Fired
Chapter 1
July 4, 2022, 3 pm
“Jithin, there's a call for you from HR,” informed Ramesh ettan, our team lead. I went over to him. He told me to meet HR in person and to bring my office ID.
I wasn’t sure about the purpose of the meeting. I was already serving my notice period. My work performance had been unsatisfactory, and I wanted to quit on my own terms. The job was no longer enjoyable. Moreover, I wasn’t working on things that interested me.
As a sports lover, I found no joy in covering national news, crime, and politics for the website. On paper, I had many boxes ticked: a good job, a decent salary, and a well-known company. But inside, I was bleeding every single day.
I was counting down the days until I could leave. My colleagues didn’t care much about me as I was an introvert and not part of any social circles. My depressed mentality and their judgmental attitudes made it hard for us to have any relationship at all.
I thought about all this as I rode the elevator to HR. A week earlier, I had informed my team lead that I wanted to quit as I had lost focus and confidence.
“I understand what you’re saying. I went through a similar phase in 2000 when I was working for the government. Then I decided to follow my interest, which was automobile journalism, and there was no looking back,” my team lead, a veteran journalist in his mid-40s, told me.
“Jithin, you appear to be confused and lost. You haven’t even found a new job, and you want to quit. Think once more before making the final call,” said Johny Chettan, one of the kindest faces in the office.
“Sit, Jithin,” HR head Anil interrupted my thoughts.
“Sir, you called me?”
“Yes. I wanted to inform you of something. I got a call from the CEO. Today is your last working day. You need to surrender your office ID.”
That was unexpected and quick. I was told to leave earlier than anticipated. In normal circumstances, this might please some, but not me, because I wanted this month’s salary to prepare for the two-month job search.
Luckily, I had saved enough to support myself for three months. But to be tagged as jobless after working continuously for six years was a reality check for me. I had no other option.
“Okay sir. Here’s my ID card.”
I returned to my desk and informed Ramesh Ettan that today was my last day. His eyes filled with tears for a second.
“I didn’t know they’d do this in advance. Otherwise, I could’ve helped,” he consoled me.
“It’s fine chetta,” I said, shook his hand, and wished him “all the best.”
“I should be the one saying that,” he responded in a nonchalant tone.
I didn’t go to the canteen for dinner. I revisited the website and went through several articles. While browsing the cricket, cinema, and literature sections, I wondered how different my life would have been if I were doing what I enjoyed.
I left the office at 11:00. Sam Ettan came from behind and asked me if I was leaving. “I couldn’t believe this, man. Anyways, best wishes,” he hugged me and left.
I walked back to my hostel with a mind full of thoughts.
Chapter 2
“What do I do now?” I asked myself before opening LinkedIn, Monster.com, Glassdoor.com, and other job websites to search for suitable jobs. At this point, my interest areas were not a priority. I applied for many jobs randomly.
“Hi Jithin, we shortlisted your profile. You are experienced. Can you get back to us with these assignments by EOD?” was the template-like response I received from at least five companies a day. I completed them and waited for the call. I kept on waiting.
Every company had different reasons not to hire me. “We did not like your write-up,” said one. “You are overqualified for this role, sorry,” was another response. “We’ll let you know if you are selected,” said another HR.
“How’s the job going?” asked my dad on the phone.
“It’s going on, acha,” I lied, thinking I shouldn’t burden my family with my career issues. I had never done that before and wanted to keep the track record alive for our own good.
Nights were hard. I thought about the time when I covered sports in my first job, where I worked around 12 hours a day for lesser pay, but doing what I loved kept me going. Now, it wasn’t the case anymore.
Twenty days had passed. I was averaging four interviews a day. I tried to perform in a detached and confident manner.
“I am impressed with your resume, experience, and clarity. Now I have a task for you. Can you give a write-up on the topic of ‘Cybersecurity’ in about 30 minutes, without referring to any other source?” asked Tomy, the CEO of Timesglobal.
“Yes, why not?” I responded.
“Keep the webcam on, okay?” he instructed, and I obliged without any issue. Luckily, the words came easily. I completed the task within 15 minutes. Tomy was satisfied and told me he would get back to me in a week.
