How I became a Games Maker - Part 2

Nine months after the formfillingfun, i get an email to say that i've been selected for an interview at the Excel in East London for an "NOC/NPC" role, scheduled on Friday, June 10th!!

Yeahhhh, happy me, but what in heavens is NOC/NPC? A little help from the best assistant ever, Google, doesn't turn up much more than "you'll be working with the Olympic Delegations"...duh.

Now in the meantime, I've learnt that there were 250 000 applicants to be a volunteer, so on e the one side i'm reassured to understand i'm not the only nut out in the world but it also means that well, i actually need to take this interview seriously if i want to get a chance to go through. More help from Google tells me about previous interviewees experiences. So it's a CBI type of interview (competency based interview), which means you're expected to answers questions like " Give me an example where you managed a team" or "tell me about a crisis situation you were involved in". Answers are supposed to be quite formatted, so i prepared as best i can.

And go in for the first "real" interview in my lifetime. Lucky me, the 2 past months at work have been challenging to say the least, so i've got plenty of concrete examples of "where i failed at communicating adequately" or "bringing people together around a situation".

I get to Excel promptly and after registering, spend my time looking at the other members of my batch of contenders. To my happy surprise, it seems a good selection of people, ranging in age from 25 to 65, as many guys and girls and obviously foreign people like myself, which is cool as it gives the group an interesting dynamic.

We first get to meet some members of the "NOC/NPC Services and Relations team"...I'm quite sure i spoke to Barbara, now my official boss and they gives us an overview of the role. This is when i start thinking I'm the luckiest person in the world  : I'm part of the group of 5500 people they are interviewing specifically for working with the Athletes and their delegation members...basically being the "hands on support" from them before and during the Games............

So so cool. Honestly i wouldn't have minded cleaning the toilets or handing out leaflets, as long as i was a part of the whole thing, but to discover this is like biting into a delicious chocolate cake and finding out the middle is made of melting caramel. You can t believe it and as the same time you already want to eat the whole cake.

In with the interview, 30 min, super well organised and formatted but it stills leaves space for personal conversations, the interviewer is good, not too pushy but keeps you moving. Shane, my roommate has said that some of y answers are so textbook, it's like i m a walking cliche, but hey, it went well!

So what if my favourite part of the Olympics is the opening ceremony, because that is when the spirit of the Games really come alive? ;-)

It's over faster than you can blink, and i find myself outside positively buzzing...i was on a natural high for about 24hours after it, feeling a bit ridiculous and happy at the same time.

Now the second wait starts....i won't hear from them til October at the earliest.