Schedule Availability

Working at a school comes with a  strict Monday through Friday schedule, which works well, obviously, for those who are unable to work on the weekends (unlike, say, the manufacturing industry). Some positions are a solid Monday through Friday regardless of whether school is in-session while others are intended for only when the students are present. Depends on the position. Maintenance tends to be required in the summer, kitchen cafeteria, not so much.

I recently spoke to a young man who had applied for a school cafeteria position with a posted schedule of Monday through Friday, 10am through 2pm. Straightforward, easy-to-digest schedule. I called to discuss his application, experience, and interest in the position, but we didn't get very far into the actual interview before his availability came up.

Me: This position would be a Monday through Friday, 10am to 2pm schedule while school is in session. If the kids are out on holiday or a snow day or something where school would not be running, you would not be working. Is that a schedule that works for you?

Limited Availability (LA): Um...well...

Me: (waiting)

LA: I...well...um...

Me: Are you or are you not available for that schedule?

LA: Um, not really.

Me: Oh? What schedule are you looking for?

LA: Well, I, um, I could only work Tuesdays and Fridays.

Me: You applied for a position with a school but cannot work three of the five days of the week?

LA: Well, I can do Tuesdays and Fridays. Can they work around that?

Me: No. They need workers who can work Monday to Friday.

LA: Oh.

Me: You won't be a match for this position. For future reference, when a specific schedule is posted for a position, that means the employer is expecting whoever is applying to be able to work that particular schedule for a reason. If you're not able to work the listed schedule, don't apply. If your availability opens up in the future, feel free to re-apply.

I'm still not entirely sure if the kid was dumb or merely entitled. Sorry, people, that's not how this works. If he had been a few decades older, I’d even be willing to stretch that he had forgotten school cafeterias operate five days a week.

Moral of the story, I suppose: If you're looking for something flexible but really love lukewarm burgers, try fast food.