(Writer’s Preface) I have gone through a great deal of ups and downs in this experience we call job search.  The one I am writing about today does not belong to me; it belongs to one of my network contacts.  I made some minor changes to preserve the anonymity of those involved.  I felt, however that my contact’s experience is worth sharing.  Although I would not wish this experience on anyone, it shows how one of the worst obstacles to re-employment can be resolved. 

The Unexpected Phone Call:  Part One

It was a Friday Morning during the month of March.  Beverly (most of her friends call her Bev) was starting her day.  She was unemployed for eight months, and never expected her time between jobs to last this long.  Bev was never one to give in to persecution complexes; however she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone out there was inhibiting her attempts at re-employment. 

During the past months, Bev had several interviews; however the result was always the same.  She would be called in for a first interview, and in most cases she would be given a follow up interview.  Bev would always e-mail thank you letters and follow up with every prospective employer.  Despite her follow up calls, Bev would not receive responses from many prospective employers, even when they promised to give her a fast answer about the position she applied for.  Eventually, some employers told her that the position she applied for was filled, and refused to give any further details.  Bev would always ask follow up questions as to why she did not get the job, however she never received any information that would point to a specific reason.

On this particular morning Bev would discover the main reason why she never received employment offers…

  Around 8:30AM her phone rang.  At first, Bev thought it was a crank call because there was silence on the other line.  She was about to hang up the phone when a man on the other end of the line spoke.

  “Please don’t hang up”, he pleaded, “If my boss finds out about this I will lose my job, for sure”, said the man, who could barely avoid stuttering.

  “Why are you calling me?” Bev asked, resisting her initial urge to hang up the phone.

    The man responded; “I work for your former employer, and I got your number from the contacts file. I presume you are Beverly, and your former boss was Mary.”

   Bev began to feel frightened.  There was not much that frightened her.  Even though unemployment hurt her self confidence, she could always keep a façade of bravery.

   The man continued.  “I have heard Mary on the phone several times.  She was talking about you.  You are looking for work, I presume.”

   “Yes, I am”, Bev answered.

   “Hold on a second”, said the man.  Bev was put on hold for a minute.  Bev thought about hanging up the phone; however she did not.  She began thinking about some events that happened prior to her layoff.  Although Bev felt she enjoyed a good working relationship with Mary, some unusual events began happening a month before she was let go. Many of her files seemed to disappear; some were lost, others were misfiled, and it always seemed to happen when the need for information from the file in question was critical.

Although the reason for her termination had to do with a key account ending their relationship with her employer, Bev never thought she had anything to do with the loss of that account.

The man came back on the line.  “Are you still there? I had to put you on hold.  Mary is out of the office now so I can speak freely now.”

  “Please go on”, Bev said, “you have my attention.”

   “I have heard Mary say some things about you.  I heard her telling some people on the phone that you were not reliable, that you routinely misplaced reports, and about two weeks ago, I heard her telling someone – If I were you, I would not hire her.  You would be making a very big mistake!”

Everything was beginning to make sense to Bev.  She felt for sure that, a little less than two weeks ago, she would get an employment offer from the firm she interviewed with.  It just did not make sense when she was told that the position was given to another candidate.

  “You wouldn’t be putting me on about this”, Bev stated, She could feel her temper rising.

  “Please”, stated the man, “I felt I had to do this.  My sister was out of work for a long time and I know what you are going through.  Please do not mention anything about this.  I am really putting myself in jeopardy.  Please keep this confidential.”

   “I don’t know what to say”, Bev answered, “I really appreciate putting yourself at risk to help me.  Thank you!”

Bev hung up the phone.  She went through a myriad of emotions over the last eight months.  Although Bev saved money from each paycheck, she had spent almost all of her savings and was on the verge of bankruptcy.    She did not know how she was going to meet the next month’s rent.  Her last hope was a phone call she received the previous day. A local company reviewed her resume and asked her to come in on Monday for an interview.  Would this opportunity end up disappearing like so many others had over the last several months?  She knew she would have to do something….fast.

Next:  Part Two: Conclusion

I wish you all Good Hunting.

-By Howard K. Young, Contributing Writer & 405 Club Alumni

View all of Howard’s posts here.