My First Job: Lynda McDaniel, freelance writer and writing coach

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September 24, 2006

My First Job: Lynda McDaniel, freelance writer and writing coach

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Lynda McDaniel

Current position: Freelance writer and writing coach, helping people connect with their ability to write well.

First job: Office receptionist for a company that administered lie-detector tests for businesses and governments in Atlanta, Georgia.

Each day, I watched a parade of unemployed people squirm in the metal chairs lining the stark waiting room as they anticipated the straps and gauges that would determine their fate. Mostly used for pre-employment exams, the lie detectors and their operators probed deeply into private lives. Marijuana? Alcohol? Shoplifting? Affairs? Sometimes the search proved useful, like when it uncovered a man applying for a security position solely because he wanted to carry a gun. But mostly it just pried.

How I got the job: A classified ad.

I accepted the job because the owners trotted out heartrending tales of clearing tearful bank tellers who couldn't prove they hadn't stolen the cash, or troubled boys who, without an alibi, needed an impartial judge. But these scenarios were rare, cameo cases to entice eager young office workers.

What I learned: That anyone looking for a job deserves respect and encouragement. As I watched the applicants come and go, I thought about how most of them, like me, simply wanted a job where they could cultivate their talents and, just maybe, make the world a better place. I wonder where they are today, especially the ones who didn't pass. As for me, I got out and ran like crazy, into a world of possibility.

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