u/AdditionalRise5722

I was laid off from my job 4 months ago, and after 7 interviews over the last 10 weeks, I finally got an offer a few weeks ago. On the call, they explained everything to me, and at the same time, they mentioned for the first time that the job would be fully in-office at a location about 40 minutes away from me every day.

The subject surprised me, because it had never been mentioned once during the 7 interviews. The role is a National Account position, and from my experience, if you're not on the road, you're working from home. I have 19 years of experience in the industry, and I've worked remotely in very similar roles for most of that time. Also, this was a completely new position for them, so I don't feel like they fully understood how this role usually works.

So I countered with a few things:
A flexible hybrid setup where I'd work from home 2-3 days a week and be in the office the rest of the days. There isn't anyone in that office I'd be working with regularly anyway; no sales team, no product, no customer success, etc. Most of them are payroll, legal, HR, and admin. I also have a full home office with 2 large monitors and the setup I've been using for years.

One extra week of vacation. They offered 3 weeks annually, and that still felt low for someone with experience in this type of role, so I asked for 4 weeks total. At my last company, I had 7 weeks.

A 9% increase in base salary based on my experience, and on what I'm expected to bring in terms of growth and revenue.

Instead of coming back with a yes or no, or even a compromise, I got an email saying: "based on your questions and requests, we no longer feel this is the right fit and are rescinding the offer."

Honestly, did I screw things up by making a counteroffer?

I've been through a few strange situations, but one that sticks in my mind was when the hiring manager proudly declared: "We're all like one big family here!" Immediately after that, he went on to explain their "flexible" work schedule, which simply meant they expected everyone to stay late without any extra pay.

Then there was a time an interviewer spent half the interview typing on his laptop, barely making eye contact. Even stranger, he mixed up my CV with someone else's and asked me about a completely different job.

But the biggest shocker? A place tried to convince me I'd "gain invaluable experience" for the first three months, with a promise of *possibly* discussing a salary afterward. Oh, no thank you. These kinds of arrangements make you want to run in the opposite direction. So, what are some strange interview stories you've encountered?

I started at my current company about 4 months ago because my last job was draining me. This has become a recurring theme for me; I usually change my job every two or three years. Always the same type of job, but in different fields.

I really thought this time would be different. The company has amazing reviews on Glassdoor and is always on the 'Best Places to Work' lists. I make about $150,000 a year, the benefits are excellent, they even gave me a decent sign-on bonus. Honestly, my team is great and everyone seems genuinely happy.

But I still dread opening my laptop in the morning. I'm constantly fighting to stay focused and finish my tasks because I have absolutely no motivation. I've been thinking and racking my brain for a while to understand the reason, and I think I've figured it out: The work itself doesn't feel meaningful to me. I feel like the skills I'm gaining are too specialized for this corporate world and don't translate to anything I care about outside of work. All my work just increases the company's profits, and that's it. I've thought about a complete career change, but nothing else has really appealed to me, and anything I like has an average salary that's about 60% less than what I make.

Has anyone else been through this stage? What did you do to get out of this state?