Man Says He Finished Orientation for a Security Job, Then Found Out the Position He Was Hired For Apparently Doesn’t Even Exist

It all started like any other job hunt for Mike, a guy in his late twenties who recently graduated with a degree in criminal justice. Eager to put his education to use, he scoured job boards every day, hoping to find the perfect opportunity. One afternoon, while scrolling through Indeed, he stumbled upon a posting for a security officer position at a corporate building just a few miles from his apartment. The pay seemed decent, and the description indicated room for growth. Before he knew it, Mike had clicked “Apply.”

After a surprisingly smooth online interview a few days later, he received an email with a job offer. Mike was ecstatic. After months of rejections and radio silence, he had finally cracked the code! He eagerly accepted the offer and promptly began the onboarding process. This included filling out paperwork, going through background checks, and participating in a virtual orientation session. Things were looking up.

Orientation lasted a full day. Mike and a handful of other new hires learned about the company’s values, standard operating procedures, and the importance of security in today’s world. They even received a nice introductory video featuring the management team, who all looked like they were about to win an Oscar for their performances. By the end of the session, Mike felt confident about his new role and couldn’t wait to start working. The recruiter had mentioned at least a couple of perks that came with the job—benefits, paid vacations, and even opportunities for advancement, which was music to Mike’s ears.

Post-orientation, everyone was told they would need to reach out to their respective managers to discuss on-the-job training (OJT). Mike was buzzing with excitement as he emailed his newly assigned manager, looking forward to discussing the details of his responsibilities and getting started. But after a few hours passed and he didn’t hear back, he started to feel nervous.

Finally, Mike received a reply. He opened the email and immediately sensed something was off. His new manager’s tone was curt and dismissive. Mike was informed that the role he was hired for, the one he had just completed orientation for, “doesn’t exist.”

Stunned, Mike read the email again, hoping he had misunderstood. “What do you mean, it doesn’t exist?” He quickly fired back a response, asking for clarification. After a few minutes of refreshing his inbox, the reality of the situation settled in: the job that he had been offered, trained for, and was ready to dive into was simply… a figment of someone’s imagination.

As Mike dug deeper into the situation, he discovered that the position had apparently been a supervisory role that had been eliminated weeks prior. However, the posting for that same role was still live on several job boards, including LinkedIn and Indeed. Mike felt a mix of anger and disbelief. How could a company be so disorganized? Had they not thought to update their job listings? Were all their positions in such a chaotic state?

Over the next few days, Mike tried to make sense of what had happened. He reached out to HR, hoping to find an explanation or at least some clarity on the situation. After countless emails and frustrating phone calls, he learned that many people were caught in similar situations. Apparently, the company was in the midst of a massive restructuring, which meant confusion all around. It seemed they had been hiring for positions they subsequently decided to delete from their roster.

Mind you, Mike wasn’t the only one affected. He had met a few other new hires during orientation, and a couple of them reported similar experiences. They were all left in limbo, feeling misled and frustrated. The positive energy from orientation dissipated quickly, replaced by a sense of betrayal. Who could they even trust now?

Mike didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Anyone who’s ever job-hunted knows the excitement of a job offer is often accompanied by anxiety about whether the role will actually be what they expected. But being hired for a position that doesn’t exist? That’s a new level of bewilderment altogether. The corporate world could be so nonsensical at times.

Now, Mike’s left wondering whether he should keep looking for work or just give this place one more shot if they do manage to get their act together. Until then, he’s resolved to be more cautious in his job search, and who could blame him? After all, he’d just learned the hard way that sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction.