I know what it seems like. It’s a total movie plot to some B-list rom-com, too surreal to be true. But no, it’s an actual thing that happened, apparently!
This woman had ghosted a guy about 6 years ago for being too intense for her and, in time, karma came around full circle and now he’s interviewing her for a position. Here’s the story so far.
This woman went through what would be a nightmare for most - a job interview with an old flame who she ghosted
Image credits: ryliejouett
Rylie started the story with a viral TikTok about the situation, which made the community beg for an update
Image credits: ryliejouett
"Okay, I'll update all of you guys really soon, but I just got to my interview, and I got to run in really quick"
"But it's really funny that you say this because when he called me to set up the interview and realized who I was, he was like, 'Oh, well, that's really awkward. Like, I don't know if maybe we can get you hired at a different location, considering there's a conflict of interest.'"
Image credits: ryliejouett
And I'm like: "what? Like, you can't even interview me because we, like, kissed once, like, six years ago on a date?"
"Like, that's just so strange to me. You have a whole a** woman, and I have a whole a** man. Like, let's be adults here. Like, I would love to have this job.” And I basically schmoozed him into letting me come interview at his location. So I'm here right now, I don't know if it's him that's interviewing me or another person, but we're gonna find out."
Image credits: ryliejouett
"I'm so sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long. But yeah, y'all don't pay my bills, so I'm not concerned"
"Anyways, so to dive right in, he did offer me the job, I think. He wants to set me up for an orientation next week. I'm very unsure, considering the location is 30 minutes from my house, and it's half the amount of pay that I was expecting. I do think that it's extremely hilarious that people in my last video were like: 'digital footprint, like, delete this, take this down, like you're definitely not getting a job now.' Babes. It's a f**king barista job. Do you think that I give a s**t, genuinely, for $9 an hour plus tips, like, be serious right now. It's not like I'm working for f**king Elon Musk. They're not doing this extensive background research on me. If they did, they probably wouldn't even be bringing me in for an interview."
Image credits: ryliejouett
"Again, it's just a service industry job. So not very concerned in that department. What is concerning is that this man is a Scorpio"
"So I just know he holds grudges. I'm a Scorpio moon - I know how that goes. So that's a little concerning. And just the fact that it's 30 minutes away from me, there's just like, a lot of cons and not enough pros for me to be like: 'oh, like I accept,' um, so yeah, I'm thinking like this one, just maybe an L. And that's okay. Um, there will be better jobs. I do also have to make it clear that he has been nothing but professional this entire process. And I'm very grateful for that. Because I'm an incredibly awkward person socially. I think I may try to like, finagle some arrangement with him where he, like, lets me work at the other location that's actually closer to my house. It just makes more sense, and it can help both of us kind of not have to navigate the awkwardness of the situation on his end."
Image credits: ryliejouett
"Because, again, I have not been holding on to any of this"
"Matter of fact, I had to go back and read our text messages on my laptop because I wasn't really sure what went down. And at the end of it all, it's really just because this man was really obsessed with me, and he's a Scorpio, and he was very intense, and I was just not feeling it. And it's my right to choose who I like and who I date. Could I have been better at communicating instead of ghosting? Absolutely. Again, though, I was 19, and I have changed a lot since then. I'm definitely going to have to work at the other location now, just thinking about the fact that this is probably going to get back to him very soon. So wish me luck."
Image credits: ryliejouett
Watch the original video here:
Two updates later, the community was split, with half on her side and another half on the interviewer's
TikTok influencer Rylie Jouett started the story with a video of how karma had caught up to her when she was looking for a position and would need to be interviewed by a guy she had ghosted 6 years ago.
She then updated her viewers right before the interview. It turns out that during the phone conversation about the position, the guy suggested having her hired at a different location, because of any potential conflict of interest. Rylie thought that it should all be bygones six years later and talked the guy into doing the interview at his location.
Finally, she posted the latest video after the interview, talking about her experience there. There were lots of hangups for her, from the job being 30 minutes away from her house to the pay being half of what it was supposed to be. She also mentioned that she thinks the guy won’t have let go of her, citing that she broke it off in the first place for him being too obsessed with her and saying that “[it’s] concerning that this man is a Scorpio.”
The story is crazy to comprehend; I’ve got firsthand experience of my friends ducking for cover even if they get a slight feeling that their ex may be in the area. Having someone you ghosted interviewing you for work seems like a bad dream that would end with you waking up in a cold sweat.
People have actually explored this concept in a Quora thread, asking what you would do if you were to come to an interview and your recruiter was your ex. Lots of people said they would straight up leave as they don’t want to talk to their exes and vice versa.
Another man interestingly said: “I already work with her as a co-parent; I could do so as a co-worker as well,” which is a very stoic view.
A further person was not as optimistic about his prospects, after he came to an interview: “She saw me and froze, and I know for a fact she snaked her way into HR to tell them not to hire me.”
It likely would depend on too many variables, such as how the breakup happened, how you feel about each other now, etc.
Image credits: ryliejouett
An Inc. article explores the idea of being on the other side of the barricade and interviewing your ex for a position.
If you’re an interviewer and your ex's application comes through, the best course of action is to talk about the person managing this hiring and be up front about it. If you disclose it later, it may appear odd.
Interestingly enough, the same article discusses what to do if you’re blushing too much. They say that you don’t necessarily need to explain yourself and why you blush, but if it’s bothering you a lot, you could tell your coworkers about it, so you don’t feel judged or otherwise.
Alas, while interviewing or getting interviewed by an ex is statistically rare, working with them may be a real possibility. Forbes has some advice for what to do if you’re in that awkward situation.
A good cautionary measure is agreeing to keep your relationship outside of the office from the very beginning, doesn’t matter if you’re dating them currently or the relationship is over. Doing so may prevent grievances being brought up in the office if your relationship sours.
You should also be professional. If you sacrifice professionalism to spite your old flame, it will create awkward situations not only for you two, but for everyone around you in the office.
Avoid stirring up drama and always take the high road. It may be difficult to appreciate your ex’s good work in the office, but if they’re doing a good job, you should be able to say so to your colleagues without hangups.
The original video by Rylie got 10 million views, almost 2.5 million likes and 6.5k comments. The updates collected about 200k views and 10k likes each. Comments on the vids were split, with some supporting Rylie and others - the recruiter. What the comments did agree on was that $9 per hour for the job was bull. Have you ever had a run-in with an ex at work? Be sure to tell your story in the comments!
Even if the opinions were split about Rylie, the community agreed that the $9 pay was way too much
