Today a company I had applied to and was seriously interested in finally reached out after some silence following an initial phone screen for an entry-level Software Engineer position. I happily joined the meeting ready for the next steps. When I hopped on the call, I was surprised to find 2 HR people on the phone.
As soon as one of them started talking, I knew something was off. They asked how I enjoyed getting to know the team members during my process and how I felt about the company overall. At this point, I've interviewed with so many companies, it can be hard to keep track of every encounter, but I couldn't recall meeting anyone from the team yet. Panicked that I had forgotten who I had met, which would have been a bad look, I responded that I've enjoyed every one I've met so far. They asked me if I had any questions that hadn't been answered yet, so I asked some higher-level questions to display my genuine interest in the company.
The next thing I knew, they were telling me, "congratulations" and letting me know an offer was being extended. The number they provided felt a bit higher than I was expecting, so I immediately asked what my job title would be. One of them said "Software Engineer," and the other immediately corrected them and said "Senior Software Engineer." That's when it fully set in that this was a mistake. I realized that I shouldn't be caught off guard by an offer being extended, and I certainly don't consider myself at a senior level. I was confused but excited by finally landing an offer, so I told them I'd like a day to compare it to another offer that I'm expecting to hear back from, hoping to provide them time to realize their mistake if it was indeed a mistake.
After the meeting, I immediately went through my emails and confirmed my fear that I had previously been ghosted and had never done a technical interview with this company. Shortly thereafter, I received a follow-up email explaining there was an error and to call them immediately, which I did. On the call, I was informed that they meant to extend the offer to another candidate who shares my first name (somewhat uncommon), and I was accidentally pulled from their list instead of the correct candidate. The offer was rescinded and the next steps for my actual process seemed hazy.
Overall, it's an unfortunate human error that's understandable, but I'm pretty defeated. As a self-taught dev and career switcher, I've been busting my tail off the past few years studying and the past few months applying around. It's been difficult to land interviews where I can demonstrate my skill because people that are initially impressed by my resume tend to pass on me when they learn I have no direct work experience as a software engineer. The role that I actually applied for at the company looked like a perfect match on paper for both parties. I'll keep applying and hoping someone finally gives me a chance, but man, today was tough.
How would you all have handled this situation?
JobAdvisor:
I’m really feeling weird that there seems to be nobody bringing this up. I might come a bit harsh but I seriously don’t know how I could possibly tone it down.
Doesn’t this look extremely bad on you? I mean, sure, they made the mistake. And I get that you weren’t sure at first. However, you had a million chances to correct them before the conversation ended. They let you ask any question, you got your clarification, no ambiguity whatsoever, you knew they called you by mistake. You knew wholeheartedly that you were excited about a mistake. No, that wasn’t “finally landing an offer,” and you already knew that. I just don’t get what you were thinking and why you chose to word it this way in this post.
You then had another million chances to write an email explaining the mistake and also ask for an interview or something. You know, make some actual progress. Especially when you really want this job. But no. You “provided them time to realize their mistake,” though, in reality, you actually tried to pass it off by remaining silent. They can’t read minds… that’s how they (and any other person) will interpret your (in)action. Of course, the next steps of your actual process would be hazy. Who would hire a dishonest person?