Recently at a job interview, this prompt was posed to me. Against my initial instinct, based on the advice of internet blogs and career counselors, I gave them an honest answer. As it happens, this very setback that occurred two months prior was the reason why I was in an interview room. I will share with you that setback, what I’ve done since, and a related call to action.
The Story
On May 1st, 2017 I had a third and last round interview with Jan-Emile van Rossum, North American Executive Director of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency. I went for a position in their San Francisco office as an Assistant Area Director. The office is part of the Dutch Consulate General for the Western States, where I worked previously as a Policy Officer. Given this prior experience and my further development since, I knew I stood a good chance. The conversation was a brief twenty-five minutes, which included his appreciation for my Eagle Scout award achievement.
Within hours of that conversation, his deputy and director of the SF office, Marco de Vries, called my Italian phone. In ten minutes time, he offered me the job, we settled on a start date, and I agreed to advise a colleague beginning simultaneously. Marco said I would hear from HR soon to discuss contract details. With that, I thought, a three month hiring process had come to an end. I hung up the phone, hugged my then girlfriend, and enjoyed the rest of the evening. The next day I bought my flight back to the Netherlands so I could spend time with family before training and my departure to the U.S.
Then…nothing. No email from HR. No responses to my emails, texts or phone calls. For three weeks.
But a job offer is job offer right? I could count on a highly ranked diplomat and former colleagues and friends to be telling me the truth? I thought so at least.
The Setback
On May 22nd I finally hear back. In those three weeks I finished my Master’s Thesis, completed my final academic courses, graduated, and celebrated with friends flown in from around the world. I was sitting on the church steps of Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, Italy. That beautiful medieval square had been the location for many of my memories for my ten months in Italy. It was a fitting place to spend my last night as a Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe student. Carlos and I had arranged that evening’s festivities, and were the first to arrive. My now former fellow students and friends began arriving with whatever drinks and snacks they had left in their apartment cupboard. At exactly 20:09 Central European Time, the phone call came. I recognized the 415 area code immediately. Finally the call about next steps was here!
No, that was not the case. Instead, I was told that the job was no longer offered. Calmly, with heart thumping, I asked: why? Because my father was working on a human rights case that directly involved the Consulate General. This was known to all parties throughout the entire application process. I had no involvement personally in the issue. Why was this only a problem now? As is written about in detail (in Dutch) over on PeterLaanen.com, it is due to a cowardly Consul General, Gerbert Kunst, who vetoed my hiring at the last moment. And with that, I lost a dream job, four months of job hunting time, and a stable future. So this was my setback.
Moving past the setback
The next day, I took off to the Netherlands. My two week stay for training and spending time with friends, now became an indefinite stay. I am grateful to my parents for taking me in through the unexpected transition. I am back on the horse, and am moving forward strong with the job hunt. The interview where I offered my honest answer didn’t take me to the next round, but they provided honest feedback. ‘You’ve been snuffed; take your time to figure things out,’. Personally, two months is enough time. At the end of the day, I think I will be better because of the ordeal. Life moves on, and you stay strong.
Call to action
That human rights case I had my job offer rescinded over? Here it is. A Dutchman, Jaitsen Singh, is in prison for more than 30 years in California, accused of murder for hire of his wife and daughter. He has maintained his innocence the entire time. It turns out the prosecutor who put Singh behind bars was more than a bit corrupt. The prosecutor paid an addict to testify against Singh, and has since passed away himself. The Dutch government should have stepped in to transfer Singh to the Netherlands, but due to missteps and purposeful failures, this hasn’t happened.
Last week, a crowdfunding campaign started in the Netherlands to pay for the legal fees to bring Singh home to the Netherlands. If you feel so moved, your help in the matter is appreciated. At the time of writing, the campaign raised €48,175.84 out of the target of €60,000. Plain and simple, my setback sucks, but it is nothing compared to the story of Jaitsen Singh. I hope you can help.
