Job Interviews From the Dark Side, Pt. 3

I'm not sure whether my many nightmarish job-interview experiences would play best as a dark comedy routine, a cautionary job-search book, or as an educational lecture at a business seminar, but I have memories of my lifelong job-search experiences that I can't shake, no matter how much I want to:

My first job-searching experience was when I was looking for a summer job, between high school and college, and saw that Anaheim Stadium was having a hiring day. What happened was a sneak preview of coming attractions for the entire length of my life's job-search experience, and it was definitely not a coming attraction to look forward to.

For a job interview, you dress for the job you want, right? The jobs that Anaheim Stadium was recruiting for, of course, were for ushers, concession salespeople, parking lot attendants--but I felt that I should present a formal businesslike appearance just the same--a mature young adult, not some dumb teenager. This was the 1970s when women were still often advised to dress like a lady for a job interview, with hat and/or gloves. I picked out a simple dark floral-print shirtdress and topped it off with a dressy little black straw hat.

At the stadium, I ended up at the table for parking-lot attendants.  When I got to the table, I handed the interviewer my carefully filled-out application.  This pudgy jock-type looked me over, smirked, and said his first words to me, in a condescending tone (one that would now likely be called, "mansplaining"), "We don't allow hats in the parking lot."

Here the guy was, supposedly, presenting the face of the employer to job applicants, and he was going immediately into some psychological-like parent-child script, about what he (or whatever boss was in charge) would or would not "allow" me to do or not do. 

What on earth was the guy thinking, other than going into make-fun-of-some-random-young-chick mode? Had he never seen a hat on a woman's head before?  

Not, "You look well-dressed for your interview today," or "Not often you see a girl in a dress and hat these days" or even, "You look all dressed up, and this is a parking-lot job," but, "We don't allow hats in the parking lot."

What did he expect me to do, take the hat off, or what?  I was tempted to take it off and slap him across his condescending, smirking face with it.

All I could think to do that would be acceptable during a job interview was to simply smile and say, "very funny" in a tone that let him know I didn't think his little joke at my expense, or whatever it was, was so very funny. The guy glanced at my application, put it in a pile, said they'd call if they needed me.

Needless to say, I never did get a job at Anaheim Stadium. Every time I see a woman with a hat on in a parking lot--like on TV, at the Kentucky Derby, where women still wear hats, and, yes, even in the parking lot--I think of that guy, and wonder if somewhere he's diving under furniture at the mere sight of a woman wearing a hat in a parking lot.

Extra-added Attraction:  Out of college, I faced the same problem all young job-hunters do, lack of experience.  At an interview for an office clerical position, I described my education and meager experience, adding, “And in my spare time, I’m a writer.”  The woman interviewer gave me a cold stare and in a voice to match, said, “And in what way will this—INTERFERE—with your duties in this position?”