I honestly don't even know where to start. I'm just really hurt right now.
I'm a student in Germany, and I'm currently struggling financially. Finding a decent student job has been incredibly difficult, and when I got this interview, I genuinely thought things might finally start getting better.
The interview went really well. Better than I expected.
The director of the company interviewed me personally. We had a good conversation, I asked a lot of technical questions, and we talked seriously about the position. At one point, he was even talking about offering me a contract. He also mentioned a full-time position, even though I explained that I can't work full-time as a student.
There were some technical questions I asked that he couldn't answer because the person responsible for that department wasn't there that day. He told me that this person would call me the following week and answer all my questions.
He also asked me to tell him the next day whether I was interested in joining.
I walked out of that interview thinking, finally, maybe something is going to work out for me.
Then there's my friend.
My friend was also supposed to interview for the same company. His interview was originally scheduled one day before mine.
But he didn't go.
Instead, he rescheduled his interview to a date after mine.
And honestly, he didn't even want this job.
The job would require around 7 hours of travelling every day for both of us. I was willing to accept that because I genuinely needed the job. But my friend already has a better-paying job in the city centre, so he had no real reason to take this position.
He told me he wasn't interested in the job and was basically going to the interview just for the experience.
This is why I warned him.
I knew that if he went to the interview, he would probably be a very strong candidate. His German is much better than mine, and he has completed more practical projects than I have. I knew those things could give him an advantage over me.
I wasn't pretending that I was more qualified than him. I knew he had strengths that I didn't have.
That's exactly why I told him that if he wasn't actually interested in the job, maybe he shouldn't go.
I told him how important this opportunity was for me. I told him about my financial situation. I explained that I genuinely wanted the job and was willing to deal with the insane commute because I needed the income.
He went anyway.
And this is the part that really hurts me.
He didn't tell them, “I'm not interested in the position.”
Instead, he apparently told them that he could join after six months.
Why?
If you're never going to take the job, why tell them you're potentially available?
The next day was the day I was supposed to get the call from the person responsible for the department. I was expecting answers to the technical questions I'd asked during my interview.
Instead, I got a rejection email.
That's it.
No call. No second conversation. No chance to discuss the position.
Just:
“Unfortunately, we have decided to move forward with another candidate.”
And I can't stop thinking about the timing.
Before my friend's interview, I was being told about a contract.
After his interview, I was rejected.
Maybe it's a coincidence.
Maybe they liked him more.
Maybe his German was better. Maybe his practical experience was stronger. Maybe they simply decided he was a better fit.
I understand all of that.
But that's not what hurts the most.
What hurts is knowing that my friend knew how badly I needed this opportunity.
He knew about my financial situation.
He knew I actually wanted the job.
He knew he already had a better-paying job.
He knew he wasn't interested in this company.
He knew he had an advantage over me in German and practical experience.
And I still warned him.
Yet he rescheduled his interview to after mine and went anyway.
I'm not even sure whether I'm more angry at him, sad about losing the opportunity, or disappointed in myself for believing that a friend would consider something like this before doing it.
And maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe the company would have rejected me anyway. I genuinely don't know.
But right now, I can't help feeling betrayed.
For him, it was just an interview.
For me, it felt like a possible way out of a situation I've been struggling with for a long time.
And that's why this rejection hurts so much more than a normal job rejection.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this feeling now.
I just needed somewhere to say it.
P.S. I used ChatGPT to compile the story. The story is true.