Job seeker steals roommate's portfolio to land a new job, roommate tells their new boss the work was stolen: 'They rescinded her offer within 2 hours.'

There was no way she wasn't going to get caught eventually. She can't produce the same level of work as her roommate.

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  • Young female graphic designer working on her laptop at home
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I the bad guy for emailing my roommates new boss and telling them she stole my entire professional portfolio to get the job?

    My roommate and I have been friends since college and we both work in the same niche of digital marketing and graphic design.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • I have spent the last five years building a very specific reputation and a portfolio that I am incredibly proud of because it took thousands of hours of unpaid overtime to perfect.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • She has struggled to find a steady gig for a while now and I have been helping her out with rent and groceries because I wanted to be a supportive friend.
    via u/Aang6Appa77

  • Supportive friends lend an open ear and provide emotional support. They aren't supposed to finance your life indefinitely when you can't get a job.

  • Groceries in brown paper bags
    via Maria Lin Kim (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Last month she suddenly announced she landed a senior role at a major agency that I have been dreaming of working at for years.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • I was genuinely thrilled for her until I saw her laptop open on the kitchen table while she was in the shower.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • She had a folder open labeled Final Portfolio and when I clicked it I realized she had literally screenshotted my best campaigns and case studies and just swapped my name for hers.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • She didn't even bother to change the color palettes or the specific data points that I had calculated myself.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • I confronted her immediately and she didn't even look guilty about it. She told me that since we are friends it shouldn't matter and that she just needed a "foot in the door" so she could finally start paying me back.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • She claimed she would just learn the skills as she went but I know that company and they expect expert level work from day one.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • A group of agency employees wearing colorful outfits sit at a table at a meeting
    via Alyssa Jane (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I told her she had twenty four hours to tell them the truth or I would do it myself.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • She laughed and said I would never ruin her life like that. Well I did exactly what I said I would do.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • I sent an email to the hiring manager with my original source files and timestamps proving the work was mine and they rescinded her offer within two hours.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • Now she is being blacklisted from several local firms because word travels fast in our industry.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • My friends are calling me a snake and saying I chose my ego over her survival but I feel like I was protecting my own career and reputation.
    via u/Aang6Appa77

  • How is she choosing her ego over her survival? She clearly is surviving pretty well off of her roommate's labor anyway: she lets her pay her bills for her! Her roommate chose to give her money and groceries, no matter how short-sighted that decision ultimately proved to be. She probably could've lived off of that for a while and gotten a job she was actually qualified for! She didn't have to work in her field; she could've gotten a job doing anything! But she wanted the high-status position that working for this agency would bring her, even if she was destined to get found out eventually. Maybe she thought her roommate could do her work for her, too? She clearly expects her to do everything else!

  • If she had failed miserably using my work it would have eventually come back to me anyway and tarnished my name too.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • AITJ for not letting her use my hard work as a shortcut even if it means she is now totally broke?
    via u/Aang6Appa77

  • I cannot imagine a world where she would be the bad guy for doing this. She needs to protect her own professional reputation!

  • SuperCulture9114 NTJ. But you should be looking for a different place or a different roommate. Because your relationship with her is done.
    via u/SuperCulture9114
  • Aang6Appa77 Original Poster's Reply Yeah, I'm not staying under the same roof with someone who thinks "friends" means "free career loot." I'm already looking at options, but moving fast isn't super easy.
    via u/Aang6Appa77

  • She's about to have a difficult couple of months living with someone who doesn't pay their own bills and is more than willing to steal from her without any remorse. She should check her milk for any phlem globbers, or worse, until she can get out of this terrible living situation.

  • HolyCannoliBatmaam NTJ, but unfortunately you have now created an enemy, so not only do you need to move out/find a new roommate, but you need to watch your back in your industry. she will want revenge.
    via u/HolyCannoliBatmaam
  • Aang6Appa77 Original Poster's Reply I've thought about that, and it's honestly the grossest part. If she was willing to copy-paste my work with zero shame, she's probably willing to spin a story too. I'm keeping everything in writing, locking down my accounts, and I've already let a couple people I trust know what happened so there's a paper trail if she tries anything.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • HolyCannoliBatmaam There are plenty of perfectly legal ways to f someone over. I would start moving out all of your valuables
    via u/HolyCannoliBatmaam
  • Aang6Appa77 Original Poster's Reply Fair point. I'm not trying to escalate into some petty war, but I'm also not leaving my laptop and drives lying around like a donation box. I'm moving valuables and docs out this week and changing locks/passwords where I can. If she wants to be mad, fine, but she's not getting another easy shot at me.
    via u/Aang6Appa77
  • _CelestieGlow Absolutely! Once someone steals your work and laughs about it, there's no coming back from that. Protecting your career was the only reasonable move, and now the only thing left to do is distance yourself and find a living situation that isn't built on betrayal
    via u/_CelestieGlow
  • Spirited_Complex_903 NTJ. Stop paying her bills or supplying or anything and if the lease is under your name, have her removed immediately or try to at least. Or look for a new roommate. Those friends of yours that are calling you a snake should be dumped also. I'm so sorry that you experienced this and I'm glad you took proactive action for doing what you did. Your roommate is the snake, NOT YOU.
    via u/Spirited_Complex_903
  • CurbinKrakow NTJ but why on earth did you not apply for this position in the first place if you have been dreaming of working at for years?
    via u/CurbinKrakow

  • Maybe she isn't looking for a new job right now! If she had applied to the position with her portfolio, it would've raised a lot of red flags for the recruiters, and it's likely that neither of them would've gotten the job. It might've looked like they both stole the work from somewhere else.

  • _CelestieGlow OP, this is spot on. What she did was incredibly shady and could have seriously hurt your reputation if you stayed quiet. You had every right to protect your work and call her out. The fact that she barely changed anything makes it even worse. Definitely keep your distance and start figuring out a new living situation. You did nothing wrong here.
    via u/_CelestieGlow
  • Funny-Main-3452 if someone's willing to steal from u, being broke is the least of their problems. she did this to herself, not ur fault. NTJ
    via u/Funny-Main-3452

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