I recently went to an interview at a pharmacy where I applied to be a cashier. During the interview the first thing the manager asked was about my certificate in ethical research, which was written down on my cv. He seemed confused. I am a college student studying psychology and I am part of one of my teacher's research team, where I do some tasks. It’s a part-time thing and I get paid.
Prior to joining my teacher’s research team, I had to do a short online course to get a certificate in ethical research. As I was explaining it to him about it, he and his colleague gave each other a look. They both looked at me as if I was lying, and said “I’m confused” and “I don’t understand”. After that, he said “Okayyyy” and didn’t seem convinced.
During the rest of the interview, the manager and the other lady spoke to me in a condescending way, and I could tell that they didn’t plan on hiring me.
I honestly don’t understand why they didn’t believe me despite my explanation to them. Is it hard to believe that a psychology student has this kind of certificate? I was also wondering if maybe they acted that way because I’m not white.
EDIT: I wrote my cv about the experience I had in retail but the manager seemed more focused on the certificate.
The reason I included that is that in my cv there is a section about my education, which includes the schools I went to. I’ve always been told to add anything pertinent like awards, volunteering, etc, related to school because it could be useful when applying to any job. Even if it’s not relevant to the job, I’ve been told that it gives a good impression to include those kinds of things. People I know do it and I’ve even received this advice from counselors who helped me with my cv.
The interviewer was the one who asked about the details concerning it.
Also interviewers in the past, for jobs like babysitting and salesperson, have never asked anything about it.
Sarah:
You didn’t want to work for people like that anyway. There must be a role where this would be extremely relevant - try public relations or surveying companies, where ethics are key.
Nursing students and perhaps other health-related students also have to have these certificates if they do specific internships. It’s not uncommon. The fact that they, who work in a pharmacy, aren’t familiar with these, which are required in order to participate even peripherally in research, speaks volumes about the depth of their ignorance.
Some jobs, skills, and certifications don't need to be on your resume if they aren't relevant to the job you're applying for. This would be an example of you seemingly being overqualified and probably should be removed for jobs like this.
Honestly, most people applying to be a cashier probably don't even have a resume..