Inspired by Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop.

Prompt #2: Write a post where the first and last sentence contain any form of the word “boss.”

I will never again make the same mistake I did at my last job; not interviewing with my direct boss. I was interviewed by the owner of the recruitment company and one of the managers. I had the knowledge and expertise they were looking for so they gave me a good offer. I was really excited to work there.

On the first day I met my boss and she didn’t like me as soon as she saw me. “Carrie” was a very jealous person. She and I had just had babies and I had dropped the weight like that, plus more, and Carrie was still carrying hers. I could just hear her seething when one of my new co-workers would welcome me and say, “You just had a baby? You look amazing!”

Of course she was to train me, but there were things I knew that she didn’t know and I could tell she didn’t like it. She did her best to discourage me any way she could. I was suffering from postpartum anxiety and every time she called me in for a private meeting I had to pop a Klonopin.

After training, I worked from home until we leased an office nearer to me and she would make me keep a record of all of the phone calls I made every day to make sure that I was doing enough work. It drove her crazy that she could only manage me from a distance!

I was very successful in what I did, but as soon as I would master something new, she’d change what I was recruiting for, making me start all over again. But I viewed myself as a floater and it was interesting to learn new areas of industry.

Finally she gave me the project to end all projects. Recruit an engineer to a small company in Portland, Maine. As in Maine, with the worst winters? I had to promote Portland in the summer time and how hip and happening it was to try to interest someone.

A few days into the project I got a call from the owner of the company (this was the husband, it was run by a husband and wife). “I hear you’re one of my best recruiters”, he said and I thanked him.

Soon, Carrie put another person on the project. I had to train him in what the person did, the research I was doing and how great Maine was. Looking back I was so naive; I was training my replacement!

About a week later Carrie called me in for a meeting. She said they had lost a big client, which was true, and she had to lay me off, since I was one of the newer employees. I had never been fired/laid off in my life! I considered calling the owner to tell him that his manager had just fired one of his best recruiters but that would have only made things worse with Carrie.

Working for this boss was like being in high school all over again!