Purchasing a Sock Monkey on eBay Got Me a Great Job

GREAT INTERVIEW

I recently interviewed for, and won, a contract job as a technical writer with a group of folks who've turned out to be really great, upbeat, and... apparently delightfully demented!

The interview went great, we observed all the formalities of decency and respect, but this all began to fall down at the end of the interview, when the two interviewing bosses - who could barely contain themselves - ended our interview as such:

"Well, this is really good. But, as a proof of concept - so to speak - we require all our applicants to submit an original writing sample on a topic of our selection."

"Sure," I replied, "I can get as high-level or as deeply technical as you need."

"Great!"

YOU WANNA WHAT?

And then they looked at each other (as I was to know later, in barely contained laughter. Then they looked back at me, "We want you to submit, within 24 hours, your original work to us entitled 'How to Locate and Purchase a Sock Monkey on eBay'." This all with a severely restrained smirk on their faces.

"Excuse me?" I asked, my senses hedging on what jokers these guys actually were under this barely controlled veneer of professionalism.

"Yes, we want you to write about how to get a sock monkey using eBay," they looked at me apologetically, in all seriousness.

I thought to myself: Has my eccentric sense of humor found a new home? A place where I can be goofy just so long I do my job? These guys - and perhaps even the people they work with - perhaps they're all as weird as I am? Yes? Yes? (I hope!)

"Gladly. I shall send you my best monkey-requisition instructions by tomorrow at day's end."

They handed me some guidelines for my assignment. It specifically mentioned the sock monkey. These guys were serious about this!

The next day I had created an outline, and filling some of it in. By 5PM I had submitted my sample. The following day I heard the good news.

HAPPY GO LOONEY