By Donald Winburn, Guest Columnist
The short-term host positions at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown are more than a meet and greeter.
In exchange for classes and accommodations, they help in dining hall preparations, auditorium set up, transportation and after-hour call.
For three years, I have been trying to break into the nearly 100 percent female-dominated position. After-hour work may require the non-supervised handling of emergencies or conflicts between guests.
My applications highlighted my 15 years of working in an emergency room. The majority of that work was solo, unsupervised and after hours. Ask anyone who works in a large hospital – handling conflict is an everyday occurrence.
On my second attempt, to better my odds I hired a professional to oversee my application process. It is the standard recommendation to keep resumes and application answers short and to the point.
In a review of my application, the school criticized my relationship with art was done in “30 words.” With 14 classes, my relationship with art and Campbell speaks volumes.
For 2023, I enhanced my application to exceed that of a top female candidate. It was pointed out the female selectee’s mother owned a craft business where the selectee sold her crafts.
I (not a family member) owned a craft business. Under my licensed business, I sold my crafts and gave point-of-sale, hands-on demonstrations.
It also proclaimed the female selectee was a longtime crafter. Not only am I a longtime, award-winning crafter (45 years), but an instructor with a trademarked line of work, a published article and looking into a patent for a craft apparatus I invented. My application included a copy of the article where Campbell was named, an advertisement of a class I was teaching and two fliers of my volunteer craft work with veterans.
The school stated they were looking for someone who could deal with conflict in a “community setting.” Not only did I live a year in an isolated community setting at the South Pole, but I had conflict resolution training. Based on the information I received, my application surpassed a top female selectee.
In past three years I have applied, Campbell has initially hired more than 20 females for the host position. To add insult to injury, in 2022, two selectees backed out – and Campbell gave the positions to people who did not even go through the original application process.
The writer is a resident of Hartsville, S.C.