First Interview in the Books

I had a first in-person interview with the recruiter for Caffe' Vita yesterday. Overall, I was pleased with the results of my preparation and my performance during our conversation. My interviewer didn't spend too much time with canned interview questions and got right into the meat and potatoes of the position, which was right in my wheelhouse.

A few observations worth noting for the future:

• Matt Youngquist suggested that I prepare a spreadsheet to address each of the requirements listed in the original job posting and it was quite useful. In fact, after my interviewer asked about it, we read through the entire document together. I will definitely be using that again in the future.
• There was a gap of a week or so in between my phone interview and the callback for the interview, which was scheduled for the next day. I was caught a little short on research for the interview because I had decided to wait for the callback before investing the time. I think I'll do some partial research ahead of time for the next one, especially if I'm as interested for the position as I am for this one.
  
• I opted for a post-interview Thank You note by e-mail instead of snail mail because the decision was going to be made only 2 days afterwards. Not my preference, but I couldn't risk the note sitting unopened while they made the callback decision for the next interview. Sending an e-mail did allow me to include a copy of the job requirements spreadsheet, though.
• I caught my interviewer off guard by asking her what she could tell me about my competition. There was an uneasy moment, but she went on to describe the number of applicants, their range of experience and how many she expected to recommend for the callback. It was good information and I don't think asking the question hurt my chances any. Though, I could see posing the question creating a problem with a different interviewer. Will proceed with caution with that question in the future.