Over Before It Began

I was brought in to work in a fairly specialized position at a company. I’ve been doing this for a while, and I like to think I’m pretty good at it. The salary they offered me was generous and the benefits even more generous.

The day I came in to sign my hiring documents, however, something looked wrong. The numbers did not match what I had seen during the recruitment process.

Me: “There appears to be some mistake. I was promised [pay amount], and this is just barely two-thirds of that. Also, I was told you had dental as well as health insurance, that you had a pension as well as a 401k, and that your 401k matched up to 7%, not up to 5%.”

Human Resources: “No error. This is our standard hiring document. This is what we’ve got for you. Take it or leave it.”

Me: *Standing up* “Leave it.”

The HR guy seemed shocked.

Human Resources: “Um… I’m not getting the sense that you’re a good team player here.”

Me: “Well, I don’t see how that’s important.”

I stepped out the door. The HR guy called after me as I started to walk out.

Human Resources: “Wait. Wait! Can we talk about this?”

Me: “Can I have the terms I was originally promised?”

Human Resources: “No.”

Me: “Then there’s nothing to talk about. Goodbye.”

And I left.

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