MADE UP COMPETING OFFER LEADS TO JOB LOSS

i mass lied about a competing offer and it backfired so bad 💀

i am mass cooked. Like actually cooked. Please learn from my mistakes

ok so i get an offer from this mid sized company right. solid offer. happy with it. But my friend tells me “bro you gotta negotiate. always negotiate. just say you have another offer”

i did not have another offer

but i figured hey whats the worst that can happen. ill just make one up. companies dont actually check right

so i email the recruiter and go “hey i have a competing offer from [REDACTED] for 15k more. is there flexibility on the base salary”

she goes “oh interesting! can you send over the offer letter so we can review with the comp team”

I panic. I was not prepared for this. WHO ASKS FOR PROOF???

so i did what any desperate cs student would do. i googled “[REDACTED] offer letter template” and found some guy’s post from 2 years ago with a redacted screenshot. I recreated it in google docs. Changed the numbers. Put my name on it

looking back this was insane behavior but i was in too deep

i send it over. Feeling like a genius. Wait a few days

she responds. “hi [my name], i actually know the recruiting team at [REDACTED] and checked in with them. they have no record of extending you an offer. we’re withdrawing our offer effective immediately. best of luck”

BRO 😭

i am mass unemployed. the offer i actually had is gone. I have nothing. I am mass applying again at 2am like a clown

my friend who told me to negotiate said “damn that sucks” and went back to playing valorant. I hate him so much

dont lie about competing offers. Or at least dont forge documents. Im so stupid. Literally mass ruined my own life for 15k i didnt even need