We''ll let you know........"

Most people in their working lives will go for between six and ten job interviews.

My partner Richard has been for about that. I’ve been for four in the last eight days alone.

It is the lot of the actor that until you get to the very very top of the tree, you have to interview for virtually every job you get.

It never gets easier. You may not be so nervous about each one, but you are nervous. You want to do well. You want to be offered the job at least even if you don’t eventually do it and turn it down because the fee is appalling. It’s a matter of pride.

As an experienced interviewee there are many things you can judge from the interview. How it is run can often tell you a lot about the company or the production you going to work for.

I recently did an interview for a new Channel 4 comedy series, which was held in some deserted rooms over a shop in East London. I only hoped that the location of the casting didn’t reflect the budget of the programme. Similarly one of my interviews this week was appallingly organised. Despite the fact that my agent had said I had to be seen at 2pm as I had a further interview that afternoon and had to get away, by two o clock the casting director had only just arrived. No studio was available and eventually we didn’t finish the interview until 2.50 which resulted for me in an afternoon of dashing around trying to get to my second interview on time and then away up North for a job. If they can’t even organise the casting, what would it be like to work for that company.

Alongside my own recent glut of interviews, I am currently involved in setting up interviews for a new director for The Actors Centre in Covent Garden of which I have recently become Chairman of the Board.

We’ve had the cv’s and we have scored people and now we are setting up two afternoons of interviews for people on our initial shortlist. I am aware that how we conduct the interview process will tell the candidates an awful lot about the institution they are coming to work for.

It’ll be an interesting process. I have sat on the other side of the table often enough when I have been casting things and I know that the fine line of confidence and arrogance is a difficult one to tread. I tend to try and just shut up and do the reading and answer whatever is asked of me. That way I feel that if I do get the job they get more for their money than they thought. It’ probably not the best tactic but it seems to work for me.

And talking of people doing jobs well….or not Estate Agent of the Week is…Sam from Mann Countrywide in Beckenham. A pleasant young man who obviously knows absolutely bugger all about customer service and estate agenting.

While we were in his office waiting to be taken for a viewing, two people came into to rent a flat, which they wanted in a weeks time and had £2000 a month to play with. Five minutes later he let them walk out of the shop with not even a viewing in place. On the way to our viewing, he ran back to the shop as he thought he should have the keys. Rich had to point out to him where the entrance to the flat was and on arrival he greeted the vendor with the remark “You’d better show them as I don’t know anything about this place” Personally if I had been the vendor I’d have terminated his contract their and then.

Basically Sam would be great round the corner in Waitrose. There he’d learn customer service, how to get the customer what they want…and probably more about estate agenting than he’s currently learned at Mann.

And quote of the week, which I heard on the radio while driving down to the coast, this weekend and which made lots of sense. I think someone used it with reference to the coalition. I think it works on a more personal level too.

“A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' come together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences..”