A power play that I was, and still am, a part of is one between myself and employers. At this time of year, many students like myself are searching for jobs and internships, to work during the summer, and as we all know, it is very hard to find one because of the interview process, the requirements of the employers, etc. This one instance, I applied for an internship at a company, and fortunately, they emailed me to schedule an in-person interview. I was very excited, and I even thought that perhaps I will get the position. At the interview, I am sitting, trying to make a good impression on the employer with the right body language, and the right words and language. During the interview, all of my actions are dictated by the question, “Does the employer like what I am doing?” At the end of the interview, she says she will call me to tell me to come in for the second interview, however, she didn’t, so that means I did not move on. At this point, I have no authority over whether she chooses me; the power is all in her hands. In the end, I did not get the internship. Thus, keeping me in the cycle of looking through websites for jobs and internships, endlessly submitting resumes and cover letters, having the employer decide whether or not I get the position, or if I have to keep searching, in hopes some employer utilizing her/his authority to choose me for the position.
3 Responses to Assignment 3
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As someone who is currently in this situation I completely understand what you are saying. There is a large sense of powerlessness that comes with the whole internship/job searching process. When we are in this situation it sometimes feels like we turn over any power over to this potential employer. Everything we do during this time, from how we dress to the interview to what we post on social media, is done with the uncertainty of whether this would please this person who we’ve never met. Some employers use this power in order to choose the most qualified candidate for a job. While others use this as an excuse to treat the candidates as if they were inferior, and they can do this because the larger competition for jobs means that if one candidate decides they want to deal with them then there is always someone else ready to take their place.
I can totally relate to this. I personally, do not have a strong resume and so whenever I apply for jobs, I don’t expect anything. I go through the process of surveys and interviews, but I am never 100% confident the employers will hire me. Not even 50% because there seems to always be a better candidate out there. There’s always a sense of inferiority. All I can do is wait anxiously because I don’t hold any decision making power.
Finding a job/internship is definitely a frustrating experience that definitely gives the employer an extreme sense of authority. Our entire purpose during a job interview is to impress these people who we can’t help but feel harshly judged by. This is especially true for students like us who don’t have nearly as much experience as the person we are potentially being hired by. This is also why interns are often exploited for essentially free labor because the interns are powerless and the interns need the work experience to find a real job where they actually have power and aren’t constantly at the mercy of their superiors.
Matthew Epstein