Him: Your gender experience doesn't stand out in your resume. I want you write a 1 pager detailing all of your gender experience. If you can really wow me, I might pass you along. Do you think you could do that for me? (in a smarmy syrupy tone triggering my sexual harassment alarms) I think: "If I can really wow you?" I have over 10 years related work experience most of which is in SRHR. Anyone who is engaged in gender programming know that the 2 are inseparable. Were you not listening? I also just spent 30 minutes on the phone describing in detail all of my directly related research and work experience. If you read my resume and thoughtfully written cover letter, you would have a sense of what I bring. Also, this is what the interview is for! A competent manager knows how to ask leading questions to draw out details about a candidate's experience and assess their suitability. A competent manager does not wield power and privilege and make a candidate grovel for a job by doing extra work outside of the normal parameters of an interview process. Read the cover letter and resume, ask appropriate interview questions instead of BS chitchat, and then ask for writing samples and references. That's how it's done. If you don't have technical expertise in this area yourself, you have no right to make a determination about my level of expertise. Him: When would you be able to start? I see that you're consulting now, so you're not really working.... I think: Excuse me? "Not really working?!" If you have ever been an independent consultant, or have known any, you would get that consultants are the hardest hustlers out there who have to work ten times harder to market themselves and win contracts, often working on multiple concurrent projects. Yeah, I'm "not really working."
