I don't work there-- do I need to correct this possible misunderstanding
September 23, 2020 2:21 PM   Subscribe

Job interview question-- Do I need to correct this possible misunderstanding re: my current employer?

Just had a positive first interview for a position I'm really interested in. In the interview, a few things that the interviewers said made me think in retrospect that they may be confused about my current employer-- I work at a 501c3 organization called something like the Teapots and Teacozies Cabinet of Gilead, and it seems possible they think that I work at the state-affiliated Gilead Teapot Cabinet. (Yes, I know this is ridiculous, it is very much a political thing that this came to be).

From a skills and experience perspective, my work at the Teapots and Teacozies Cabinet of Finlandia is probably just as relevant if not more relevant, and it's an older entity in many ways a larger scope. But the nature of the work is different (my work is more implementation focused vs the other being more policy focused), and I don't want to misrepresent myself or seem as though I have more experience at the state government level than I do.

Is there any way to clarify this that's not horrendously awkward? Or should I just let it go? Sounds like I will be invited to a second interview with a larger team, so I don't think it makes sense to clarify there.
posted by geegollygosh to Work & Money (7 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I would just wait and see if it comes up again in a way you can gracefully clarify.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:27 PM on September 23, 2020 [10 favorites]


I think you’re fine to clarify within the context of your next meeting with them.
Maybe as you describe your experiences you mention how relevant that are and how they “contributed to the specific mandate of this T T C of G organization—From which other orgs emerged such as GTC...Although they are now separate entities..”

And maybe add a website address to your list of employers which may help interviewers see the distinction.
posted by calgirl at 3:05 PM on September 23, 2020


As long as your resume said the right thing, it’s their mistake. You don’t owe them any correction. If their due diligence didn’t turn up the truth, then they deserve what they get. Luckily for them, it sounds like they’ll get you, so it’s not a problem. But any blame is theirs.
posted by kevinbelt at 3:55 PM on September 23, 2020 [20 favorites]


Agree with KevinBelt.
posted by Miko at 4:24 PM on September 23, 2020


If it becomes clear that they definitely misunderstood, you should clarify at that point. But no need to clarify preemptively.
posted by mekily at 8:03 PM on September 23, 2020 [5 favorites]


Could it be possible that they don't know the difference between the two agencies? If they're not directly in the Teapot industry, they may cognitively lump all Teapot agencies together. I work at a medical school in a legal capacity and cannot tell the functional differences between most of the research/health organizations that I come across.

I agree that as long as your resume says the right thing, you've done nothing wrong. Yes, correct the organization's name if they use it wrong, but there's no need to elaborate on the shortcomings of one vs. the other and certainly not proactively.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:36 PM on September 23, 2020


I have had something similar happen with my college -- I went to the University of Illinois at Chicago, which is occasionally misheard as the University of Chicago. I know this happens because people will say "Oh, that's a great school!" and I'm pretty sure no one spontaneously thinks that about UIC. But my resume is correct, and if people cannot read clearly, that's on them. As long as your ducks are all in a row and you're not purposely misleading people about where you work, I think you're fine. And of course if someone ever mentions the wrong employer, I'd just point out "Oh I actually work at Company XYZ on Lake Street, not XYZ Corporation on Jackson Avenue." (When I'm told UIC is a great school, I just say, "Yeah, it's not bad!")
posted by jabes at 7:56 AM on September 24, 2020 [1 favorite]


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