Last night, I received an interesting phone call.

Around 7:30, I answered my phone to hear a man ask for me. He was calling in response to a job I applied for, yet told me they were unable to offer me a position at that time. However, he mentioned they would keep my application on file in the event that something came up in the next month or so. I thanked him, and he wished me a good evening.

After hanging up, I started wondering if the whole "on file" bit was something he was telling everybody, and that the "file" was a plastic bin they sent to the recycling company. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to inquire again.

Around 8:00, I recieved the same call from the same man letting me know the same information. I decided to play along like I hadn't received the first call. When he was finished, I asked, "So, this means you liked me better than other people?" He sort of laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He went on to explain that there were 30 or so people who applied for the position and they accepted only 10. Then I asked, "So of those 30, where did I rank?" Unable to give me a precise number, he explained that they only put 2 or 3 on file. Satsified with my interrogation, I bid him a good weekend and hung up.

Having felt proud for my courage in asking blunt questions to a potential employer, I felt there was one more burning question that would have been even more inappropriate to ask: Who calls at 8:00 on a Friday night to tell anyone he or she didn't get a job? Who makes that call at 8:00 on any night? I could understand if it was getting accepted and they would be needing me in on Monday, but why call then if you are the bearer of bad news? "In case you were planning on having a good weekend, I'd like to let you know something that might ruin it."

Well, at least had the decency to make it a personal phone call. And at least it was a conversation we were both expecting.