Job seeker gets flown out to an interview and meets the successful candidate who already started in the role: 'Dude has only been there about a week...'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
May 4, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

There are things in life that you'll encounter, and you'll find nothing you've encountered previously has properly prepared you for it. Usually, these things will be so off-the-wall that there's no way anything could have properly anticipated them.  

The very idea of being flown out to a final interview and accepting a position, enjoying lavish dinner with the company's owner, only to go into the office and meet the guy who has just started working in the role you thought you had been accepting, is so unreal. It makes you wonder if part of the plan might have been trying to get an insider involved in the purchase of this worker's current company. That's the only narrative that makes any logical sense in this entire thing. It is simply not like any organization to spend that sort of money without any sort of goal in mind, but maybe the sheer nonsensicalness of all of this just speaks to the gross incompetence of the son who was set to take over his father's company… "Tommy Boy" type situation indeed.

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  • 01
    "Flew out to interview for a position they already had filled (without telling me.)"
    via Sebastian Herrmann
  • 02
    Flew out to interview for a position they already had filled (without telling me). Then they tried to buy the company I work for TLDR; Company flew me and wife out, gave us verbal and email salary offer, sent us with realtor, offer on house accepted, then said they can only pay 65% of what was quoted because position had been filled (before flying me out). Then tried to buy company I work for.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 03
    Received a call from a recruiter I had worked with before, she said she found the perfect position for me, but I'd have to relocate. She told me the pay was low 200s, so I said sure let me talk to them. We had a video interview and they loved me. Told me to book flight to come out to see them with my wife.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 04
    Within an hour the owner is texting me asking what my wife does for work so they can help find her a job, tells me I can use his condo which sits empty for 6 to 12 months if needed so we can get the lay of the land and find the perfect house. Over the next week they email me their benefits package price so I can compare apples to apples. They tell me to figure out what moving costs would be and closing costs on my home so they can put together a relocation package. He also connects me with a rea
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 05
    So we get in town, go to a crazy expensive steakhouse. Next morning I meet the owners son (he's taking over the business) at the office, he goes over an org chart with me, tells me who will be reporting to me, takes me on a tour of the building, introduces me to people as "he's going to be moving here and over all of the accounting department." He takes me to a conference room and introduces me to the "Current CFO" (I assume the outgoing one who is retiring as he was recruiting me for
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 06
    CFO), but no, dude has only been there a week and lacks all of the experience that they were specifically looking for with me. Strange I think. I meet with the owners son again and ask him about their week old CFO if they were recruiting me for that, he says "oh yeah we filled that but still want you probably as the VP of finance, we will create a position for you." He takes me outside where his dad is waiting to take me to the condo and meet the realtor to go see houses (realtor was picking up
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 07
    We go see houses, put an offer in on one. Realtor says to call loan agent to get pre approved. Loan agent gets the name of the guy I'll be working for and says "oh yeah he's my good friend, he was the best man in my wedding". Asks if I have an official offer letter with salary, which I do not. He tells me to ask for one, but says he will call him as well. So I text the guy and he emails me a spreadsheet showing the salary workup he has, which matches the prior amounts. Loan guy calls back saying
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 08
    Saturday comes and wife and I decide to go take in some tourist sites in the city. I get a text from recruiter asking me to call her. She says that I'm asking way too high of a relocation package (they offered to pay for full move and fees, I didn't ask), she also says I am being ridiculous expecting to use the condo for 6 to 12 months. I indicate that the condo was offered to me within hours of our first call. She says "oh thats not the story I got." At this moment we got a text from realtor th
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 09
    An hour later, owner son texts asking if he can call me. He calls and acts all weird, he says they can only pay me 65% of what they quoted, because the CFO role was already filled. I called him out on his BS and asked why they wasted my time bringing me down for that role if they already filled it with someone who didn't meet the "required skills". So I told him thanks for wasting our time bringing us down with zero intent to hire us. And even a bigger thanks for lying about the salary so we cou
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 10
    I get home, send them my expenses so they can send me a check (they did send it), along with the biggest F*** you email ever. Basically told them that this is a Tommy Boy situation where the dad has built a great company and now silver spoon son can ruin it. I asked why they hired someone who had ZERO of the required skills. He sent me a generic reply and stated that I lacked the necessary skills for them to have. made me any offer. LMAO! Recruiter got a great laugh out of that.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 11
    So I figured I'd never hear from them again.... as they say on TV.... BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!! Flash forward 2 weeks and the owner of the company sends me an email that "I just was contacted by a company in (region I had visited) and they want to explore buying the company" (Owner is actively selling, has a few who will probably make an offer soon). I laughed and knew immediately who it was. Replied to him "Tell them no thanks. They were recruiting me for their CFO and flew me down under false c
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 12
    I'm sure part of their reason for that email was to make sure I admitted to my boss I was exploring leaving. So I owned that immediately. He doesn't care, he's about to sell for millions and knows I need to look out for myself and my family. Curious if I hear from them again or if they're really done being a thorn in my side.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 13
    Last-Ad4530 4 hr. ago • Wow I would have told the loan agent how shady his friend is while letting them know why you aren't moving forward with the home purchase. • jasonpbyu OP 4 hr. ago oh believe me i did. and i let the realtor know how shady his friend (the dad) is.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 14
    • dsdvbguutres · 3 hr. ago I'm surprised they reimbursed your expenses.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 15
    EatLard · 2 hr. ago Wonder which fraternity their new CFO was in with the owner's son.
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 16
    Varnigma 5 hr. ago Sorry, but you made an offer on a house with no official offer letter and for a job you hadn't event worked yet (to see how you like it)? jasonpbyu OP. 4 hr. ago it wasn't a "see how you like it" situation, I was going to accept the offer. They told me the offer was being written up and I'd have it by Friday night or Saturday morning. Figured I could trust them given the
    via u/jasonpbyu
  • 17
    things we had already done (introduce me to people as new employee). And then for him to tell his friend who was his best man the same salary info and then pull this just shows what a morally bankrupt leader he is. Major bullet dodged.
    via u/jasonpbyu

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workplace discussion employment issues candidate antiwork workplace-stories jobs employment-discussion job candidates work interviews hiring workplace Horrible Bosses job interview interview employment the interview in the workplace
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