Dodged An Apartment-Sized Bullet

About ten years ago, I was contacted by a tech recruiter about a tech writer position. The client had accidentally seen my resumé and insisted upon talking to me. I went to the interview, and the client painted a wonderful picture about the job. Problem was, the position was in Austin, Texas, and for about two-thirds of what I was already making. I told her that while I appreciated her taking the time, I had no interest in moving to Austin, and I thought that would be that.

The next week, I received three calls from the recruiter, telling me that the client really wanted me for the job. Then the client called, after bullying the recruiter for my home phone number:

Client: “If you can’t afford an apartment, you could always stay at my apartment!”

After I informed her that I was married, she suddenly realized how far over she’d gone, and explained that she had no ulterior motives. She just REALLY wanted me on her team.

Fast-forward about a year. I’d been laid off and I ran into a colleague of hers at a networking event. It turns out that I wasn’t the only person to whom she’d offered space on the couch, and her company had decided to shut down her entire department when they found out about it.