A woman has said she isn’t sure whether she wants to attend a job interview after she was offered it following a huge mix-up with the company’s emails. She’s sought advice online
Sometimes, a happy accident can lead to landing your dream job.
Job hunting can be a frustrating process, with countless CVs sent out in the hope of securing a job interview. The application process is often lengthy and complex, requiring an updated cover letter for each job application. But applying is just half the battle. You then face weeks of waiting for a potential employer to respond, hopefully with an interview offer or a polite rejection – if they respond at all.
However, one woman was left puzzled when she received an unexpected email from a prospective employer. Shannon Brooke shared on TikTok that she had been job hunting recently. A few days after sending her CV and cover letter to a company, she received a peculiar email.
An employee at the company had intended to forward Shannon’s details to a colleague to discuss a potential interview but accidentally sent the email directly to Shannon. The email read: “Her experience is largely assessment-based. It’s three years ago that she did her master’s, then worked in a coffee shop afterwards. I put her in my maybe pile.”
Shannon cheekily replied to tackle the awkward blunder as if she was in on the situation, chiming in: “Yeah, I get that, but she’s got a history of good rapport-building with young people, plus she managed a team. I put her in my yes pile.”
Impressed by her quick thinking, the respondent from the company admitted laughing off the mistake and informed Shannon she had landed herself in the “very probably pile” for an interview due to her witty response.
However, Shannon had reservations about going through with the interview after identifying an issue – the lack of an apology, which she judged as unprofessional. To add to her doubts, the email sender turned out to be the company’s CEO.
Concerned over the CEO’s oversight, Shannon remarked: “She never apologised, which I think is weird. I look it up because she put her name at the end of the email, and she is the CEO of the company. The CEO. Now, they’ve offered me an interview, and I don’t know if it’s just my pride, but I don’t know if I want to work for someone [who doesn’t apologise]. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.”
Commenters rallied behind Shannon, urging her to still go for the interview. They argued that the CEO’s accidental email wasn’t negative and actually provided “really good feedback” on Shannon’s CV.
One commenter pointed out: “But what do you mean?’Maybe’ piles are a common technique to sift through applications, and any of us could end up there. Sure, she should have been more careful not to send that email to you, but I would have let them know of their mistake and taken the opportunity to argue my case as to why I could show them I was right for the job.”
Another said: “You responded in a jokey manner (which I respect a lot! ) and she replied acknowledging her mistake but also keeping the joke going.”
