Preliminary Job Interview Problem -- Suggestions?

[ceeveg]

I just received a call about a job I'd applied to some time ago, and they said they had a few questions for me. It went really well, until the interviewer asked what I did currently. I said that I was a stay-at-home mom.

The tone of the interview immediately changed, and the interviewer very abruptly said, "Well, okay, IF they call you, have your references ready" and hung up without even saying goodbye.

What went wrong? I am pretty sure I wouldn't want to work for this company, but I'd like to know if there is any way to approach things differently if I get a call from another company.

Feeling pretty sad and discouraged right now.

[sharr610]

Maybe she was having a bad day. Maybe she just had a babe and was wishing to be a SAHM. Maybe she has issues with the whole SAHM thing.

Whatever it is, they are her issues, not yours. There are plenty of moms who have entered/re-entered the work force after being a SAHM for a while. Many go on to be very valuable employees.

If you are worried, you can spice it up a bit with, "I'm a household manager and childcare provider." OR, are there other things you do from time to time? So, I'm a SAHM, but I'm also my husband's research assistant on a regular basis. I regularly consult with friends who run small non profits on event management/donor relations/pr stuff (prior life work). I also have a blog and organize a play group. Do you volunteer/organize events/ get involved in political initiatives? All of these things are "things you do."

Or you could address it from the employment perspective alone and just say you are in transition(the hot term for being unemployed).

[kcparker]

If it came up again, you could also just phrase it differently - "I've been the primary caregiver for my children, but since they are getting older, I am transitioning back into the workforce."

You could also ask for clarification - do they want to know your current employment or your skill set, and then address that if it's what they really want to know. If you don't want to mention being a SAHM, you can just say that you are currently a job-seeker, or as the PP said, you are "in transition" if you want to avoid the word "unemployed."

And, I think that with jobs, you have to be a bit fatalistic. If you wouldn't want to work for them anyway, let it roll off your back. It's all about finding a good match. Write down what you want/need in a job (X hours a week, within X miles of your house, health ins., working alone or with others, etc.), put it in a drawer, and focus on that, Law of Attraction style.