Interviewer Highlights

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This post is the first in a series of posts highlighting the achievements of the What.CD Interviewing Team. For some users, the interview is their first interaction with both the site and its members. Therefore, it is important we always leave a good impression on potential new members of this community.

The interview system is unique to What.CD and enables users who don’t personally know anyone on the site to obtain an invite by passing an interview that covers a variety of topics explained on the Interview Preparation site. Hundreds of interviews are conducted each month by the Interviewing Team - a tightly knit team of motivated individuals working tirelessly for the development of our community. Interviews can take up to two hours (if not more) and require a great deal of attention by both the interviewee and interviewer.

In today’s post we are putting the spotlight on two of our senior interviewers: nodisco and visually

nodisco has been working on the Interviewing Team for more than two years and has already conducted almost 1300 interviews at the time of this post.

visually joined the team over a year ago and has interviewed almost 800 people since then.



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To honor their achievements we decided to ask them a few questions and give them the opportunity to share a favorite album at the end of this post.

"Why did you apply for the Interviewing Team?"

nodisco wrote:
I think it's the same for most interviewers: we want to help out the site in more ways than uploading, seeding, editing, etc. Being trusted enough to decide who has enough knowledge for an invite is in some ways thrilling as well, I'd say.

visually wrote:
I decided to apply while waiting in the queue, somewhere around the fifth hour. "Nobody should have to wait this long for a dumb interview to get into a dumb site," I thought. "If I ever get into this stupid thing, I'm gonna fix it." Not really sure I've fixed anything, but I hope I've helped a little.


"Did you ever learn something new while conducting an interview?"

nodisco wrote:
I've learned many things, for sure. One of the things I've learned is that people are super diverse in how they react to failing and passing their interviews.

visually wrote:
I once learned a bit about cheese-making from a Korean guy whose grandpa had bought some cows as a retirement hobby and had ended up with more milk than could possibly be stored. His grandson (the interviewee) made 15 huge wheels of cheese for him. I've also learned that Russian emoticons don't have eyes, and that many people are not very good at reading instructions.


"Was there an interview that you'll always remember?"

nodisco wrote:
There have been a few interviews actually. I had one person yell at me for failing on something that he refused to accept was wrong. It ended with me looking at encoder source code, which is something I had never done before.
Another fun interview was my five hour + x minutes long interview. I truly feel like a superhero after interviews that last longer than 4 hours, mainly because this was the record, afaik, before I started interviewing.

visually wrote:
There've been a few. At the end of my interview, I ask about the nicest thing they've ever done for someone, and the worst thing they've ever done to someone, which often leads to interesting answers. One of my interviewees said "kill them" for the latter and I never quite ascertained whether it was a joke or not…


"Are there any countries you especially like to interview people from and why?"

nodisco wrote:
I both like and don't like interviewing people who don't speak very good English. This can take forever, but it's also a real challenge. When you have a feeling about someone that they know their stuff, but they just can't explain it well in English, and you're able to draw it out of them, that can be rewarding. But it's not for the faint of heart; you're pretty much exhausted at the end of these interviews.

visually wrote:
Anyone who's talked to me much knows that I'm a proud Canuck, so I'll always take an interviewee from the True North, Strong and Free. I have a bit of an obsession with small island states, so I also enjoy chatting with interviewees from places like Réunion and Fiji when they come along. Lastly, I think I share a soft spot for Russians with most of the interviewing team. Many of our most memorable moments have come from Russian interviewees, for whatever reason!


"What's your favorite part of being an interviewer and why do you still do it?"

nodisco wrote:
For me, my favourite part of being an interviewer is the bond I have with the rest of the team. All of them are fantastic in their own special way. Why do I still do it? This gig is pretty time consuming, so I'm just gonna say it's because of my love for What.CD. That's really what it all comes down to in the end.

visually wrote:
The novelty of interviewing itself wears off after a few hundred, although occasionally interviewees do make it interesting. Mostly, though, I stick around because I enjoy the company of the team. Our IRC channel is lively, full of shenanigans and banter (as staff can attest), and we always have each others' backs. We're a diverse but tight-knit group, and I'm proud to call my teammates friends.

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"If you could pick anyone dead or alive who would you want to interview?"

nodisco wrote:
I would like to interview all the audio engineers of the world.

visually wrote:
Based on her tweets and her AMA, I think I'd really enjoy a chat with Cher.


“Is there anything you’d like to say to potential interviewers?”

nodisco wrote:
Interviewing is fun but time consuming, that's all you need to factor in for your decision to apply. And it's worth it.

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visually wrote:
Just be cool and I hope to see you in the secret Interview Team mansion we bought in Beverley Hills interviewer channel soon! )))




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Interviewers love music too, so please enjoy these freeleech picks from our interview team members.

nodisco's Interview Team Pick

Why We Love - Fake a Death

Genre: indie.rock, indie.pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72869408

Review:
This EP has made me spontanously start dancing in the kitchen while cooking dinner. Is there a better review? I think not.


visually's Interview Team Pick

TOPS - Picture You Staring

Genre: indie, pop, very Montreal

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72773773

Review:
This is an indie pop album from a band called TOPS. Ideally, you might listen to this album while 17, lying on the roof of your parents' house, looking at the stars and wondering if the object of your affection is looking at them and thinking about you too. But if you aren't, you can still enjoy it for the breezy, ethereal hooks, the sometimes brooding but just-as-often playful balladry, Jane Penny's vulnerable, seductive vocals, and the tight synth melodies and guitar licks that would be at home in the '80s but somehow feel fresh and sharp here. Anyone who appreciates well-crafted tunes can find something to enjoy here.




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We are always on the lookout for new interviewers to apply and complete the training process; if you think you’d be a suitable candidate, please post your application in the appropriate thread located in the Elite forum. We are especially interested in candidates who speak multiple languages.

If you are currently not a member of the Elite+ class but you think you'd be a good match feel free to PM me (Nein) directly.

Requirements: Show

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