Resurrección de la Flauta Dulce

Connie is one of the younger members of the participants who shared her story; she is in her early twenties. She tells a story about how she has growth through working hard to complete her studies in Law and looking for opportunities to exercise her capacity. Connie has recently had a child and intends going back to work now that she has found a bit of support through a local child care agency, she is a single mother. A law firm that provided a contract at end of her studies did not take her on as a full time employee. She highlights in her story that she is interested in exploring environments that are congruent with her values and has recently started a contract with a new firm.

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Preamble: orientation

I:

1. How have you developed and grown in your professional life? C:

2. I have not graduated yet, I finished my final semester in Copenhagen.

3. Due to different times I have not officially graduated, but I have completed studying. 4. I started here on the 1st of March.

5. In terms of Law this is my first professional role.

6. Many people at uni have done para-legal work or legal research as a way of getting started, but I did not actually do that.

I:

7. A critical times in your career path? I am hearing right now … With what you are going through … Are you exploring career opportunities?

Abstract

C:

8. I thought I’d find it hard for my interest in social justice. 9. To translate into paid work.

10. And this was important to me.

Orientation

C:

11. I got involved with social justice sort of campaigns. 12. And other minority groups.

13. I undertook a lot of advocacy roles. 14. That was personally very satisfying.

Complicating action

C:

15. I would like a change now doing something that aligns with my personal values 16. But you can’t afford to be too picky...

17. When you are a mother as well. I:

18. I see.

Evaluation

C:

19. I like working with people.

20. I work better when I have human contact.

21. I talk with colleagues and clients and witnesses and they explain their situation. 22. I find that very rewarding.

Resolution

C:

23. I get most satisfaction out of working for others. 24. And seeing them develop.

25. I think working with others well.

108 27. They support me and through that I support them.

Coda

28. This is a time of change.

29. And that is exciting to be in on that. 30. You feel you are a part of something. 31. Something that’s developing and important.

32. I have had to become a bit more conservative to fit in, but I still feel my values are aligned.

I:

33. That sounds a bit like a career aspiration. C:

34. Yes, that is what I am looking for and see as critical.

Connie’s narrative is situated in her youth, and is also focusing on what she is aspiring to become or practice in her work. The interviewer makes the statement that the story she is telling sounds like a story about her aspirations (see turn 33 and Connie confirms that this is the case turn 34). The interaction from the interviewer varies with Connie (as opposed to Edna and Betty) there is less prompting from the interviewer.

Connie positions her story around what she aspires to develop further in the future as opposed to the women in the senior group that reflect back on where they have acquired their values concerning what is critical. Nevertheless Connie does demonstrate some reflection

concerning her time at university and developing a sense that she valued social justice principles (see turns 11–14). Before moving into what she aspires to she qualifies that (see 16–17) she said she ‘can’t afford to be too picky’, the interviewer provides a prompt of reassurance (turn 18) as opposed to a question. Connie uses ‘I’ to highlight what she values and to demonstrate that she is an agent making choices’ (see turns 19–27).

Betty, Edna and Connie all provide the interviewer with a story about their career, a narrative about their aspirations as women developing in their work and in so doing make choices about what is significant for them and valued in their work. Betty indicates that she aspires to be involved in ‘positive change’ an experience she enjoyed in her youth. Edna indicates that she aspires to support and lead others, but not necessarily ‘be a politician’. Connie is

exploring her aspirations at the time of interview and indicates in her story above that she values social justice principles and aspires to practice these principles in her work, she also highlights what she thinks being effective in her work means to her as this is seen as relevant to her story, however she wants to ‘fit in’, she resolves the plot of her story about her social

109 justice aspirations by highlighting that this is the way she likes to work with others … to see them develop. Ginny tries to qualify what the interviewer want to hear.

24. And seeing them develop. 25. I think working with others well.

26. Is critical to being effective in the organisation.

Ginny below asks the interviewer directly if she is interested in what she understands by being an effective professional; however, the interviewer does not pose this question.