to think if you advertise a job as part-time you don't then slag off part-time workers to your candidate during the interview?

[aaaaaAAARGHandbreathe]

Went for a job interview yesterday. Part time position advertised as such - 3 days a week - in a law firm. Agent forwarded my CV, they came back within a couple of hours inviting me to interview. All seemed positive. Arranged childcare (currently on maternity leave - DS 9 months old). Interviewer changed meeting from 2pm to 1pm with about 4 hours notice leaving me to scrabble around and re-sort childcare quickly which I did - obviously without them knowing it caused me any hassle.

Turned up all prepared - had researched company, mapped my CV to their job description etc. usual stuff.

Anyway - only interviewed by 1 woman (usually at least 2 people for interviews I've had previously.) I was a little bit put off by a terribly limp handshake (it wasn't a handshake - she offered me her hand) and she also seemed unwilling to make any eye contact.

During the interview she asks what my current salary is. Agency had deliberately not passed this info on because he thought it would scare them off so I already had an inkling they weren't going to pay me the rate I am currently on - but I was going because it was the only job in law suitable for me I had seen advertised as 3 days. So I told her and her response was as follows:

Interviewer: Ah yes but obviously you wouldn't be expecting the same so you would be taking a pay-cut
Me: I understand part-time work would of course be pro rata
Interviewer: And that part-time work is generally paid less

WTF! I gritted my teeth in the interview and carried on but her attitude had already completely put me off and then...

in a bored voice she gives me the benefits package, mentions holiday and I ask what their standard offer is - it's 25 days. I say obviously that would be pro rata too. And then she says yes part-timers also get bank holidays...."well, to be honest, they're hardly ever here" and does this quick grimace.

I had to go back to the agent and I was pretty honest about my feedback but had to be careful because he'd gone on before about how nice this woman was!

Am currently weighing up whether to take a grievance against my line manager at job I am trying to leave because of all her shit I had to put up with during pregnancy and maternity leave(her piece de resistance was emailing me 8 days after I'd given birth to 'congratulate' me and then demand I attend an end of year appraisal in 2 weeks time - a request neither of the other 2 women on ML received because they have different, more reasonable and law-abiding line managers)

I don't expect any favours/consideration above and beyond normal legal compliance with discrimination laws so wtf is going on?

And really am I being unreasonable (or just unbelievably naive) to think women didn't do this to other women? Not that I'm asking for unqualified loyalty to the nebulous concept of sisterhood but a simple respect for the law would be nice.

Am trying to leave behind one line manager's horrible attitude and escape her bullying and this is what I come up against sigh

Gah! Sorry for the length.

"And that part-time work is generally paid less"

I thought that was illegal?? Could be wrong?

And don't most places give BHs pro rata anyway?

She sounds like she had a french fry on her shoulder

YANBBU

Stealth It is illegal - which is why I was soooo shocked I didn't challenge her directly. I felt I'd misunderstood until she made the other comment about holiday.

YANBU - employers seem to think they can treat employees like shit and that they ought to be lucky just to get a job.

To be honest, it sounds like either she immediately decided she wasn't going to offer you the job or there isn't really a job available (because it's earmarked for an internal candidate)

What sort of role was it with the law firm ?

Do you think she may have been throwing some "curve balls" at you, to see how you deal with antagonistic/negative behaviour ?

Something that may be quite frequent in legal environment.

That's shocking. What a waste of your time! What did the agent say?

I was looking for work 3 days a week earlier in the year, and it is out there, although it's much harder to find than full-tiem work. I found this website had some good jobs on it www.womenlikeus.org.uk although apologies I don't know if it ever has anything law-related on it.

bubble I said that to the agent, either she was having a very bad day or she just took an instant dislike to me. Maybe I shook her hand too hard? It was like manhandling a limp fish. I don't think there's an internal candidate because agent is also recruiting for other roles there at the moment but who knows? Even so, why say discriminatory things?

cumfy It's a professional support role - so you're a lawyer supporting the other lawyers. She was an HR person, not a lawyer. The only 'curve balls' I would expect to be thrown are technical legal questions and have been in other interviews - all totally acceptable and testing your knowledge and negotiation skills etc like you suggest. However, have not come across the 'pretending to discriminate against part-timers' curve ball before. I think it might be more likely to be a giant french fry of the kind Stealth referred to.

lowrib Very embarrassing speaking to the agent because he'd gone on and on about how lovely 'Thelma' was and so when I phoned him back I asked whether they'd ever met face to face (they have - presumably she shook his hand and looked him in the eye) before tentatively telling him how it had gone. Will have a look at that site thank you.

