got the email at 8:43am. eight forty THREE. who hits send on a rejection at 8:43 in the MORNING. that’s not corporate that’s PERSONAL. 9am is professional. 8:30 is respectful. 8:43 is “i wanted to mess your day up before it started but i also wanted to hit snooze first.” cowards. nameless faceless cowards. y’all know what y’all did.
THREE rounds. three. i talked to these people for HOURS. i did my homework. i did my homework’s homework. i had a folder. i had a NOTEBOOK. i bought a brand new pen for the third round which is something my mama raised me to do and that pen is now CURSED. that pen is going in the drawer with all the other cursed pens which is a drawer i ain’t know existed in my house until this morning but apparently i been building it my whole career one rejection at a time.
email said “we’ve decided to move forward with another candidate.” another. ANOTHER. like i’m interchangeable. like i’m a generic. like there’s a warehouse somewhere full of me’s on a shelf and they reached PAST mine and grabbed a different one. who is this other candidate. WHO. i need to know what they got that i ain’t got so i can either get it or grieve it. but they won’t tell you. they NEVER tell you. that’s by design. that’s the whole game. they keep the answer and you keep the question and that’s how they win every time.
let me tell y’all about THE PROCESS. three rounds ain’t a process that’s a HAZING. they had me singing and dancing for HOURS. and i sang. i SANG. i hit every note. multiple people said “this was a great conversation.” MULTIPLE PEOPLE. you don’t tell somebody great conversation if you ain’t planning on calling them back. that’s like telling somebody i love you on the way to the courthouse. that’s CRUEL. that’s the kind of cruel my grandmama would’ve had a word for and the word would’ve started with the letter t and i can’t say it on this forum but you know which word.
and the RECRUITER. oh let me tell y’all about the recruiter. the recruiter who “fought for me.” the recruiter who said “they love you.” the recruiter who used the word PERFECT. perfect. PERFECT. i went back through my texts and that word shows up FOUR TIMES. four. you don’t tell a man perfect four times and then ghost him. that’s not professional that’s BIBLICAL betrayal. peter denied jesus three times. THREE. this recruiter went one past peter. i’ll let that sit. let it MARINATE. recruiters should have to answer to GOD for what they do to people and one day they will and i wanna be there. front row. with snacks.
the company. i ain’t gonna say who. y’all already know. (y’all DON’T already know. nobody knows. i’m being mysterious on purpose for my own protection because if i say it out loud it becomes real and i’m not ready.) but i wanna send them a message through this forum because i’m too smart to send it directly. anything written down can be used against you. my grandaddy taught me that. my grandaddy worked for the post office for 31 years he KNEW about written records. so this is what i want them to hear:
i hope your next hire is FINE. just fine. not great. not terrible. JUST fine. i hope they show up on time and leave on time and never have an original thought and never make NOBODY in that office uncomfortable in the way that leads to growth. i hope you build your whole team out of just-fine people and one day you look up and the building is full of mid and y’all gonna wonder where the magic went. the magic was at the DOOR. you turned the magic away at 8:43 in the morning. ENJOY THE MID. that’s my prayer for you. AMEN. in jesus name. amen amen.
THE UNIVERSE. don’t think i forgot about you. you have been TESTING me for 14 months. 14. months. and i been passing every test you set in front of me and you keep coming back with new ones like a substitute teacher on a power trip. enough. ENOUGH. i learned the lessons. i SHOWED my work. send the blessings. i’m not asking no more i’m INVOICING. you owe me and i got receipts. i will see you in small claims court SPIRITUALLY and you WILL be served. don’t make me put your business in the street universe i WILL.
i ain’t breaking. i need y’all to hear me. i’m NOT breaking. i’m processing this in the healthiest way available to a black man in america in 2026 which is publicly on a forum at high speed in a parking lot at 11am on a tuesday. that’s growth. that’s me at 38 versus me at 25. me at 25 woulda done something. me at 38 is TYPING. you’re welcome society.
mama don’t know yet. i’ll tell her sunday. i’ll tell her after church when she’s full of the holy ghost and a piece of pound cake because that’s when she’s most equipped to receive disappointing news without it becoming HER disappointment. that’s a skill you learn raising a son. she been raising me to deliver bad news since i was 9 years old. i’m a PROFESSIONAL at it now. that’s not the kind of resume bullet you can put on linkedin but it should be.
next interview friday. different company. different folder. (new folder. the old folder going in the cursed drawer with the pen.) i’m gon show up. i’m gon be charming. i’m gon become a slightly different person for one hour and then come back to myself in this same parking lot and we gon see what’s left of me. that’s the job. THAT’S BEEN THE JOB. the job is becoming somebody who can GET a job. it’s exhausting. nobody talks about how exhausting it is to keep being palatable. somebody should write a book. maybe i will. add it to the list.
ok i’m done.
