Today I went for a job interview. My job interview wasn't glamourous. It was perfectly normal and that's why I was so unhappy. I was unhappy because I knew the hiring procedure as well other information. How did I end up in another AmeriCorps job? You see I have been applying for so many jobs that I can't keep track of my resume. I just managed to keep a record of cover-letters today. After about 60 application the only in-person interview I got was with two high school students and a supervisor. "this is all this technical things in your resume, but what I'm wondering if you have any experience with youth and their families." Now if she, who is supposed to help them could only read my resume, would see the three years of AmeriCORPSE experience and teaching/tutoring etc. She probably has some bachelors degree. How do I feel being interviewed by couple of high school students? Despite all she wanted them go ask questions one by one from the list. They had given me the "hot sit", and they were determined to keep it that way, and they started asking strange unformulated question: "how would you impact their families?" (there are not families, its is just the child), "how would your teaching method play out" (I'm not teaching, this is tutoring and what difference would it make for got sake!), "do you feel comfortable with diversity" (I think what they are asking is whether I'm racist or not)...
the point is: I basically have to babysit. again.
ok. so issues:
1. I have high credentials. Doesn't that over-qualify me for certain jobs? Or maybe I have 2 years of experience as an Amicorps member, one year of which was VISTA which means I was a full-time volunteer, starved to death and earned poverty wages and weren't allowed to hold any other means of income in order to save humanity. I wonder if she really knew what VISTA (an AmeriCorps program, not to be confused with the operating system) meant.
2. So it is also a matter of experience. With this degree of experience are they going to put me through the same procedure as everyone else? Should she understand better? I think it is the philosophy of this institutions to look for labour rather than resources, to just see every person as an equal unit. Then why interview? Because they want to filter-out anyone who is maybe psychotic. I got the first AmeriCorps job at a nice in spite of being a complete snob. The interview was a formality. I think they are using some the hours towards this "interview" sessions. Unfortunately I don't think everyone is the same. Some have more potential than others -- it is just a reality. I can see many people that have more potential than I do.
3. I expected a certain level of support and courage. Me and that woman are both AmeriCorps Alumni or whatever. Isn't it bad already to have kids that are potentially be my students (I thought that age in a High School 3 years ago)! One of them didn't even know I had a masters degree. Lesson 1 kids: know the credential of the person you interview. The supervisor didn't know what VISTA is -- AmeriCorps to blame for such a bad network and a strange entity.
And her interest in where I parked my car, is not to validate my parking card, but just to find out for herself incase (with my "code skills" i have found a better parking spot she could use the next day). One of kids was very nice though just watching and listening and only asked questions when forced by the supervisor. I was overall nice to kids and feel very good about that. The last think I want is to feel guilty.
So do yourself a favor and keep a spreadsheet of all the places applied, the correspondence, dates, and company's email for further followup before the interview. Now that I look at the emails I see that this institution did not mention anything about payment.
To summerize my point : if she was smart, with my background, experience, and credentials, she would make sure to get me to stay, even if that meant recognizing my prior service, offering alternative just in case, throwing some benefits, or at least not treating me like any other applicant with "if you are selected and called back".
Now remembering my third point: It is not whether how little it paid, or how inconvenient the job was. It also wasn't about all the bad memory I had when I Tutored in inner-city middle schools as an AmeriCorps member, with the lack of support and antagonism from the superior, which might have had to do with the reason I accepted my position as full-time (VISTA) because at least I would be free. It was whether they could express that they needed me. That my experiences, skills and plans were "needed" and she failed to express that or to convince me in anyway that it was worthwhile. I will write about the whole job hunt thing in the next post.
