I volunteer for a group that helps teenagers deal with problems in my area just as a bit of experience and something to keep me busy. It's very selective, and our group has maybe ten or so volunteers (with another five to eight coming this year). I applied and was successful at the beginning of 2012. We stay in training for a year and then we move up a rank and help with bigger problems.
Basically, we have a small program (like a forum), where we communicate with each other. There's two separate programs, one that both full volunteers and the trainees can see, and one that only the full volunteers can see. I graduated training at the beginning of the year, and due to some technical problems, I couldn't access the program for full volunteers until a couple of days ago. Here's where the problem starts. I was looking through the threads and I came across an old archived one that had all the most recent volunteer applications in it (including mine). The boss had asked all the volunteers to weigh in on the applications just as a precaution to make sure he hadn't missed anything and he wasn't going to hire an inadequate person.
So I'm looking at my application and the comments that follow it. Of course, I'm good friends with all the volunteers who gave comments now. And when they give a comment, they don't know that the application is mine. I got some nice comments from people I didn't really expect, which was nice. But then two of the people whom I admire and who trained me gave really critical comments and told the boss to reject my application (they didn't know it was mine) and gave a list of reasons (I think their reasons were really pedantic and ****ty, to be completely honest). I was a bit shocked, since I really like them, but I also thought their criticism was just totally misplaced and unnecessary. It was based on things that I wouldn't have known unless I was actually a volunteer. And some of it was based on subjective opinion. I'm surprised I even got the position, considering both of the most important volunteers told the boss to reject my application.
So now I'm not sure how to act around them. They almost got my application completely rejected for bullshit reasons. On top of that, we have the new applications coming in some time this year, which means the boss will probably ask us to weigh in on those applications. I'm thinking of making a point of not judging the applications with misplaced criticism (only relevant criticism) and being as objective as possible... I'll even call out these two volunteers if they start being asses about it. Or maybe I'll suggest that feedback is given in private? That way, applicants who do eventually become full volunteers don't have to see the unnecessarily harsh feedback they got for their application.
What do you think? Am I being too pathetic? I feel like I am. But I just trusted and admired these people and what they did, and this has just pissed me off so much.
TL;DR: Colleagues who I thought were nice (and still are) turned out to unknowingly reject my application for ****y reasons. What do?
Basically, we have a small program (like a forum), where we communicate with each other. There's two separate programs, one that both full volunteers and the trainees can see, and one that only the full volunteers can see. I graduated training at the beginning of the year, and due to some technical problems, I couldn't access the program for full volunteers until a couple of days ago. Here's where the problem starts. I was looking through the threads and I came across an old archived one that had all the most recent volunteer applications in it (including mine). The boss had asked all the volunteers to weigh in on the applications just as a precaution to make sure he hadn't missed anything and he wasn't going to hire an inadequate person.
So I'm looking at my application and the comments that follow it. Of course, I'm good friends with all the volunteers who gave comments now. And when they give a comment, they don't know that the application is mine. I got some nice comments from people I didn't really expect, which was nice. But then two of the people whom I admire and who trained me gave really critical comments and told the boss to reject my application (they didn't know it was mine) and gave a list of reasons (I think their reasons were really pedantic and ****ty, to be completely honest). I was a bit shocked, since I really like them, but I also thought their criticism was just totally misplaced and unnecessary. It was based on things that I wouldn't have known unless I was actually a volunteer. And some of it was based on subjective opinion. I'm surprised I even got the position, considering both of the most important volunteers told the boss to reject my application.
So now I'm not sure how to act around them. They almost got my application completely rejected for bullshit reasons. On top of that, we have the new applications coming in some time this year, which means the boss will probably ask us to weigh in on those applications. I'm thinking of making a point of not judging the applications with misplaced criticism (only relevant criticism) and being as objective as possible... I'll even call out these two volunteers if they start being asses about it. Or maybe I'll suggest that feedback is given in private? That way, applicants who do eventually become full volunteers don't have to see the unnecessarily harsh feedback they got for their application.
What do you think? Am I being too pathetic? I feel like I am. But I just trusted and admired these people and what they did, and this has just pissed me off so much.
TL;DR: Colleagues who I thought were nice (and still are) turned out to unknowingly reject my application for ****y reasons. What do?
