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Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

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Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#121

Post by jonnathanson »

jheriko wrote: post #96
hacknat wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is the burden always on the individual to not "burn the bridge"? I'd say that this startup has burnt this bridge pretty well. It would have been perfectly reasonable for him to tell us who they were and for us to avoid them like the plague.

having been a bridge burner i can say that most employers are not competent enough to discover that you burned a bridge if they care... and if you volunteer the information its a great way to filter bad employers too.

Not ordinarily, no. But I can't think of a circumstance under which it benefits you to disclose your grievances with a former employer to a new or potential employer. There is nothing but downside in doing that.

Just as most companies are too incompetent or uninterested to search out your dirty laundry, most companies are too incompetent or uninterested to sort it. If they see it, they'll just acknowledge its existence, and probably think twice about you because of it. They won't dig deeper, or spend any effort sussing out who was right and who was wrong. They'll just note it as a red flag.

This is why people advise against "bridge burning," even when you have no reason to believe you'll ever cross that bridge again. It's all about perceptions. "Optics," as they say in corporate parlance. Being seen as a malcontent is never good for your employment prospects, even when you're completely justified.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#122

Post by Liesmith »

facepalm wrote: post #89
hacknat wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is the burden always on the individual to not "burn the bridge"? I'd say that this startup has burnt this bridge pretty well. It would have been perfectly reasonable for him to tell us who they were and for us to avoid them like the plague.

Think about the next company who considers hiring this guy. Perhaps they'll think "hm, what if he doesn't like being with us - will he derail us in public, too? Perhaps we can find a less risky candidate".

Exactly. These things are ugly and this is a cautionary tale for anyone looking to work for a new startup but it's also really important to keep from looking like a bitter employee who will turn on you and make you look evil if things don't work out.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#123

Post by artemk »

In addition to what everyone said, for future start up roles, make sure to grill the company on what need they are looking to fill. Go in depth why that's a problem and how they arrived at the needed skillet to be the solution.

At start ups every days that's a lightbulb that goes off with the thought "Wish we had someone for this". The smart ones don't rush to hire and see if there's really a need.

I was laid off from my first post-college job 2 weeks before I was suppose to start. It was definitely not the way I wanted to start my career. It actually turned out for the best because I ended up going into a completely different industry I really enjoy. Now it's just a professional story I share.

No need to stress. Follow up on previous offer to start and all will be good.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#124

Post by vojnovski »

[deleted] wrote: post #115
jowiar wrote: post #26

> I like the founders - they are good guys. No. They're not. You don't get to screw around with other people's lives and continue to possess the title of "good guy". If they were good guys, you would be receiving tens of thousands of dollars for your difficulties, and such would have enough of a runway on that such that you wouldn't need to ask us for advice. Please do us all a favor and let us know who they are beyo…

[deleted]

It seems he was offered compensation for the two weeks he actually worked for them, which I'd take for granted. What the comment above is probably alluding to is termination of contract compensation.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#126

Post by balls187 »

Hypothetical to the larger HN community:

If you got accepted a job offer, and within 2 weeks got a job offer for more money, and at your dream company, would you feel obligated to stay with your initial decision?

If you made the rational (but arguably unethical choice), do you think your reputation should be tarnished, and future employers think hard before extending an offer?

I know it's not the exact situation as the OP, but situations are rarely so straight forward, and often have nuances that we aren't aware of.

To the OP, at the very least, you probably dodged a bullet. So blessing in disguise.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#127

Post by yaur »

enraged_camel wrote: post #105
sheetjs wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Please do us all a favor and let us know who they are beyond "a YC startup" so that none of us find ourselves in your shoes. Two other reasons for considering revealing the name: 1) a casual bystander might see this and conclude that all YC companies behave in this way, which hurts the other companies. 2) PG and other partners at YC read HN, and there's a good chance that action can be taken if they know who is inv…

Could he send a private email to PG and partners at YC? Not as a complaint but more like, "hey, just a heads up, this just happened at one of the companies you guys sponsored." I don't know anything about investing in startups but common sense would suggest that this would raise some red flags.

I would talk to a lawyer before doing this... see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortious_interference

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#128

Post by guybrushT »

jowiar wrote: post #26

> I like the founders - they are good guys. No. They're not. You don't get to screw around with other people's lives and continue to possess the title of "good guy". If they were good guys, you would be receiving tens of thousands of dollars for your difficulties, and such would have enough of a runway on that such that you wouldn't need to ask us for advice. Please do us all a favor and let us know who they are beyo…

"..so that none of us find ourselves in your shoes."

Thank you for this comment. This is a very important discussion to have. And I don't think naming the company is a good answer (it is a point solution - you may not want to join this company but thats it). With this thread getting some attention, I have higher hopes than that. I think we can come up with good strategies, resources, and an agreed upon code of conduct that future early employees can use to protect themselves.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#129

Post by projectramo »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #51
JasonFruit wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say you did the right thing in not saying what the startup was — it isn't wise to look like a bridge-burner when you're looking for work.

> I'd say you did the right thing in not saying what the startup was — it isn't wise to look like a bridge-burner when you're looking for work. Today I learned that its considered "bridge burning" to communicate a company's terrible ethics in public.

I am going to agree with "JasonFruit" here.

The company has a much rosier picture of themselves than you do (and who is to say which one is right?). Think of possible mitigating circumstances, first duty to investors, what's right for the company, we made a mistake, etc etc and who knows what else.

You don't want to make enemies, have them hit back in public, etc. This is not about what is "just" but what is efficient to get on with finding a job, and telling everyone about it.

So I do think it would be a mistake to make it a public fight and bring up the name of the company.

Re: Ask HN: I was hired and unhired in 2 weeks, for no reason

#130

Post by Mimu »

fpgeek wrote: post #81

I'm a bit surprised no one has suggested what I consider the most likely possibility: They had no idea what getting you a visa actually entailed and bailed once you started and they discovered how hard it would be. I'm leaning that way because most people don't understand how hard visas actually are, the way they were vague about their reasons and the timing. Of course, if that's what actually happened, not telling y…

It would be weird to fire him for that reason without saying it. Maybe he can help, maybe he knows people who can, you never know, I don't think a sane person would just give up without even discussing it with all parties.
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