Part four of four: What happened? — Ted Leonhardt

(Note: I’ve made changes in the following, to keep identities private.)

“We are rescinding our offer.”

Ariel was crushed. This was the biggest “fuck you” an applicant can get.

It felt like a physical blow. Insulting to the core. Completely unnecessary. Mean. Unfeeling. And crushing.

At first she couldn’t believe it. Thought she’d read the text wrong.

She instantly texted Dirk — the global creative director she’d been on the phone with just moments before accepting their offer. He was her “C suite” contact and had been active in her recruitment. She messaged him, hoping maybe he didn’t know, that perhaps he could rescind the recision. But he didn’t reply.

On our follow-up Zoom, Ariel wondered if this kind of behavior was why they were losing clients and talent. Maybe she’d been saved from joining an awful place. Maybe. But that was little comfort from being slapped in the face after a month of praise and aggressive recruiting.

Our recap was painful.

“Ted, what actually happened? My push-back on salary was small. I only asked for the time to talk again with Dirk before deciding. Did I ask for too much? Was it just about money?”