You might want to have tissues handy. These 24 job applicants never saw it coming. They had responded to an ad for a “Director of Operations” job, and were being interviewed via webcam. It was a real interview for what they thought was a real position. They quickly realized that it was a very hard job, really the world’s toughest job.
At the beginning of the interviewer, the unsuspecting applicants were told that “it’s not just a job. It’s sort of, probably, the most important job.” And it is. It truly is.
As the interview began listing the “extensive” job requirements , the job seekers made valid attempts to maintain a professional appearance, but there was no way to hide all of their true feelings.
- Mobility – required to be on their feet pretty much all the time
- 24/7 job – sometimes staying up all night with an associate
- Breaks – “there are no breaks available”
- Chaotic environment – “if you had a life, we’d ask you to give that up”
- Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Multiple degrees helpful – Medical, Culinary, Finance
- All-encompassing
- Work load goes up on holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s
- Must maintain a happy disposition
At times the responses were carefully guarded, a raised eyebrow here, a quiet jaw drop there. Other times, there was no holding back: “That’s inhumane!” “That’s almost cruel.” “I think that’s a little intense.” “Is that even LEGAL?”
The interviewer spoke in glowing terms of the meaningful connections that would be made in the job and the immeasurable rewards of the job.
Then he covered the salary, which was “absolutely nothing.” The applicants were pretty much done at that point. One exclaimed, “Nobody is doing that for free!”
Their faces reflected sheer disbelief when he told them that there were already people doing that for free – billions of them. Then they melted, every last one of them, when he revealed who was doing this every day – Moms.
The whole atmosphere shifted. The impact of what just happened dawned on each one of the interviewees as they realized how much their own moms had sacrificed for them. Their gratitude and love poured through the screen. And I must admit, my own tears started freely flowing as well.
Being a mom is said to be “the toughest job you’ll ever love.” Years may go by without thanks. Moms don’t have all the answers. We are human. We fail. We triumph. We go through times of wondering if it is all worth it. Every family goes through difficult times.
This is the theme of the inspirational new Erwin Brothers movie that will be in theaters opening Mother’s Day weekend, “ Moms’ Night Out ,” starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, and Trace Adkins. The movie celebrates all the chaos and the craziness and the rewards that is motherhood.
In the end, it is all worth it. Our kids are our greatest treasures, and they are worth investing every bit of our heart and soul into. The dirty diapers, and sleepless nights (that don’t completely end when they grow up), the chaos and the tears – all of that pales in comparison to the “immeasurable rewards” that the interviewer spoke of.
The world’s toughest job – “It’s not just a job. It’s sort of, probably, the most important job.” Thank you, Moms everywhere. You are loved and appreciated.
[videos via YouTube and Moms’ Night Out ]