This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alexandra Plainte, a technical-support leader whose job offer was rescinded. Plainte, 36, who lives near Sarasota, Florida, shares how the experience has changed the way she thinks about job security. Business Insider has verified her identity and job offer. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
The role I was in until recently wasn’t going to give me the growth that I wanted. I found a role as a senior manager of technical support.
The interview process was thorough: There were four rounds over about two months, with five people, all the way up to the CTO. By the time the offer came, I felt like they really knew me, and I really knew them. It didn’t feel like a “maybe” at that point. It felt like I was embarking on the next chapter in my career.
I’ve spent almost 10 years in senior management, building and running teams that help customers when software breaks. Most recently, I’ve been building AI-backed tools to make support teams faster and less burned out, which is work I love doing.
Because I’m the main provider for my family, the job search wasn’t something that happened casually. I was going after those senior manager and director roles at software companies. The job that came through felt like the perfect next step.
When the recruiter called with the offer, I accepted it on the spot. Not only was it a senior manager role, but it also reported directly to the CTO, which, to me, signaled enormous growth opportunities.
I was so excited. I told my husband right away. When the verbal offer came through, I thought, “With the state of the economy and from what I’ve seen people posting about offers being rescinded, don’t do anything until you have it signed.”
The company sent me the formal offer letter. We both signed it. I filled out my onboarding paperwork, picked my laptop preference, and submitted my background check and I-9. With all of that done — because it felt so concrete — I gave two weeks’ notice at my prior job.
I told other family members and friends, and we celebrated. I had a five-year-old iPhone at the time that was having battery issues, and to treat myself, I bought a new one.
A missed call from the recruiter
About a week and a half before my start date, I saw that I had missed a call from the recruiter. I called back right away. She told me that because of organizational changes and budget realignment, they’d eliminated the role and were rescinding the offer.
The recruiter was clear that it had nothing to do with me, my interviews, or my background check. By then, I had already given notice at my job.
I was devastated. I had already told my family and friends, and now I had to effectively un-tell everyone.
My mind immediately went to the what-ifs. Luckily, I have some savings, but I know how hard the job market is. I was scared of potentially being out of work for a long time and watching that cushion slowly disappear.
I had treated myself to the iPhone, and it was “Oh wow! Now I regret making that purchase.”
There’s really no going back
When I gave notice, my employer posted a requisition to backfill my role. When I later checked, over 700 people had applied. I thought to myself, “Well, there’s really no going back.”
At that point, I had made my decision. I was going to focus on moving forward, whether that’s seeing if I can build something of my own or trying to join another software company.
If I’m ever again in a position where I receive an offer while I’m still in a role, I would try to negotiate something so that if they rescind the offer, there would be some sort of exit package or some contractual guarantee that the role isn’t going to suddenly be eliminated.
Since then, what I’ve done is start applying, tried to network, and looked at options for how I can start my own venture. It’s about having as many options as possible open.
It’s getting to the point where I feel like we can no longer depend on just a single W-2-style job, because we’ve all seen how quickly those can come and go.
Do you have a story to share about your job search? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