I continued my job hunt because I needed a confirmed job before the end of August. I couldn’t bear the pain of being jobless. It made me understand the value of holding a job and doing your work with dedication, whether you like it or not, because, at the end of the day, it is the output that counts.
Finally, on a Friday afternoon, I received a call from Timesglobal’s HR, Ashwini, while I was having lunch.
“Congrats Jithin, welcome to Timesglobal. You’ll join the team as a content writer starting Monday.”
Those words sounded like music to my ears. I just had two days left. But I figured out everything. The location was Trivandrum. Hence, I took my luggage from Alappuzha and moved to Trivandrum by bike on Sunday.
I reached my new PG (hostel), in a room shared by three inmates for a monthly rent of Rs 3000. I looked at my white shirt and blue jeans, which I would be wearing tomorrow when I joined the new job.
“I will give this job my best shot,” I told myself before sleeping.
“Dear friend,
The last few weeks were hard. I went through a lot, and now I have finally found a job in which I hope to excel. I just want to say thank you and assure you that I am just a call away if you need anything,” I WhatsApp-ed five of my friends before going to work.
Chapter 3
“So you don’t know how to index articles?” Tomy was disappointed and furious at the office. “You told me that you knew it during the interview.”
“No sir. What I said was I will learn,” I replied humbly.
“No, that’s not what you said. Plus, I am not liking your work, to be honest.”
I went back to my seat and tried to prepare the write-up. This new job was more challenging than the previous one. I had never attempted long-form technical articles, and my attempts to simplify complex jargon sounded normal and unappealing to my new CEO.
“I know I am not performing up to your expectations. But I’ll learn and improve,” I promised Tomy before logging out.
Next day, 11:30 am
I was completing tasks for the Safari app. Our HR, Ashwini, came near me and asked me to go to Tomy’s cabin.
“Jithin, we have bad news. I cross-checked your profile with your previous company, and they gave me negative feedback. The fact that you did not learn indexing before joining is also unacceptable. You are creative, but that doesn’t make you a fit for this job, dear. Hence, we are terminating the offer letter.”
I was speechless for a second. After 20 days, I got my second firing from a job. I did not try to justify myself because I realized there was no point in doing that. Hence, I packed my bags and left the office in silence.
Around noon, I got three missed calls and ten messages from my colleagues, who all expressed concern about my firing.
“Da, if you need any money, let me know,” messaged Aravind. Another teammate, Govind, sent Rs 25 on Gpay for the tea and snack we had yesterday.
With two rejections in three weeks, I realized that I needed to clean up myself.
Chapter 4
“Where am I going wrong?” I asked myself. After hours of probing, I realized my issues: 1) I was not joining jobs that matched my interests, and it hurt me because I had lived the rest of my life following my interests, by walking the hard way. 2) Some personal issues I had been dealing with affected my mental health, and I was not mentally fit and healthy enough to take up a job.
I realized the need to be vigilant. I went back to the LinkedIn route, but this time with more clarity, focusing on sports. After three weeks of waiting, I got selected for three jobs.
I took the one that offered me lesser pay because it had a positive working environment. To compensate for the income, I also worked part-time at another job.
Despite my experience, I joined the team as a writer because I knew I wanted to regain my confidence before taking on bigger responsibilities. I worked hard, and within three months, I got a surprise.
“We are promoting you to Sub Group Head, with a pay hike. Congrats, man. You were our #1 pick.”
I took a deep breath. I knew this was just the beginning. The real journey had just started.
I took a screenshot of the message and continued to do my work faithfully for the next 1.5 years before bidding goodbye to the company, but for good reasons.
In the meantime, I saw several employees getting fired for unforeseen reasons. I inboxed them and offered my mental support and connections for new jobs. I knew how it felt to be fired, and I wanted my colleagues to not feel the same way.
So, what worked for me after getting fired? I asked myself. The answer was instant. I went back to the drawing board, figured out my flaws, and strived hard to keep things moving. I did not let external factors dictate my future but invested my time and energy to ensure a peaceful working life.
In the end, it does matter. Because getting fired and rejected by people is not uncommon in anyone's life. And what we do to clean up our path will help us write our story the way we want.
Perhaps, that was also my biggest takeaway.
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