I was required to drive over 4 hours across state lines to have an in person interview at my own expense. There was no offer from the employer to cover travel expenditures. During the interview, the male owner (seeing I was a younger woman in her 20s) asked very unethical questions about my plans for marriage and pregnancy in the near future that would have the potential to effect my employment status. I gave absolutely zero reason for this to come up other than merely mentioning that my partner had traveled to the interview with me. Regardless, this kind of personal information has no place in a professional interview. The owner of this business clearly cared more about my ability to be the bearer of human life than the actual professional accolades that were relevant to a professional role in his business. There is a word for this, but I will leave that for you to decide. Needless to say, they never called me and I was better for it.

I applied online and received an email saying they would like to start the interview process. The first part was a 15-minute phone call where I talked generally about my qualifications and was able to ask questions about the position. The next step was to demonstrate my throwing abilities in three videos, which I shared with the company via email. The videos included a one-pound cylinder, a two-pound bowl, and one vessel of my choice. I then had a 30-minute interview that was more in-depth, I discussed my pottery journey and was able to ask more questions about how the position would work. The next step was to visit the studio. I was asked to throw a mug and a bowl, and then was given a tour of the facilities. This was a great chance to meet the team working and ask about their experiences. Every step of the process included a lot of communication from the team members which was helpful! Everyone was very kind as well.