Six Little Words Cost Me a Six-Figure Salary and My Dream Job
How to recover when your career hits rock bottom
This is it, I thought. Months of preparation, studying, and sleepless nights were going to pay off. I was in the final round of in-person interviews for a Silicon Valley “Big Four” tech giant.
At the time, I still lived with my parents, worked a miserable job, and hadn’t started side-hustling. An offer would change my life.
And for 85 minutes, it seemed likely. The interviewer and I hit it off immediately. We laughed and smiled. I breezed through the typical behavioral questions.
Then, six little words brought the whole thing crashing down.
“I don’t want to do sales.”
Her smile flattened.
“Well… this is a sales position,” she said. Tartly.
To say the oxygen left the room is an understatement. It remains the only instance in my life where I’ve imagined a dream crumbling in my head as I’m actually watching it happen.
Twenty minutes later, I sat in another office with their Human Resources person.
“We’re sorry Jonah. You just aren’t the right fit.”
