Decided I wanted to share one of my worst stories about job hunting imaginable; the time I got a job interview basically just so I could be belittled.
Some context; a few months ago I went from a news group I was working for in my home state to one in a completely different state I’d never been to. A few months in, however, I was fired because the training was bullshit (basically the people training me worked in a building 2 hours away so I couldn’t get the proper help I needed). I wanted to go back home, but I didn’t want to waste my lease of several months still, so I decided to try and make it in the state I’m currently living in, at least until I can move home. But I still needed a job, and that’s when I decided to look on Indeed, and found what at the time seemed like the holy grail for me: A custodial position that paid almost 20$ an hour.
I have several years of custodial experience from working as a school janitor in college, and even with the raises I was supposed to get with my news contract I wouldn’t be making nearly that much by the time it was up. It may have been naive to think, but to me this was like a spotlight moment. I had to check to be sure it was true, and sure enough it was, a government position cleaning a nearby prison. So I applied and waited with baited breath, hoping to Christ that I’d be called in to wow the interviewer and prove myself the best candidate. And, to my excitement, I got my chance!
I spent the entire day before preparing for any and all questions I could imagine getting. I wore an amazing suite, came in 30 minutes early, and readied myself for whatever they could throw at me. So when I walked into the interviewing room, I shook the hand of the HR woman and the gentleman who led the custodial team and made my case. They asked the usual questions, I gave the perfect answers, everything was going great.
Then the time came for me to ask questions. But before I could, the leader of the custodial team stopped me and decided to ask another one of his own: Why did I want this job?
He told me that this was a job usually give to older people looking for an easy position to work a few years then get a good pension. He was wondering why I wanted this job if I had two degrees.
Basically, “Why would you want this job you already have experience in that pays more then you would have ever made with your last job which you only got because of your broadcast degree?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond because… well, how do you respond to something like that? I tried to save myself by saying I realized I loved being a janitor, but by then I knew in my heart there was no way I was getting this job anymore. I asked a couple of questions and shook their hands, trying to be polite as they told me I’d be hearing back next week on whether I got the job or not.
Three weeks later, I got a letter confirming I didn’t get it.
So essentially, I got a job interview just to be told I was too young and educated to make near 20$ an hour in a job I was experienced in.