My Big Fat Job Interview
Monday, 19 May, 2003
Well, I had my job interview last Wednesday for an admin position at the University of Wollongong. I think it went all right though I came away from the whole thing feeling rather down. My weakness was that I had no experience in organising conferences but really, how hard is that to learn? What upset me was the question I got at the end after all the formal stuff was over. One of the members of the panel said to me, “You said you wanted this job because it will enable you to do evangelical ministry on campus; will you be able to keep these two parts of your life separate?” It was kind of a loaded question and I wanted to know the intent behind it. He wasn't giving me any clues though so I answered, “Well, the stuff I'll be doing as part of evangelical ministry includes ... and, obviously, I can't do that during work hours. Does that answer your question. Were you referring to talking about Christianity at work?” He quickly said, “No, no,” because he's not allowed to say things like that—it's politically incorrect. But it made me feel a bit sick in the stomach when I left and I thought they wouldn't hire me because I follow Christ and they don't seem to like him. When I talked about it with the other MTS girls, they were very encouraging. One of them said to me, “At least you got a chance to say something about Jesus during that interview and they could see that he is important to you,” so I was comforted by that. She also pointed out that even working in an environment hostile to Christianity could also be used to God's glory. So I'm still waiting to hear the results of the interview. I rang up on Friday to find out whether the position has been filled and it hasn't so it seems that the selection committee is taking an awfully long time to make up their minds. In the meantime, I should be diligent about seeking other work. It's hard not to get discouraged when you're unemployed but I have to keep remembering that my worth doesn't come from what I do for a job but rather from who I am in Christ.
Current:
Bible: Isaiah (ESV) 28/09/2010
seen: Tropic Thunder 26/09/2010
seen: The Life of Mammals 24/09/2010
seen: What a Girl Wants 19/09/2010
seen: Jerry Maguire 19/09/2010
seen: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 06/09/2010
seen: Tomorrow Never Dies 05/09/2010
seen: Nanny McPhee 28/08/2010
read: Mercury (Hope Larson) 27/08/2010
read: Spellcheckers Vol 1 (Jamie S Rich, Nicolas Hitori de, Joelle Jones) 16/08/2010
read: Solipsistic Pop Vol 2 (Solipsistic Pop) 16/08/2010
read: Chiggers (Hope Larson) 15/08/2010
seen: Josie and the Pussycats 14/08/2010
seen: Mr & Mrs Smith 14/08/2010
seen: Step Up 2 13/08/2010
Blinks:
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
Online magazine that publishes fairy tales that are not reworkings of old tales.
Journal that publishes fairy tale writing.
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Disqus comments
Other comments
Karen, I’m impressed by the fact you told him why you really wanted that job! I probably would have said something like, “Because there’s a really good match between what you’re looking for and what I have to offer blah blah blah”....
Hi Karen,
I also am very, very impressed with your willingness to stand firm for the gospel. Remember, God’s in control and he knows what he’s doing. If you are supposed to get the job, you will.
Secondly, it is ILLEGAL and I do mean ILLEGAL for him to ask that question. I did a training course on Recruitment and Selection at UNSW and we were not allowed to ask any questions like that. E.g. Are you married? or “You look arabic, are you a Muslim?” etc. Be comforted by the fact that he broke the law - well, as I understand it anyway.
Love you,
George
Often job interviewers ask difficult questions in order to work out whether you can handle a difficult situation. Often they are not looking for the actual answer, but they are trying to work out your emotional competency to handle that difficult question.
For example, I have been asked the classical opened ended ” Tell us about one of your work assignments or dealings where you failed”.
I disagree with the other two comments that it is illegal for him to ask that question. I believe its valid for him to ask if you will be able to keep these parts of your life separate as your Christian evangelism will not be part of your daily tasks at work. You are being interviewed on the basis of how effective you will be at the job, Christian evangelism does not have much to do with that and could be counter productive at work. Companies usually want an employee who wishes to do the job for the job satisfaction, if there is another reason for doing a job then they question why would the employee want to stay with us in the longer term. Assuming they want you in the long term.
Your answer to his question seems appropriate.
I agree with Philip, it would be illegal for him to discriminate against you on the basis of religion, however if you have included that in your application, it makes sense to ask you about it. I’d say he probably just wanted to make sure you had boundaries around your non-work objectives. I hope you either get it, or something better!