Oh...Only Those Women...

I recently had an interview with a female-focused company. This particular company is led by a woman who is an activist, a feminist, an advocate for marginalized people, a mentor… so on and so forth. She presents herself to the masses as a real woman of the people. She is from a wealthy circle, has a lot of influence and can certainly be a catalyst for change.

Nobody is perfect, but I am excited at the fact that this woman shares a lot of similar principles as I do, is looking to employ and empower strong women, and seemingly was very responsive and impressed by my resume.

I had prepared some notes for the call and had put together a small strategy for the sake of conversation. This woman got on the call, didn’t think what I had put together was sufficient enough for her to make an assessment, so I was ok with reconvening so I could give her a little more information. She gave me a deadline and we set a time for another call the following week.

Let me add this, the act of having to prepare a homework assignment as part of an interview is a practice that really needs to stop…which is a totally different post for another day... point being I spent time and effort putting this together.

I never send my work too far in advance because I want to review it with the interviewer in real time. So I sent what she asked for a few hours before our call.

Do you know, that is woman, who claims to be a beacon for all women, their help in the struggle, their resource in the chaos, never even got on the line for our call. I followed-up to confirm the time and receipt. No response from her office. I waited about 15 minutes, because things happen.

Her assistant contacted me days later saying she was busy, which in my opinion is not an excuse for how things went down. Her assistant said she would check with her to see when we could reschedule and also to confirm she received my work.

I never heard from either of them again.

Sooooo, what women are you an advocate for? Only specific ones, only the ones you feel sorry for or can exert your power over? You don’t respect the women who believe in your cause and want to make your vision come to life? My time is valuable, and as a woman of color I shouldn’t be surprised by these antics… but I can still be disappointed.

Don’t pretend to be something you aren’t, and a simple courtesy call or email goes a long way. You never know what position you will find yourself in future endeavors. I hope she never comes across my desk, because while I won’t be catty, I will be honest.

Author: Randi