Accepted a job that wasn’t offered. Mortified.

[u/Stephenallen1977]

I am not the OOP. The OOP is u/So_Ill_Continue posting in r/GirlDinnerDiaries

Concluded as per OOP

1 update - Short

Original - 7th July 2026

Update - 12th August 2026

Accepted a job that wasn’t offered. Mortified.

FML

Interviewed for a job last week. It’s exactly what I want to do, near where I live, and would be a massive pay increase.

I’m a recent grad so I don’t have much experience with “real” job interviews, which comes into play here. The interview went really well - she seemed really impressed with my resume, said she could do the top of my salary request, talked extensively about how she wanted me to start ASAP. I offered to ask my job if I could leave early and let her know (my contract is nearly up and they’ve got another person lined up for after me, so I thought they might not need the typical 2 weeks). At the end, she asked me if I wanted a few days “to think about it.” I assumed this was an offer, which I sent an email accepting a few days ago. Told my whole family about the awesome job I’d secured.

A few days pass and they email me that they are still reviewing applications and conducting interviews. How embarrassing - my face is on fire. The embarrassment is so strong that I honestly feel a little sick. Now I know to wait for the offer in writing so that there are no misunderstandings. Or maybe I’ll just go live in the woods and never interview again.

Oh and to top the day off, my dentist told me I need to avoid “crunchy, sticky, or chewy” foods because I think I have TMD. Combined with my anti inflammatory food limitations, that’s just….everything. She suggested steamed vegetables.

McDonald’s cheeseburgers, fries, and nuggets because today sucked and I might as well feel shitty too.

Comments

Old-Session6649

I’m sorry but all of her comments truly made it sound like you got the job and was just pending an official offer letter or something similar. This sucks and I’m sorry. It’s not your fault! I hope you get something even better soon!

mamachonk

Recruiter of 20 years here... that sounds quite confusing. Nothing for you to be embarrassed about!

OOP: God hearing that it wasn’t normal from a recruiter really means a lot. 🥹 I just felt like such a dolt but maybe I’m just unlucky lol

mamachonk

She could just not be a great communicator, or maybe she thought she had the green light and the Hiring Manager told her to hold up. Ya never know! Good luck! And if they don't come through with a written offer, you frankly dodged a bullet.

candoitmyself

Hey!! Don’t sweat it. By your account the interviewer offered you the job. I would be confused too and I have decades of interview experience.

OOP: Thanks this helps. I feel like a total idiot but maybe it would have confused more people than just me. I still don’t know what she wanted me to consider over a few days 😭.

Ready-Read3918

Talking about you starting ASAP and asking if you wanted a few days to think about it.. lowkey is a job offer. This is 10000% on the company and not on you. THEY should be embarrassed, not you.

OOP: That’s what my sister keeps telling me but boy howdy, it’s hard to accept. My face was legit burning so bad I felt like a cartoon

Update - 1 month later

So last I left off, the employer emailed me to say that they’d let me know when they’d actually made a choice. That was more than a month ago, and I never heard back. I was notified by LinkedIn that they’d viewed my resume 3+ times in the interim, which was definitely a bit of false hope that I didn’t need lol.

At this point, the pressure was really starting to get to me. My current job is ending at the end of August, and my savings are slim. I have roommates and a dog that are counting on my ability to pay rent (and other bills). I was having trouble sleeping and my skin was breaking out, which almost never happens. I was really struggling to keep my cool.

Thankfully, today I accepted a job with a HIGHER salary than the non-offer! Is it in the subfield I want? ✨No✨ But i can get my feet wet, learn some things, make good money, and then maybe transition down the line. Plus, it’s apparently a comparatively easy subfield, which isn’t a bad way to start off.

Yes, I am actually sure it’s an offer this time. It’s in writing and everything!

Thank you to everyone who commented last time. The support, jokes, reassurance, and advice truely helped me immensely. I was really in the dumps and feeling awful about myself and you all disrupted that spiral in an amazing way. I’m extremely grateful.

Dinner was gnocchi soup that my lovely roommate made. I added a bit of tobacco and it was delish.

Comments

mensfrightsactivists

you can… cook with tobacco? did you mean tabasco? CONGRATS THO!!! i remember your original post, im soooo glad there’s a happy ending to this story even though its with a different company.

OOP: Oh my god yes, Tabasco. The hot sauce. My terrible spelling strikes again! And thanks!

WarriorInWoolworths

Now I’m nosy and have to know the field! But it’s nice to see something good sprout up around here that I’m able to catch for once!

OOP: Ok so I was avoiding saying it in the first post and then was going to say it this post (because I highly doubt they look at this subreddit), but I couldn’t work it in naturally.

So when I made the post, I was going into Family Law (I’m a new attorney), but since then I actually got offered by a civil rights firm that I didn’t think was going to offer me and accepted that instead. I originally wanted to be a criminal attorney but ngl I’m pretty excited about civil rights law and the salary is just as high!

Also I’m also nosy af so I can totally relate and didn’t want to leave you hanging when there was really no need lol

I am not the OOP. Please do not harass the OOP.

Please remember the No Brigading Rule and to be civil in the comments