Recently upon finding out that my ex-husband lost his job and I am solely responsible for financially supporting my children, I began to browse the job market. I work as a Buyer in the manufacturing industry. Would I prefer to purchase shoes, accessories, jewelry, make-up? Certainly! But being located in the midwest, limits me as to where I can work in the role of a Buyer. I am now faced with the reality that I will have to compensate for what he has lost. I will have to carry health insurance on the 4 children that are still dependants.
I applied for a job as a Buyer at a mid-sized business that deals with heavy equipment and transportation. I was called within 24 hours for an interview. Being told I was the best candidate “on paper”, I went in feeling somewhat confident that this could be a good fit. It was a substantial increase in pay, good benefits, and only a 30 minute commute from my home. Sounds good right? Wrong….
The gentleman who was interviewing me had just gotten in the building when I arrived. He had to ask me my name twice on the way to his office (that he hadn’t even been to yet that morning). Red flag. I realized at that point, that he had not prepared for our meeting, and seemed less than interested in conducting an interview. His office looked worse than my 22 year-old son’s baseball house that he lives in while in college. As I walked in, he told me he’d fire any employee that kept an office like his. Red flag. During our meeting he inquired about my previous roles in Purchasing and to what level of experience I had. He was very, and I mean rapidly quick, to point out everything I didn’t know. I found this strange being as though I had worked my way up through 3 promotions in 7 years for a Fortune 500 company, but okay….I’ll accept the criticism. After approximately 30 minutes of questions, he expressed that he didn’t feel I could do the job, due to lack of training in 2 different programs. I replied that I understood his concerns, but just as with everything in life, I was willing to learn and do the necessary training that was needed. Apparently, that was not satisfying enough. Towards the end of the meeting, I asked him a little bit about himself. How long had he been at the company, what kind of candidate was he looking for, what is his platform for setting goals, and most importantly, what job roles has he maintained while working for this company.
He answered all of my questions, and lastly, told me the job roles he’d acquired over his 40 years at the company. His current (and final) role was Human Resources. He then told me that he has no experience, education, or training in H.R. He then stated that he just had to learn the position and do his best. Red flag. At that point I realized…it was okay for him to not be trained or educated for the role of H. R., but it was not okay for me. What makes him the decision-maker as to if I could learn the tasks needed to do the job I applied for?
I was offered the job, but with contingecies and doubt. I declined.
I know my value. I know my self-worth. Trust your gut, and watch for the red flags. Don’t let anyone rain down on your accomplishments, goals, or parade……
Singlemomgoals 