Ki and Morgan had an on-again, off-again relationship, but not because they couldnt commit; Morgan was Kis dedicated recruitment agent at Impracticable Resources. Ki had to admit he left every other recruiter shed dealt with in the dust. Thats why she was excited when he described the position at Initech: Ki had started as a web designer and migrated into Java development, and Initech was looking for exactly that to be the glue between their Java and UX teams. Eight short weeks ago, the initial phone screen had gone well.

Gerard was Kis would-be bosss name, and warned her straight away that Initech was procedure-friendly; every box on their list had to be ticked and accompanied by its own list of ticked box-ticking-assurance boxes, supplemented by a list of ticked box-ticking-assurance-box-ticking-assurance boxes before they could bring her on board.

I am very impressed by what I see, Gerard said. We want to bring you on-site, for our standard gauntlet of interviews. Sound good?

Definitely, Ki said. When would you like me to come in?

Well let you know, Gerard said, your recruiter will give you a call.

Morgan did give Ki a call, almost three weeks later.

Ki, howve you been?

Good. Waiting to hear about the Initech position, I guess& You?

Yeah, Initech. They seem really interested in you! Can you do Thursday afternoon?

Ki stumbled out of Initechs offices two-and-a-half hours after her arrival, exhausted but happy. Her interviews had gone extremely well. Gerard, who was head of the Java team, Celia, head of the UX team, and Armin, the lead designer, all agreed that she was at the exact nexus of design and development acumen that the job required. On the phone that afternoon, Morgan glowed to the extent one can glow via audio.

Ki, the jobs as good as yours!

Thats great! Did they send you an offer?

Well& no. Knowing Initech, theyll need you to come in again for a second battery of interviews. Ill give you a call when theyve been in touch.

So that was that, for another three weeks.

Good news, Ki!

Youve got a lead on a company that hasnt outsourced their hiring to a glacier?

Even better: Initech wants you to come in next Tuesday. Now, for this set youre going to need a portfolio of previous work. You met Armin and Celia last time? Well, theyll be grilling you on your presentation. Thats why Im giving you all this notice!

Ki looked at the past weeks sitting long and empty on her desktop calendar. Uh, thanks.

Gerard, Celia, and Armin were all glad to see Ki again, and somehow (perhaps because they had three weeks to prepare) they each had almost an hour of questions for her before her portfolio presentation. But she passed with flying colours and, on the brief tour of the office, Gerard apologized for the amount of time the whole process was taking. If it were up to me, he said, youd start tomorrow. But HR still wants to have a word with you, and the whole team is headed out West for the annual general meeting at Initech HQ. Ill be sure to put in a good word for you with the bigwigs out there!

Ki thanked Gerard and left. Soon after, she called Morgan.

So Gerard tells me good things!

Yes, they seemed happy with me& again. But apparently theres one more interview—did they mention when theyd be back from their visit to HQ?

Let me see& oh, yes, heres Gerards email. Looks like youll be sitting down with HR on& hmm& uh, June 9th.

Thats two weeks from now.

Sure looks that way! Sorry, Ki. But this is going to be awesome once weve crossed the Ts and dotted the lowercase Js!

And so Ki found herself up late on the night of June 10, having heard nothing from Morgan, Gerard, or Initechs HR department. She was turning her mobile over and over in her hand, weighing her need to know against the possibility that Morgan, on the East Coast, would be asleep by now.

Hell with it, she told herself, if he didnt want midnight phone calls, he shouldve gone into used-car sales.

H-Hello? Morgan sounded groggy, but Ki held firm.

Hi Morgan, its Ki. Im sorry to call so late, but I havent heard from Initech, and Im wondering if they got in touch with you. Im sure you understand that, after eight weeks, I really need to get some closure.

There was a long pause on the other end, followed by a deep sigh. &Ki, its& complicated. Really, I dont know how this happened.

There was that sinking feeling, the one that starts in your stomach and descends to places unmentionable. How what happened, Morgan?

"Well, Ive got this email here from Initech HR. Apparently, in the wake of their annual general meeting at Initech HQ, it was decided that the role youre applying for would be better suited to a less-technical candidate. I dont know if they mean someone who just does web design, or what.

Im really sorry about this, Ki. It sounds like youre out of the running.

I dont understand, Ki said. Youre saying they changed the job so Im no longer a shoe-in?

I suppose thats what Im saying. Yes.

Well& okay. Im sorry to hear that. Goodnight, I guess?

Goodnight, Ki&

Oh, Morgan?

Yes?

Try to find me a position in computer vision or compiler design next, okay?

Huh?

That way, when they downgrade the position, Ill be a perfect fit.

Goodnight, Ki.

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http://thedailywtf.com/articles/role-reversal