Wow, OP, I can't believe how upset you're being at not getting a job for which you didn't apply!

You really think that the head would say, yes, I will endorse you and only you for the job? Do you realize that from her perspective, she gave the only response that is appropriate, which is, you should apply, but I can't guarantee you an offer?

You are more interested in saving face than in entering the job market. Please take a hard and realistic look at your position. You have been out of the job market for 10 years. A decade. You are a good, even great *volunteer.* But that does not equal full-time paid employee.

You are acting as though your relationships with the people at this organization ought to trump everything, including professional considerations. Despite what you (and others on this board may say), relationships that you build through networking are NOT everything. They are important, they get your foot in the door, but they do NOT guarantee a job offer. Ultimately, they are going to hire the best person for the job, who may or may not be you.

Anonymous wrote:Sure OP ~ work for free. Work for free for 2 years. Post here and get crap about having an entitled attitude.

I hate this board.

Oh please, save the woe is me "work for free" bit. A volunteer is just that, a volunteer! When she signed up to volunteer, did the organization promise to hire her on? Chances are, no.

Should two years of volunteering in a similar role make her qualified for this position? Yes.

Should she theoretically have an advantage over other candidates because she knows the processes/systems etc.? Yes.

Should she have applied for the position? Yes.

Should she have expected her supervisor, who has some but not total input and control on the candidate search, to pat her on the back and call her a special angel and hold her hand as she submits her resume? No.

Should she have taken her supervisor's response so personally without thinking about all the factors at play? No.

Imagine if her supervisor strongly encouraged her to apply (like OP wanted) and OP didn't get hired. We'd be right back at square one. However, lots of posters here find it difficult to completely sympathize/relate to the idea of "they won't hire me" when OP didn't even apply!

Sure OP ~ work for free. Work for free for 2 years. Post here and get crap about having an entitled attitude.

I hate this board.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe how unpleasant so many of you have been to the OP. Seriously?

What would you say? Do you think she was correct to decline to apply for a job she really wanted? Do you think the advice given has been bad, or just the tone of that advice?

I think the attacks on her personality have been

a) gratuitous and unsupported by anything she's said,

and

b) kicking someone when she's down.

I think some of the observations about her personality/actions, based on both her decision not to apply because of a single person's reaction to her question and her reaction to some thoughtful advice given here (albeit, not what she wanted to hear), are constructive towards figuring out why she can't get hired permanently. She can't get hired permanently if she doesn't apply, and she created her own wall from ever obtaining the position by reading so heavily into her supervisor's response. Her reaction to the supervisor is analogous to her reaction to the thread: she didn't hear exactly what she wanted and shut became defensive/shut down because of it.

There are so many moving parts in a hiring process such as competing interests from various stakeholders within an organization, HR requirements like interviewing X number of candidates, the organization distancing themselves from the appearance of impropriety during the hiring process (i.e. someone with the inside track), the supervisor not wanting to promise anything that she can't directly control and/or deliver, and many more. The OP at the very least wanted a strong encouragement to apply (which is warm and fuzzy but has no bearing on the hiring process), and at the most, wanted a verbal affirmation that she had a leg up in the search. Instead of realizing the reality of the hiring process, OP chose to pout from hurt feelings and rationalize every reason not to apply. That's fine, but it won't get OP anywhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe how unpleasant so many of you have been to the OP. Seriously?

What would you say? Do you think she was correct to decline to apply for a job she really wanted? Do you think the advice given has been bad, or just the tone of that advice?

I think the attacks on her personality have been

a) gratuitous and unsupported by anything she's said,

and

b) kicking someone when she's down.

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe how unpleasant so many of you have been to the OP. Seriously?

What would you say? Do you think she was correct to decline to apply for a job she really wanted? Do you think the advice given has been bad, or just the tone of that advice?

I can't believe how unpleasant so many of you have been to the OP. Seriously?

Or it could be that you have some good ideas, but also have a big ego and a weird sense of entitlement and she puts up with it in a volunteer but isn't interested in having to manage it in a full time employee. Or doesn't think you're a good match with the other employees (not always age related). Or knows that one if your other "social acquaintances" on the committee would have tanked your resume.

You come across as kind of aggressive and nasty in your posts here, so you may want to think about the role your own personality may have in this.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Is it too late to apply OP? You should write a great cover letter and find a sponsor (even if it's not the head) and go for it. Nothing ventured...nothing gained. I know it's really hard when you're over 50 but it's been done. I'm over 50 and realize how tough it is. I have a crappy job but it helps me pay the bills and i used to be kind of a big deal. I've been humbled by the bad economy and old age.

Good luck to you!

+1

Anonymous wrote:You're making a lot of assumptions OP considering you didn't apply/go through the hiring process.

Agree. You can only be disgruntled if you were actually rejected. Do a job search for similar orgs.

OP - Apply for it, you never know. Possibly others in the organization might want you for a different opening in the future, even if you are not chosen for this one. Don't take it personally either...you feel it's age related but it's not clear it's age related (but I sympathize, having had to interview at 40+ after my company went bankrupt...)

Is it too late to apply OP? You should write a great cover letter and find a sponsor (even if it's not the head) and go for it. Nothing ventured...nothing gained. I know it's really hard when you're over 50 but it's been done. I'm over 50 and realize how tough it is. I have a crappy job but it helps me pay the bills and i used to be kind of a big deal. I've been humbled by the bad economy and old age.

Good luck to you!

21:14 Not sure this is the right track. Express a desire to want to become part of the team, hope you've demonstrated value through contributions to the organization (list examples) and a devotion to its mission. Do not say you expect the job! State you intentions of wanting it!