(i’m not done.)
ok NOW i’m done.
THREE rounds. three. i talked to these people for HOURS. i did my homework. i did my homework’s homework. i had a folder. i had a NOTEBOOK. i bought a brand new pen for the third round which is something my mama raised me to do and that pen is now CURSED. that pen is going in the drawer with all the other cursed pens which is a drawer i ain’t know existed in my house until this morning but apparently i been building it my whole career one rejection at a time.
email said “we’ve decided to move forward with another candidate.” another. ANOTHER. like i’m interchangeable. like i’m a generic. like there’s a warehouse somewhere full of me’s on a shelf and they reached PAST mine and grabbed a different one. who is this other candidate. WHO. i need to know what they got that i ain’t got so i can either get it or grieve it. but they won’t tell you. they NEVER tell you. that’s by design. that’s the whole game. they keep the answer and you keep the question and that’s how they win every time.
let me tell y’all about THE PROCESS. three rounds ain’t a process that’s a HAZING. they had me singing and dancing for HOURS. and i sang. i SANG. i hit every note. multiple people said “this was a great conversation.” MULTIPLE PEOPLE. you don’t tell somebody great conversation if you ain’t planning on calling them back. that’s like telling somebody i love you on the way to the courthouse. that’s CRUEL. that’s the kind of cruel my grandmama would’ve had a word for and the word would’ve started with the letter t and i can’t say it on this forum but you know which word.
and the RECRUITER. oh let me tell y’all about the recruiter. the recruiter who “fought for me.” the recruiter who said “they love you.” the recruiter who used the word PERFECT. perfect. PERFECT. i went back through my texts and that word shows up FOUR TIMES. four. you don’t tell a man perfect four times and then ghost him. that’s not professional that’s BIBLICAL betrayal. peter denied jesus three times. THREE. this recruiter went one past peter. i’ll let that sit. let it MARINATE. recruiters should have to answer to GOD for what they do to people and one day they will and i wanna be there. front row. with snacks.
the company. i ain’t gonna say who. y’all already know. (y’all DON’T already know. nobody knows. i’m being mysterious on purpose for my own protection because if i say it out loud it becomes real and i’m not ready.) but i wanna send them a message through this forum because i’m too smart to send it directly. anything written down can be used against you. my grandaddy taught me that. my grandaddy worked for the post office for 31 years he KNEW about written records. so this is what i want them to hear:
i hope your next hire is FINE. just fine. not great. not terrible. JUST fine. i hope they show up on time and leave on time and never have an original thought and never make NOBODY in that office uncomfortable in the way that leads to growth. i hope you build your whole team out of just-fine people and one day you look up and the building is full of mid and y’all gonna wonder where the magic went. the magic was at the DOOR. you turned the magic away at 8:43 in the morning. ENJOY THE MID. that’s my prayer for you. AMEN. in jesus name. amen amen.
THE UNIVERSE. don’t think i forgot about you. you have been TESTING me for 14 months. 14. months. and i been passing every test you set in front of me and you keep coming back with new ones like a substitute teacher on a power trip. enough. ENOUGH. i learned the lessons. i SHOWED my work. send the blessings. i’m not asking no more i’m INVOICING. you owe me and i got receipts. i will see you in small claims court SPIRITUALLY and you WILL be served. don’t make me put your business in the street universe i WILL.
i ain’t breaking. i need y’all to hear me. i’m NOT breaking. i’m processing this in the healthiest way available to a black man in america in 2026 which is publicly on a forum at high speed in a parking lot at 11am on a tuesday. that’s growth. that’s me at 38 versus me at 25. me at 25 woulda done something. me at 38 is TYPING. you’re welcome society.
mama don’t know yet. i’ll tell her sunday. i’ll tell her after church when she’s full of the holy ghost and a piece of pound cake because that’s when she’s most equipped to receive disappointing news without it becoming HER disappointment. that’s a skill you learn raising a son. she been raising me to deliver bad news since i was 9 years old. i’m a PROFESSIONAL at it now. that’s not the kind of resume bullet you can put on linkedin but it should be.
next interview friday. different company. different folder. (new folder. the old folder going in the cursed drawer with the pen.) i’m gon show up. i’m gon be charming. i’m gon become a slightly different person for one hour and then come back to myself in this same parking lot and we gon see what’s left of me. that’s the job. THAT’S BEEN THE JOB. the job is becoming somebody who can GET a job. it’s exhausting. nobody talks about how exhausting it is to keep being palatable. somebody should write a book. maybe i will. add it to the list.
ok i’m done.
(i’m not done.)
ok NOW i’m done.
take a break, it ain't that serious bro 
