disappointment

Awhile back, my friend A.C. had a job interview for a position as a mail-room clerk. The would-be boss crowed over A.C.'s resume, saying things like, "You are just perfect for this position!" A.C. was a bit uncomfortable but felt confident her excitement would translate into a job. Two interviews later, he was told that the position was awarded to another candidate. A.C. was crushed and furthermore frustrated that the woman had mislead him with her unrestrained enthusiasm.

Last week, I interviewed with my Dream Company (=DC) that I wrote about in the prelancing post. (And no, I didn't have to offer to work for free to get the interview.) Because I had less than 24 hours notice before the interview, I was not as prepared as I would like to have been. Nonetheless, the interviewer was enthusiastic about what I'd have to offer, and she told me mid-interview that she planned to have me back for a second round. I was thrilled; I ordered a new interview skirt from J.Crew immediately afterwards and developed a strategy for better interview answers.

Today marks one week after that interview without word from DC, so I decided to email Interviewer Lady to remind her of the times I'm available to come in. She wrote back immediately to tell me that she'd passed my resume along to the "community" (read: customer service) department because she thinks I'd be a good (better?) fit for them. I was heartbroken--customer service is the last thing I'd like to do. I believe she felt like that customer service would suit me because I have a background in working with disabled people and because I said that I'm patient, but the truth of the matter is that I was trying to put a pretty spin on my less-than-desirable current job situation. I decided to send Interviewer Lady an (admirably restrained) email explaining why I feel I would be better suited for the original position to which I applied. She hasn't written back yet and I don't have high hopes that she'll respond favorably.

I believe my story will end much like my friend A.C.'s--girl falls in love with job, interviewer shows premature enthusiasm but awards job to someone else, girl is heartbroken. This leads me to realize the importance of good Human Resources staff--they know how to professionally handle the hiring process without giving anyone false hope or acting otherwise inappropriately. It's true that HR people are often ridiculed in popular culture as failed psychology students or coldly-detached drones, but I'd prefer that to what I've seen lately in the interviewing process. Sigh.

Oh, and my friend J.L. quit his job today. The job? Customer service for an internet retailer.