Empathy, which literally translates as in feeling, is the capability to share another being's emotions and feelings (from wikipedia)

The fact is that many people are not able to get into someone else’s shoes, and show a complete inability to anticipate emotionally difficult situations for the others.

DEEPLY OFFENSING

Little does she know that she will be offered a job that is far below her qualifications, not to mention her expectations. Not only the job itself will be a part-part time (meaning under 20 hours per week), but also the qualifications required to develop it are at least 3 steps below the job she is currently doing.
Nevertheless, she is called for an interview and she’s offered the job. She actively listens to the employer. During an informal conversation some days before, the employer had given her some positive signs about her current job and her personal values. Now, she struggles a bit to hide her disappointment, but she manages not to show her feelings.
She doesn’t want to offend the employer. In a polite way, she thanks the employer and asks for some time to think about it and give an answer back in some days.

The offense is such, because she did apply for a potential job hoping that the employer would deduct from her customized CV and the cover letter that she is after a progress in her career and that maybe she’s already overqualified for her current job - after all, she has decided to make a career change and she must be ready to pay a price for it.
The offense is such, because she believes that any good manager knows that if you have someone working under his/her expectations you’re prone to have a vacancy in a short time and you’re wasting time and resources. Having this into account, shouldn’t the employer have started the conversation telling her that there is no approppriate job for her in the company?

She reads between lines; does she look so desperate for “the money” ( since the job has no interest at all for her!) ? Has the employer properly read her CV?

The offense is such because “this employer” is her current employer. The facts speak for themselves: after this conversation she knows that her employer has no interest or respect at all for the work she is currently doing.

(From a personal experience)

A WEIRD SITUATION.

She has applied for a job in a nationwide insurance company. She's been unemployed for almost a year and the unemployement benefit is getting close to its end. Time runs fast and her options are getting smaller.

Her daugthers already laugh and make jokes about her future job. "Mum you will be cold calling people's houses and asking them to buy the car insurance from X company". Ha, ha! Remember the recent Mapfre's TV ad? "Mapfre is like your mum. It will come whenever you need it to help you in any emergency situation. This is the service we offer you with our insurance".

Nevertheless, she gets into her smart suit ( quite discreet, after all she's over 40!) takes the train and makes the arrangements to get to the appointment on time. At the reception, she asks for the interviewer. She's directed to the call center office. She enters the room. Quite noisy - she thinks - she asks for the contact person at the first desk she sees. Having been interrupted by some phone calls, she's finally directed to the interviewer at the bottom of the room.

"Take your seat please" . The interviewer takes her CV from a pile and pretends to revise it. "So, what do you think about being an insurance agent?" "Mmmmm, very interesting your previous sales experience". "Well, the job is about......blah, blah(*)"

She looks around. On the next table another lady is seating in a nice suit in her same situation. She feels sorry for that lady and she completely feels out of place.

She asks some questions about the training provided and type of contract ( you know, you must prepare some questions for a job interview). "Well, the job is yours if you want it! ". "Thank you very much. Let me think about it and I will give you an answer in a couple of weeks".

She knows she will not call back. She's still puzzled by the fact that the job offer advertisement looked something serious. She sends a short sms to her best friend : "as bad as it gets!"

(*) Blah, blah was :

- No contract (a "contrato mercantil" once you have your first customer)

- No customer portfolio (you start with your friends and acquitances)"Well, why don't you call your friends from Majorca and offer them if they want an insurance?" "Why don't you ask your husband's private customers if they're interested?"

- No office, you work where and when you wish. Come to our central offices if you want to make some calls.

- "We will train you on a need basis ".If the customer wants a car insurance, we'll talk you about it. When you have your first home insurance, we'll walk you through it....

- No assigned geographic area . "You chose your own territory, deciding how much you want to drive and move around" - "This is ideal to combine your work with your family ! You choose when to call the customers"

She takes the train back home.

She thinks about her sweet daughters and how is she going to tell them that what they anticipated about the job....was the job itself!!!