Apples and Oranges

By Anitsirk

A very tired me, at the gym, this morning. Yesterday at the job intervju I was literally grilled for an hour by two people. One of them was a recruiter from the Stockholm office and the other one - which I felt the most connected with - was the future boss of whom ever got this position in Uppsala. The recruiter was very curious about my cv and why there was a hole for about 4 years. Since I didn't want to tell them about my illness - which has no relation at all to the job - I tried my best and focused on the last four years. They asked about my education and I had to say that 'life happened' and that was why there was a gap. They bought that and didn't ask further. I also got difficult questions from the woman who - in that case - would be my boss. She asked how I would work with a person with trauma from an operation, who had a poorly short term memory and other difficulties due to this and needed help with the studies. I told them, best I could, how I would proceed. Since I don't have an education I go by feeling and the person itself. I told them that I too have problems with my short term memory, and what I would do. I gave an example also, from experience with my students. She smiled at me and told me that she would do this too. She also asked me about what I would do if I had planned what to to and my 'student' didn't want to go by this plan at all and wanted help with something totally different. I told her I'm used to this and the only thing that I would have a small problem with was that the 'student' wouldn't get the help he/she needed from me that day, but I would do my best... I would talk and try to give advice from my own life experience and then hit the books and do a new plan after that. She smiled again and I felt I got that one right too... The last difficult question was what if my 'student' and I didn't have personal chemistry and the student told me that he/she didn't want to work with me at all, and what I would do in that situation. I considered this and told them that what I remembered this hasn't happened, but I would gather the people around the 'student' for a meeting and tell them the situation and perhaps change tutor, because in the end, this isn't about me, it's about the student getting the right help. Again I got a smile and thought I got this one right too. 
Even if they liked me, I don't think I'm the right person for this. It's such a new job that they don't know if it's 20% or 100% or everything in-between. And, it's also by the hour and not a permanent post. Also the workplace can be varying depending on where the student is. I told them that I can do 50% now, and that I preferred the work to be in Uppsala. I felt I had to be true to myself and not tie myself into a knot trying to please everyone else... We'll see. I'm happy with the intervju and with the connection I got with one of them. It means that there's another work related connection that might lead to something in the future. You never know. :)
Coming back from the gym I saw this line of different stone in the pavement and it almost looked (with some imagination) like the Milky way. The leaves are changing colours and the sky have gaps of blue. :) 

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