Ready for work?

Every now and then a position becomes available that seems just right for the part-time student seeking part-time work that does not entail working on an ad-hoc basis in a bookshop (as interesting as this can be) or waiting on tables (as lucrative as this is made out to be by others.) So now I need to go through that checklist again for the interview as it has been more than two years since I was last interviewed.
So first the updated CV which looks pretty good with my improved computer skills and a few more years of practical experience behind me. I can already see or hear some of the questions coming from the panel regarding my lack of experience working with older people in community housing....
What to wear, oh what to wear? To dress up or dress down? Yes, even males ponder these questions every now and then. I have always shied away from suits, far too uncomfortable at the best of times but at the opposite extreme jeans and a hoodie may be frowned upon. OK, the middle path then.
The dreaded question, "what would you expect to earn?" I am not going to be a Lotto winner on this question but at least my experience with NGO's gives me an idea of what may be viable for them. I also know that some candidates have literally priced themselves out of a position by expecting too much renumeration. So lets hope that my math is right so that I get what I need and the organisation can afford it. A negotiation without any union support...
Next thing - listen to the questions and answer as fully as possible  within a short space of time to allow the interviewers to ask all their questions. Don't forget they have also prepared and want to find out about the candidate but they don't have all day to hear my opinions on government policies or knowledge of the person centred approach to facilitating change...
Fingers crossed

The joy of reading

I may have mentioned my passion for reading in a previous post, but I think it deserves further attention. To tell you the truth there is nothing more enlightening for me than reading an academic text (or novel) that is really well written and draws me into the world of experience as understood by the author. It makes studying so much easier when it seems that the person responsible for putting all the words together has such a good understanding and insight into the subject matter, combined with a passion for the field of study, that it reads like a gripping story of human endeavor rather than a university textbook. I had such an experience at the beginning of my course in social work where I had just received my study guides from the university. After opening the package I thought that I would spend an hour just browsing the material. I couldn't put the book down and I lost all track of time, so much so that I had to phone and apologise for not making a meeting that I had scheduled and had to use words to the effect of "I got caught up reading." I think it may have been the first time that the receptionist had heard that apology but I did detect a smile on the other side of the phone and was given the chance to reschedule.

Another reason that prompted me to write about the joy of reading is Alan Paton, author of "Cry, the beloved country" and "Ah, but your land is beautiful." Alan Paton describes South Africa as it was in the 1950's and 1960's using the most exquisite prose and descriptions that I have come across. In both books the harshness of apartheid South Africa are spoken about and lived by fictional characters. Although fictional and the dialogue imagined by the author, the stories of these characters is so well described it is as if I am walking alongside as the story reveals itself. Although Alan Paton died in 1988 and did not see the transition to democracy, he leaves behind two powerful stories that tell part of the struggle for a democratic South Africa.