First post here as I got fired today and I stumbled upon this sub. This is a huge read so grab a snack if you have nothing better to do. Disclaimer: I'm from Greece so English is not my mother tongue so I apologize for any typos/grammar errors.
This was my first “big” job and I was really excited about it. I'll take things from the beginning and try to be as thorough as I can.
The company was a real estate agency that also provided more services like renovating, turning apartments into Airbnbs, checking documentation regarding selling/buying properties etc. They took pride that they are the only real estate agency in my country that can provide as many services as they do and can also raise the market value of properties. Their motto was something like: we are not like other Real Estate Agencies and we provide 50+ services that others don't. The company recently opened offices in Athens (I am from a smaller town in Greece and I relocated to Athens to find a job) so they needed more personnel to fill some spots.
I went to the interview not knowing what the job was about (I am currently attending a “school” that helps unemployed people find a job so they just told me to go there. I didn't see the job on any job posting site etc. I only knew that some of my duties would be secretarial). Anyway, the hiring manager seemed really friendly, I thought we had a lot in common. She worked in a trust fund in New York from a really young age and she told me that the reason she relocated back to Greece was to change things and give opportunities to young people like me who had no experience. She gave me the impression that she believed in me and we had the same opinions regarding employment in Greece. In the interview she told me that some of my duties would be general secretarial duties, handling of the company's e-shop and last but not least public relations. She told me that public relations was not required of me from the start because of my limited experience but it was something that I would eventually do as I gained experience. I agreed with her that I would be interested in doing public relations in the near future. At the end I felt like I aced the interview. I was polite, showed interested in what they told me, asked questions and even made some jokes regarding the housing market in Greece. The salary was not disclosed to me (I was also caught off guard because they didn't ask me what my salary demands are. That's how it was done in past interviews). In the end they liked me so much that they decided to hire me on the spot even though there was another candidate outside. They didn't want to see him but eventually they did because it would be rude to waste his time.
A few days later I receive my contract to sign and I see that my salary would be minimum wage. I didn't like that at first because as I said I live in Athens alone and the rent is really high. With a minimum wage I would pay more than half my salary on rent. With food and all other stuff I would be left with about 100€ a month (at best). I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt as I really needed this job and I was told that I would also get bonuses depending on performance and that I would get a raise soon.
So it's the first day on the job (Thursday) and I was introduced to another new hire starting with me. Our hiring manager starts training us and I realize that our only duties would be public relations. And by public relations I mean being like a door to door salesman (is that really what a public relations person does?). Going to businesses, talking to rich guys like lawyers, doctors etc and trying to convince them to invest in real estate. We were told that eventually we would talk to politicians, artists, athletes and all kinds of celebrities. That was a lot for me, as I used to be a shy guy (I even told her that on the interview) but I've made huge progress over the past few years. Still, this felt like I had a mountain to climb. Imagine going from barely able to speak to strangers to talking to typical rich people (which I despise by the way). I still decided to give my boss the benefit of the doubt because even though she was a rich business woman herself(probably even a millionaire) , she gave me the impression that she was not like the others and understood the struggles of poor people like me. At the end of the first day, the girl I was hired along with wanted to have a chat with my boss privately. I started to suspect that something was wrong.
Turns out I was right. The next day (Friday) my boss tells me that the new hire decided to quit abruptly. She also tells me that she was hurt, not because she quit so suddenly, but because she didn't inform her directly but instead another colleague about her quitting. She also wanted to know what made her quit and she started making speculations that it was because she was newly married and stuff like that (keep in mind that she didn't inform her on their private chat that she would quit but later on that day). Anyway, we continue my training like nothing happened (I even took my boss' side on that matter). She keeps telling me that she wants me to go out soon and start promoting our business. I'm getting a little worried because I didn't expect it to happen so fast. I am handed some notes and talking points and over the weekend I have to study them to prepare my presentation on potential clients. In the end I didn't study them that much because I had the flue over the weekend.
Monday comes and it is my first official day (keep in mind that 2 days of training was enough according to my boss). I arrived at the office and I see that my boss was not there. I am given a briefing of my day to day tasks over the phone and I ask her when she is coming back to the office. Turns out, her base of operations was in an office in another city and I would only see her like 1-2 times a month. I was never told that. She expected me to handle everything by myself without proper guidance. I thought that we would go out together at first and talk to clients so I can see the job first hand and learn on site. None of that happened. I was left alone and expected to go out and talk to all these huge businessmen without proper training on my first day. It seemed so overwhelming. So I stalled for time and told her that I would make my research around the area to see who was worth my time but without actually talking to anyone. I didn't want to just knock on a doctor's door without an appointment and try to convince them if they are interested in our services. They would just wave me away . So I started sending emails explaining what we do and if they are interested in an appointment in hopes that at least some them would take a look at it. I forgot to mention that my job title was “Public Relations Executive”. Like what? I'm just a guy with minimal experience and you give me a title as an “Executive” without proper training. I was supposed to replace my boss and do her job that she was doing for the past 8 years while getting paid minimum wage. At the end of the day she demanded that I give her a full report of what I did since I didn't go out to talk to clients. It seemed that she didn't trust me and thought that I was slacking for 8 hours in the office. I arrive at home and share these thoughts with my friends and family and we all agree that I should speak with her all while being polite and honest. This was even something that we discussed in the interview: the importance of being honest and polite in the workplace. She told me that if I feel someone is disrespecting me (even herself) then I should inform her.
So that's what I did on the next and final day (Tuesday). I call her first thing in the morning and tell her about my problems. You guys already know what I mean but Im going to summarize it really quick: given false promises on the interview, being left alone in the office without proper guidance, not being told that she would not be there to guide me, 2 days of getting bombarded with information is not “training”, I am willing to do what she asks of me but in due time, she has very high demands of me that soon. I repeat, I was saying this while being calm, collected, respectful and professional. I didn't want to quit, I just wanted to have a discussion so we can come in a compromise. And then she proceeds to talk to me in the most unprofessional way you can imagine. She calls me lazy, liar, having no manners, I will never go far in life with that attitude, that I was expecting to get paid while not working (I was getting minimum wage btw. Even though I had no “experience” I still have a bachelor's degree and have countless hours on online seminars. That has to matter for something right?) she hired me against her partners wishes because she believed in me and stuff like that. She said those things were a reason for termination and I replied “If that's your wish then I respect that” For some reason she expected me to beg for my job. She tells me to hand over whatever equipment they have handed me and leave instantly. While I'm getting ready she calls me again and continues humiliating me and screaming hysterically. And I'm stupid enough to keep replying to her in a polite way and even thanking her for the opportunity.
So that was my story. Sorry for the wall of text. I didn't expect to get fired that soon. This was supposed to be my first “real” job so I don't know if everything I did was correct. I'm willing to listen to your opinions in the comments. If you want any clarifications or more details I'll try to reply. Thanks!