This choice: William stars working at MTRNTY • Go Back... Sixteen months have gone by since William was laid off from his IT job. In those months, William has steadily watched as his bank account diminished. The job market was simply too poor for him to find a replacement for his salary. He were starting to become desperate. As a single 32 year old man, he had thought he would have a wealth of options. Unfortunately, IT jobs were getting hundreds of applicants and the positions were going to people who were overqualified. William figured they must be taking huge hits to their salaries to take these jobs. The desperation of the act was not lost on him after such a long time out of a job. His severance and unemployment having run out a long time ago.
William’s parents had instilled in him a get out there and tackle the challenge work ethic. So he was regularly hitting the job boards. He had custom tailored resumes for a variety of companies and positions ready to go and he was often one of the first applicants to apply for any newly posted position. Responses from recruiters all took the same form however. “Thank you for your interest in our company… we’ve decided to proceed with other candidates at this time… but will keep you information on file…” Each new rejection hurt as much as the last.
William’s hard work was finally rewarded one day as he got a call back for an in-person interview. He was thrilled to reach this step, but he was woefully underprepared for the prospect of dressing up in appropriate business attire. William’s time unemployed had been spent idle and he hadn’t been taking good care of himself. He needed to get a haircut, find a way to lose ten pounds and get a suit that fit. Or at least a jacket. He could make two of these happen at least within the next three days. So he set himself to task. A haircut was easy enough to obtain and he knew there was a men’s suits shop nearby in an outdoor shopping center.
Fresh haircut obtained, William made the trek to the shopping center. As he browsed the suits he saw several other men with fresh haircuts browsing the suits as well. He figured they must be in a similar situation as he was. Disheartened by the price tags on most of the suits on the racks, William ventured back to the clearance sections hoping to get lucky. As he surveyed the hanger tag labels he sought out his size 36R. Finally one popped to your eyes. Pulling the jacket from the rack he was dismayed to see the jacket was a deep purple color. That must be why it’s on clearance, he thought as he put the jacket back. The price was definitely right on the jacket though. He’d still be able to stay on budget getting it if he skipped a few meals that month. Something he was beginning to be forced to do more and more often.
William left the shop without a jacket feeling disheartened by his financial situation. It would be too bold a statement to make to show up for the interview in a purple jacket. As he was leaving the store he saw a new shop that was having its grand opening celebration. The shop was called MTRNTY, he was curious what the shop was for and walked by. As he got closer he began to understand the shop’s purpose. Baby strollers, cribs, clothes, and other accessories adorned the aisles. As William went to turn back towards his car to leave, an employee handed him a card.
“We’re hiring! You can apply inside and have a same day interview.”
“Oh, uhh, thanks. I think I’ll pass though.”
“Fresh haircut like that, I can tell you’re looking for a job. Market is crazy right now. This job has good benefits, good pay, and flexible work schedules to accommodate your family life.”
“That all sounds great, but I’m in IT. I’m really looking for positions in my field. Thanks though”
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us,” the employee said shifting their attention to other shoppers in the area.
Retail… I can’t possibly do something like that. It would be beneath me, William thought as he made his way towards his car. A sudden chill ran down his back. He couldn’t sacrifice this chance at reigniting his career. William hurriedly made his way back to the men’s shop. A swift walk back to the clearance rack and he was walking out with his newly purchased jacket. Color choice be damned, he was going to look good for his interview.
William’s interview later that week arrived swiftly. He had spent the intervening time freshening up on his craft, studying the latest technology and their applications. William felt prepared for his interview and after getting dressed with a pair of black pants he pulled on the purple jacket. William looked good given the circumstances. The suit color really popped and he thought it might help him stand out. Though it was admittedly a louder statement than he would normally want to make. William introduced himself at the reception and took his seat amongst a host of other men of various ages, but most seemed to be on the younger side. William surveyed the room and everyone except for him was in a black jacket. The stares he got were immediate and intense. What are they thinking? They must think I’m crazy
William’s name was called and he went in for his interview. William did his best to answer the questions asked of him. He even felt like he had some good answers to some of the more open ended questions. Ultimately, William’s time away from industry work had caught up to him though. He wasn’t swift enough with answers to the technical questions. Some questions he didn’t even know what the interviewer was talking about. Those ones stung the most as William recalled how he had been at the top of his field before he was laid off all those months ago.
Feeling dejected, William slowly walked back to his car. As he approached his car door he heard his phone ding. An email. Wow, they already sent the rejection note he thought to himself as he read the email. “Not a good fit… keep your resume… thanks for your time… blah blah blah.” William reached for his keys in his jacket pocket and pulled them out. Along with the keys came a card. It was the card from that maternity store. Seeing the card after his rejection had William thinking differently about his future. At least I’d be bringing in some money again…
William drove to the shopping center and made his way to the maternity shop. As he entered he felt all the eyes of the store were on him. Carrying the card in his hand, William made his way to the customer service desk.
“Hi, I’d like to apply for a position?” William asked the woman at the counter while extending his hand with the card in it.
“Oh, wonderful. We need the help! Things have been so busy around here since we opened. I’m Megan, the store manager. What’s your name?”
“Hi Megan, I’m William. Nice to meet you”
“Nice to meet you too William. Sharp jacket by the way. It looks really good on you,” Megan said with a bright smile.
“Oh, umm, thank you,” William said lowering his head to hide his reaction. William hadn’t had a lot of social interaction since his layoff. Even the smallest of niceties had him blushing.
Megan had William fill out an application form with standard form fields and a brief work history section. William filled this all in dutifully and handed it back. “So tell me about this gap in your work history. Have you really been out of work for this long?” Megan asked William.
“Unfortunately yes, I’ve been unable to find a new position in IT.”
“So this is sort of your last straw? You don’t really want this job do you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s my last straw. When I got this card earlier this week I didn’t think retail was right for me. I had a few days to think about it and realized that I should give it a chance. The employee who gave me the card was so nice and seemed like they really liked working here.”
“Don’t worry, this can be your last straw. I just want employees who are being honest with me from the start. So let’s try this again. Why do you want to work here?”
William sighed a bit before his conviction kicked in and he gave his most honest answer, “I’ve been trying so hard to stay in my field. I want to find an IT position, but I was just rejected from a job and it’s because I’ve fallen behind. My parents taught me to go after opportunities though and I think that having some purpose will help me get my life back on track.”
“Thank you William. I can tell that was the truth and that you are doing what you think is best for you now. You can start tomorrow. What’s your size?”
“My size?”
“For your work uniform. It’s a sweater. What size do you need?”
“Oh, umm large.”
Megan went back to the back room while William stood around waiting. Looking around the store for the first time with an eye on details, William noticed that the store had dozens of heavily pregnant women shopping for all kinds of products. From what William could see, it looked like each section had a woman wearing an argyle sweater vest helping customers. That must be the uniform Megan was referring to.
“Here you go,” Megan said handing William a number of sweaters and a name tag. “Work starts at 7am and you’ll have an 8 hour shift. You get two breaks and 30 minutes for lunch. Any questions?”
“Off the top of my head, no… I can’t think of anything”
“See you tomorrow then!”   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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