Job candidate learned the classmate he bullied in high school was in charge of hiring — and his reaction cost him a $140K career opportunity
Being a victim of bullying can cause long-lasting effects that stay even after school years have passed. It is a type of trauma that sticks to a person. A Reddit user who goes by u/Majestic-Mulberry-18 was tormented by a rich and bratty kid in school. Every single time, he somehow got away after the most heinous acts. Twenty-five years later, the man came back into their life, this time as a candidate. While they may not have directly influenced the decision regarding his application, they were delighted to know he lost the $140k career opportunity.
As a student, they were constantly bullied by the boy. "I was hit by him, spat on, and called names. But no one would believe me. He was the golden child," they wrote. Eventually, they went their separate ways, and the victim went on to become a successful employee who was well-reputed in the HR division. Recently, they learned that the man had applied for a senior position with their employer. He passed the required qualifications, but when the recruiting manager asked them to interview him for the second round, they refused and said that it would be biased since they went to school together. Following the evaluation, the manager asked why his face went pale when she mentioned their name. That's when they shared what had happened in the past. "She said I understand, and he probably isn't the right fit for us," they noted.
The HR professional received a message on LinkedIn from their former bully, who had sent an AI-generated apology, which they chose not to respond to. They also found that the man had been unemployed for over a year, while his wife had taken custody of his kids after their divorce. Learning all of this felt like a subtle revenge had been served. Feeling mixed emotions, they noted, "A little bit of me felt bad, but those scars of the past do sometimes show up. And they hurt. I'm also annoyed he still has his hair." Bullying can destroy a student's self-esteem. According to Stop Bullying, there is an endless list of long-term effects, such as depression, borderline personality disorders, and so on. It was also noted that physical health is affected, and victims struggle to find and maintain friendships and relationships even later in life.
Soon after the post gained traction, several users shared their thoughts on it. u/Useless890 wrote, "You didn't go out to wreck his opportunity. You were asked about him and properly recused yourself. He just saw his past come back to bite him." u/Fun-Satisfaction2214 commented, "You did nothing but speak the truth and only when you were asked. You didn't say anything that biased the interviewer." u/JakeBanana01 shared, "Would that every high school bully got this sort of utterly fair treatment. Sadly, most of them don't."
For more such stories, follow u/Majestic-Mulberry-18 on Reddit.