I would be willing to serve coffee or make change, but since I have not received a work permit in the Netherlands, I am limited to accepting jobs that pay about 4000 euros a month and prove that I am a “skilled worker.” Never mind that even in these times of crisis, there are plenty of low paying jobs available, and I would be happy to do one of them; or that the salaries in the Netherlands are generally fairly modest; or that doctors here make about that.
This month, I am applying for several “skilled worker” jobs a week. I have applied for three research and evaluation jobs at three different non-profits, two UI designer jobs, about five development (non-profit) jobs, and a job as a community planner for a pretty cool sounding project involving highway one, Big Sur, and California history. The thing is, I really want almost all of these jobs. I *do* genuinely feel that I would bring unique skills to each one and that I have been developing the necessary skills for each particular job my whole life. I am sooo multi-talented. Just in case any of my future employers is reading this, I want your job more than any other that I have applied for. Oh yeah, and I do have a home in California.
I had only one recent interview. That one was obviously a flop or I’d have a job now. The interviewers were tough and knowledgeable, and I totally deserved to be knocked out of the running. Especially when I screwed up an answer to a question about the importance of supporting groups that target sex workers. I said something silly like “They’re not going away, no matter what you think.” What kind of answer was that? In addition, one of the three interviewers told me that they were concerned that I was too focused on Iran and not enough of a generalist. Wow! That was a first for me: being accused of NOT being a generalist.
When I asked why I was not selected, though, the director of that particular non-profit told me that it had to do with my weak evaluation skills. Maybe she was too tactful to tell me that I was an idiot or that she just did not like me. Especially given the fact that we did not delve into my evaluation skills, which are, in fact, pretty damn good for a non-academic. I know they are, because I have actually been alive long enough to see how effective some of my evaluations have been. But maybe those reports just have not been public enough.