play Stoke. It was the first time I've seen City play at their new stadium and it was in splendorous surroundings. Noel is a bodyguard for his millionaire friend Joe, who has VIP access to the corporate area of the ground. Occasionally, Noel is able to get a spare ticket and this was the case yesterday. Before the game, we were treated to a three-course meal and a few drinks, all courtesy of Joe. The food itself was a set menu, but it's hard to be fussy when you're not the one picking up the cheque. Anyway, the chicken salad was quite tasty.

It's a shame the game wasn't as appetising: a patchy 0-0 draw (see match report http://www.ccfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Match/MatchReport/0,,10269~34447,00.html). Dele Adebola came closest, hitting the woodwork towards the end of the first half. He was City's man of the match and gave a post-match talk after the game. I was able to get his autograph, as well as that of 1987 FA Cup-winner Cyrille Regis who was passing by our table; we could have done with someone with his strength up front today.

Exclusive: Freddie Mercury revealed as Jack The Ripper

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6164544.stm

Oh my God, I can't believe it

Check out the link below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/5193126.stm

Predictions of a riot following the game proved unfounded...

In other football news, Arctic Monkeys beat Arsenal 2-1 in a friendly.

Review - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ricoh Arena

The last time I heard a crowd chanting 'give it away!' at the Ricoh Arena, it was from Coventry City fans willing their team to regain possession from Reading. The visitors on this occasion was funk-rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers, on tour promoting their new double album, 'Stadium Arcadium'.

Support came from Chili's favourites !!! (pronounced 'Chk chk chk') and Dirty Pretty Things. !!! were quite impressive; their sound difficult to pin down. Think LCD Soundsystem and the Rapture. They were energetic enough, with singer Nic Offer bouncing around the stage, strutting his stuff. The response from the crowd was mixed; their blend of electro-come-punk-funk perhaps not commercial enough for this festival crowd.

Not so Dirty Pretty Things, led by former Libertine Carl Barat. Their punk-pop was much more suited to the festival surroundings, although their songs did become harder to distinguish between, with many of them relying on that 'You Can't Hurry Love' / 'Lust for Life' / 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' rhythm. They left their single, 'Bang Bang You're Dead' 'til last, which proved the highlight of their set. Still, they're better than Babyshambles.

After forty minutes of waiting from an impatient crowd ("we want Chili Willi!") the Red Hot Chili Peppers finally appeared. Kicking off with an impressive 'Can't Stop', their set focused on half a dozen from 'Stadium Arcadium' and the rest from 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' onwards (except the Frusciante-free 'One Hot Minute'). As you'd expect from a band who've been around for over 20 years, their playing was fluid and intuitive. Flea's playing was as a tight as the lurid pink catsuit he wore, while Chad Smith proved himself as funky a drummer as Clyde Stubberfield or Jaki Leibezeit.

Despite a tight set, the band still used the live arena as a playground. They paid homage to their formative influences with snippets from Public Enemy's 'You're Gonna Get Yours' and 'London Calling' by the Clash between songs, while 'Californication' was preceeded by an overlong guitar jam. Unfortunately, this was around the time I had a blackout due to heat exhaustion and I saw the rest of the gig from the first aid area. Thankfully, I had recovered quickly enough to hear the encore: the superb 'Soul to Squeeze', then the crowd filling in for an absent Anthony Kiedis on 'Give It Away'.

A fantastic gig overall, and all on my own doorstep!