A Mommy Story

Recently I had applied for a few jobs that I happened to notice. I’m not actively job hunting, since I am pregnant and don’t want to give up the maternity benefits I currently have, but should an amazing job come along, something that would make life easier and/or pay more, I might consider jumping ship.

I don’t know if the same holds true for other cities, but here in Columbus it is close to impossible to find a decent paying part-time job. Most of the part-time jobs available involve fast food, retail, or jobs with the minimum requirements being a high school graduate or possession of your GED. Few pay any higher than $8.50 an hour.

I could write an entire post about how companies should consider more part-time, high-skill positions to help those moms and dads with university degrees and a strong desire to work but also to raise their young children. It would benefit the workers, who could have fewer hours so they could spend more time with their kids, and I think it would benefit the employer, too, who would have employees that were dedicated to their part-time work because they felt their lives were balanced. Many times these employees wouldn’t even need health benefits because a spouse working full-time would carry the benefits, saving the company even more. But, I digress.

So when I do see part-time jobs that fit my skills, I tend to apply. It’s good practice to keep updating my resume, and should a dream job land in my lap, all the better. OK, a dream job would be working from home again, but I’d settle for even a decent job with good money.

About a month ago, I applied for a position with another college. It was actually a slight demotion from my current position, but the pay was equal and the hours looked better. My current hours are dreadful: working 11-7 or 12-8 means I have no morning to get anything done, no afternoon, and by the time I get home in the evening, I just want to eat dinner and go to bed. This advertised position offered better hours, less responsibility, and equal pay.

I never heard back from them, figured that I wasn’t a candidate, and the job had fallen out of my thoughts, until Monday when I received a call at work.

HR guy: Hi, you applied for the position of X last month, and we were wondering if you are still interested in the position?
Me: (thinking back to job description) Oh! Um, yes, I am still interested.
HR guy: You’ve been selected as one of a few candidates. The hiring department wants to rush this along, so we’d like to have you come in tomorrow at lunchtime for an interview.

Note: If you’re in such a hurry to fill the position, shouldn’t you have started calling people right after the application period closed, instead of waiting a full month?

Me: Oh, well, I’m sorry, but I have to work tomorrow, and I have appointments with students scheduled, so it would be impossible for me to come in at that time.
HR guy: Oh, so you couldn’t make it tomorrow, then?
Me: I’m sorry, but no. I currently work part-time, Monday thru Wednesday 11-7, but I would be happy to come in around those times or Thursday or Friday if that is possible?
HR guy: Well, we only had interview slots open for this position tomorrow around lunchtime. I’ll have to get back to you to see if Thursday would work.
Me: Thanks, I appreciate that. I am interested in the job, but I can’t neglect the duties of my current job.
HR guy: Yes, I understand. I’ll give you a call back shortly. Goodbye.

Can you guess what happened next?

I never got a call back.

Yep, it seems that the part-time job market is so intense right now, that you have to drop everything you’re doing for an interview or miss your chance at a job. Of course, you might think that a devotion to your work would be something a recruiter would admire, but apparently not in this case. Too busy to show up with less than 24 hours notice for an interview? Well, we’ll find someone else, then – you part-time workers are a dime a dozen, and should be thankful we even called you at all.

I thought I’d be angry about this, but I’m not. I find the entire thing funny, and there is a chance that he will call back. At this point, I don’t think I’d take the job, anyway. If I did I wouldn’t be eligible for any maternity benefits, while I can get maternity leave pay at my current job. But I wouldn’t mind the interviewing experience.

So much for the thought that having a degree and a good skill set would give me any kind of bargaining power for a job. Hell, I can’t even bargain for an interview.