One Hand Giveth . . .

Several weeks ago, I applied for a part-time job as a program coordinator for the workforce devolpment program where I volunteer. It's a nearly full-time position: 8:30-4:30 Monday through Thursday. Sending in my resume was an off-the-cuff decision. I'm not sure "decision" is even the right word. I barely thought about it. The next day, I had decided that maybe it wasn't really the right position for me, so when the program director asked that I send a cover letter and a copy of my resume to the board of the non-profit, I never followed up. Yesterday afternoon, she called and left me a message; I was pretty sure what she wanted.

Today I called her back and left her a message. Later this afternoon, she reached me. The first thing I said was, "If you hear whining, don't be alarmed. I haven't abducted a small child. I'm brining my granddog home to watch for the weekend and I insist that he be crated while I'm driving." She thought that was funny. So her purpose in calling was to tell me more about the position before she proceeded in scheduling an interview. She said that as she read through my resume (I knew her when I was teaching at the university, but not very well), she realized that I was tremendously overqualified for this position, and that most of what I would be doing in the job I had applied for is low-level administrative work. She was concerned that I wouldn't be happy or fulfilled in the position, but she was willing to move forward if I wanted to.

I had to agree with her. I do want to work in a job where I am around people again, where I interact and lead and mentor. I like the jobs I have now, and I don't usually mind working from home, but I am neither fully utilizing my skills nor meeting my potential. I'm pretty sure the job in question wouldn't help with any of that. The program director did say she would keep an eye out for the kinds of jobs that would be a better fit for me -- after all, she looks through the postings almost daily for her workforce development clients -- and will let me know what she sees. She told me again how much she appreciates my donation of time and my expertise in helping with the program. Jobs are, I guess, like men: I may not know what I'm looking for, but I'll know it when I find it.