“Apply now. We have a vacant senior position. We would love for you to work with us”, they said.
So, I applied for Job A. I still think, it was my best performance ever in an interview. Fake British accent. Diplomatic statements. I really thought I had it. Months passed, I did not hear a thing about my application. I tried to forget it and convinced myself it’s the way government offices handle job applications. They leave you waiting in agony. They do not care notifying you that they did not select you.
Then, after a year, maybe… they talked to me again and informed me that there is a vacant position, a step lower than the previous. So I did trap myself in their sweet words again. I applied for Job B. But I did not think highly of my performance in the exam and interview. Guess what?! I got hired!
Months into my new position.. everything’s calm. Less stressful than my previous work.
I did not ask why I was not selected the first time I applied. I did not care. Who would even care? I have a job that pays the bills. Maybe I did not want to feel the same disappointment when I applied for Job Zero, had the best exam score, had the best result in psych evaluation, but the big boss still chose the one who was already working in the unit. The selected one left the job after barely three (3) months. The same thing happened with the one who was selected for Job A.
And you would never believe why I was not chosen for Job A. Simply because they do not want an Adam handling a senior position. They thought an Eve could do the job better. Yes, it’s all about Eve.
They thought Eve is better for the position because they had experiences working with Adams before and they were not satisfied. And that’s f***** stereotyping. Adam de la Cruz is no Adan Castillo. And Eve Flores is no Eva Flores. Too much talk about gender equality or gender-responsiveness or gender-sensitivity.
In a funny turn of events, I now handle the Gender and Development program of the office.
DEXTERIFICATION 