I had to show an invitation to the security guard stationed at the entrance to the church parking lot. He instructed me to park, then check in at the blue tent. I did, and I was issued a name tag, then directed to a bus.
The parking situation didn't surprise me. There is still a lot of construction going on, and the church was right across the highway from the Opryland Hotel, the world's largest convention facility, which has been closed since the flood in early May.
The bus took us to the Opryland entrance. There was a red carpet on the stairs to the hotel, and all these staff people lined up on either side, applauding as we entered the hotel. We went thru a lobby to a roped line, still being cheered and photographed, as though we were celebrities instead of people applying for work. We were encouraged to chat with the people near us in line, and of course we did, because we were being watched. They want a cheery staff.
The guy next to me had applied for 22 jobs. I had applied for a few, but when I got up to the check-in counter, I was asked to pick one. I picked guest services over special events. We all watched a video and got a pep talk. Apparently, this was the first event in the convention center since the flood. They are repeating these hiring fairs over the next few days.
My initial interview went well, and I was asked to move on to the next room. There, I waited until called, then interviewed with the head of the guest services department. He looked over my resume and said I had a very strong culinary background. The next thing I knew, I was interviewing with a chef, and then another. Since my background was mostly pastry, they called over a pastry chef, who said the only opening he had was in the bread production facility. I had heard of this before. Nashville is full of chefs that started out at Opryland, and all they did was make zillions of rolls. This was why I wasn't applying for a culinary position, but I found myself interviewing with four of their chefs at once. So the pastry chef offered me this bread job, which I said I would think about, and then the head chef came over and said the bread facility was the most physically demanding job there was, and people who hadn't done massive production didn't do well in it.
I asked if I could go back to the interview I had been having. The Guest Services manager came back, but he looked annoyed that I didn't end up in a culinary job. So that ended the whole thing. He said I would hear from them, but I knew that was it. I feel like the interview I was having got hijacked.
I don't think too many people got hired. Every now and then, a cheer went up, and they yelled out "We've got a star," which is what they call the employees. But I only heard it twice, and because of my convoluted interview, I was there for a while.
I was escorted to a long hallway where I was offered a bottle of cold water, then led outside where the bus awaited. I don't think I will ever forget getting off that bus to the cheering, smiling people lining the red carpet. Twilight Zone, anyone?
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