Applying to Multiple Jobs After Graduation
Spina went into detail about how she applied for a job as a collegiate sports coach and was happy to hear back from her potential employer.
Source: @camrynspina/TikTok
While she did not reveal the specific name of the college she was referring to, she did say that it was located in Virginia. The college graduate had earned a master’s degree in global sports business from Rutgers University in New Jersey and was looking to secure a job after graduation. After returning to her hometown in Florida, Spina reached out to several colleges that were hiring cheerleading coaches.
Spina’s First Job Prospect
To her surprise, she received a response from the head coach of the cheerleading program at a Virginia college.
Source: @camrynspina/TikTok
From there, the two coordinated a time to meet for Spina’s first interview over Microsoft Teams during the summer. Spina was optimistic about the likelihood of getting a job offer from the Virginia college because of how well the interview process went. “This interview was amazing. It went for an hour and a half, and it felt like I knew this guy my whole life,” she said in the TikTok video.
Making a Good First Impression
After acing the virtual interview, the head coach invited Spina to visit the school’s campus in person. With the help of the unnamed cheer coach, she made arrangements to fly to Virginia.
Source: @camrynspina/TikTok
Once she landed, she said that everything seemed to be going great. “They rented me a car, I got there. The interview lasted for five hours on location,” she said. The TikToker revealed that her second interview lasted even longer than the first one. “So, same thing as the first interview, we just couldn’t shut up — we really enjoyed talking about the job. It was really exciting,” she recounted.
Accepting the Offer and Making Plans to Relocate
Spina claims that the head coach offered her a job at the college at the end of their second meeting. He sent her an email with the job description along with what would be expected of her as an employee of the Virginia college’s athletic department.
Source: Camryn Spina/Facebook
While everything seems to be coming together for Spina’s career, she now realizes she was naive when looking back on the events that transpired. She shared that she was never given a contract or an official letter that indicated she had been hired by the college. However, she saved dozens of emails between herself and the head coach that clearly show his intention to hire her.
Acting Like She Was Part of the Team
Continuing with her story, Spina noted that the head coach sent her an email on July 11 to notify her that her first day of work would be August 1. The coach further instructed her to submit the proper documents to human resources “through a job posting on the university’s website” instead of directly through email.
Source: Camryn Spina/Facebook
It was still too early for Spina to see any red flags, especially since the coach had assured her that everything would be sorted out. In the email, the coach wrote, “This is merely a formality and can get you in the system with HR. Completing this now would probably mean you would be on a pay period starting 8/01.”
Outlining Her Tentative Job Duties
Spina was eager to embark on an exciting new career in a new state.
Source: @camrynspina/TikTok
She regularly kept in contact with the head coach and they exchanged emails twice a week throughout July. During their discussions, the coach went into detail about the responsibilities that her job would entail. The head coach even asked Spina to try “organizing a camp itinerary for the cheerleading coaching team.”
Moving Her Life to Virginia
Spina again delved into how she and the head coach talked about her plans to move to Virginia. “We had talked about whether I would relocate, how I would need to have time to find a place to live. So he put me in a hotel,” she said.
Source: Wikipedia Commons
To start the process of uprooting her entire life, Spina ended her Florida lease and put a deposit down for a storage unit in Virginia to hold all of her valuables until she secured a place to live. She proceeded to rent a moving truck and filled it with all of her belongings. Then, she and her boyfriend traveled 13 hours to Virginia to begin settling into their new life.
Feeling Confident in Her New Position
Spina temporarily moved into a hotel and began working on August 1, just like she had planned with the head coach. According to her, she immediately jumped right in, coaching 50 athletes.
Source: Camryn Spina/Facebook
Spina felt like was a good fit for the Virginia college, saying, “When I showed up in person, I was purchasing, I was ordering items, I was doing a lot of official business with the team. That’s when I felt, like, this is it. This is a done deal.”
Human Resources Was Unaware of the Situation
Everything suddenly changed the following week when her boss instructed her to ask human resources if they ever received her personal documents. The response she received was unexpected when reaching out to HR.
Source: Camryn Spina/Facebook
The email Spina got from HR said, “Your application is currently under review by the department, and if you are selected to move forward in the hiring process a hiring manager will contact you directly.” The letter suggested that Spina look at other job opportunities at the college in the meantime. She was confused and unsure what to make of the situation, as she had already been working for the college for six days.
‘Moving Forward’ With Other Applicants
Things only got worse from there.
Source: Camryn Spina/Facebook
As far as HR was concerned, she was never officially hired by the college. Shockingly, HR called her on August 10 to inform her that the college had “decided to move forward with other applicants for this job.”
No Record of Her Ever Being Employed by the College
The following day, HR phoned her again to give her devastating news. “They said this is now an issue where there’s no record of you. There’s no hiring process for you,” said Spina.
Source: Camryn Spina/Facebook
Upon realizing the situation she was in, Spina began to panic. She had spent nearly $1,500 to relocate to Virginia only to be told she was never hired in the first place. Eventually, she was reimbursed by the college for the days she had worked after writing them a letter to explain the peculiar circumstances that had occurred. The college gave her a $1,6000 check and she moved in with her parents in Pennsylvania while she figured out her next plan of action.