My mum's theory was that she was a man's woman. I hate that phrase but it might just be applicable in this case.

Do you know if you've got the job yet? Would you take it if so?

Sorry totally nosey! Just wondering

I don't think I could take it. Have been worn into the ground by evil line manager at present place and however much I need to escape I can't risk walking into another situation where I'm at the mercy of someone who seems to find someone else's choice to have a child a personal insult to them.

The good news is I'm through to the second round on two others so all is not lost - BUT they are both full time (advertised as such) and I am having to persuade them I can do the same amount of work in 4 days a week due to my experience - which is a lot of pressure to be under as well as starting a new job.

Don't have anything to add to this I'm afraid but thought youmight find some light relief in hearing about what it's like in the arts sector - I recently attended a job interview it turned out I had been called for by mistake (!), made it through to the second interview and am still awaiting to hear the not-very-surprising news I'm expecting three days after they promised to let everybody know...

Omaoma So you were called for interview by mistake and yet you still made it through to the second round? That's pretty impressive surely? Even if they thought you were not on their shortlist on paper, in person you made it through. And how did you find out you were called by mistake?

Omaoma I agree with aaaaaAAARGHandbreathe, that's pretty impressive

The job I applied for before the one I got, had an assessment as part of the interview process. It was pretty intense actually, we had no idea what to expect. I thought maybe software skills testing or psychometric testing, but it was a 2 hour exam under exam conditions, with tasks designed by someone evil

It was interesting from the point of view that we all got to meet the other candidates. It was a part time position and all 16 candidate bar one were women. And then it turned out that the guy was there by mistake, he'd not noticed it was a part time position. He still sat the test though. I don't think I would have bothered in his shoes!

Erm - I also agree that these weren't curve balls.

I don't think there was anything there to guage your professional skills at all. I've been for lots of interviews in my time and I've noticed that the level of professionalism gets lower.

I got one job - well I didn't orginally and then 3 weeks later I was offered it as the preferred candidate pulled out at the last mo. I ended up being best mates with one of the interviewers (small ngo) and she once fessed up at the boss didn't originally pick me as she liked the other candidate more as she was very classically english with lovely pre-raphaelite hair. I clearly didn't. OMG.

My last big job before having a child I ended up directing the interview as the panel didn't have a clue and just sat there.

Since having a child I've had three interviews - the first two interviews were solely about my ds and chidcare, oddly. The third interview was very unprofessional but what I liked about the potential boss is that he assumed that I'd have sorted childcare sorted(I had) and we just hit it off and I had a great time in that role.

Don't expect too much from potential employers these days - just see if you can connect.

Not positive but that's how it is.

giveitago I agree about the drop in professionalism in interviews. I am pretty used to directing the interviews I attend - not in a bossy way (er..I hope) - but rather than go through my CV (boring and verbose) I prefer to go through their job description and tell them where my experience matches their needs - and also where it doesn't and how I can overcome that/offer alternative skills and knowledge which might be useful for things the role could do that they haven't specified. That approach went down very well in the two interviews I've got through to 2nd round in.

In this one (lasted 40 mins - other two lasted 90 mins each) 'Thelma' kept up with this "Yep" "Yep" "Yep" thing which was not your usual encouraging yep I'm listening kind of thing. It was more Austin Powers' "I've got a whole bag of shoosh down here for you" to cut me short. So I would stop talking, thinking I'd been rambling and she wanted to ask a question. And then nothing...complete tumbleweed. Just have no idea why she even asked me for interview (and within a couple of hours of receiving my CV).

They SO should not be asking you about childcare. Do you think any men get asked how they will be sorting childcare?
Of course not.