Here's one for you:

I posted for a job at work I had no way of getting, really, but I posted for it because I wanted everyone to know that I was interested in branching out. I was candid about my shortcomings in the interview process - with my lack of knowledge in a certain part of the system something I wanted to make sure people knew I was aware of. I thought I acquitted myself fairly well, but, you know...it didn't matter, because there was already an internal candidate identified.

So today our VP calls to provide interview feedback.

First, he provides the feedback that I gave myself, with regards to my technical shortcomings. No surprise there. Then he says "Now, I'm not sure I believe this myself, but....one of the interviewers says that they believe you lack the maturity level to be one of my directs and would require too much coddling and hand holding to be an effective decision maker".

I know the interviewers (two of them very well). I know who said this. This person will know through my utter professionalism and incredible courtesy that I know, and she will never get anything other than what the job requires from me again. Now I am in the unfortunate position of trying to remotely combat what this person has now said in front of an interview panel, and in front of Human Resources, and something that could very well follow me like the smell of stale curry for the rest of my days at this company.

I thanked my VP and hung up the phone. After I collected myself, I sent him an IM again thanking him for the feedback, agreeing with the first part and telling him that I found the second part frankly shocking, and that I found other people's perceptions of me quite interesting, and that I appreciated his candor, and left it at that.

I hate politics. I really do. I wish I could tell you I was a big girl and wasn't upset, but I immediately started to bawl, and stomp around. And then Zoe ran away and wouldn't come back, and then it started to rain. MWAH!!!! :-)