Sometimes in life, an opportunity comes along that seems too good to be true. Even rarer, that opportunity is true indeed…and even more rare is the instance in which you have to walk away from it.
A recruiter contacted me with a writing position last week. 5k a month for 2 articles a week. “Scam,” I thought, but a quick glance at the company website showed me it was legitimate. I told the recruiter I was interested, and she set up an interview. I was elated…briefly.
See, I am of the mind that when you receive an offer or get a new job, you should have a little knowledge of the company you are applying to. So, to prep for the interview, I went to the website again. At first glance, the company seemed cool…all about different kinds of energy. Then, I kept scrolling, al the way to the footer, where I saw the emblem for the American Petroleum Institute. Excuse me?
A quick Google search led me to find that the company was a front for Big Oil. So, yes, of course it was well-paying. But also misleading…the more I looked at the website, the more I realized it was less about renewable energy (which is what it seems to be at first glance) and more about fossil fuel expansion.
That’s a hard pass from me.
Now, half the people I know are like “good, you stood up for what you believe in,” and the other half are like “girl, you should have got that money.” I suppose I’m really in the middle, because I did consider it. I thought about maybe working there and being able to change some things, or maybe they really are trying to clean up their image, or maybe just for a month or two until the bills are caught up…but no. I can’t. I’d be a sell-out, and I just can’t support these folks in good conscience.
So I emailed the recruiter and told her thanks but no thanks, as they were against everything I stood for. She doesn’t work solely for the company, so I told her to keep me in mind in case anything else comes her way. Maybe something will, something better suited to my personal morals.
Do I have regrets? A little. That’s a lot of money. Alas…I feel like it would have drained a part of my soul. I would rather have that than money, I guess.
Ham 'N Eggs 