A few weeks ago, a Mexican restaurant that was close to where I live posted they were hiring. I messaged them saying that I was interested, I am also Latino (it said in the post that they were wanting people who could speak Spanish or came from similar areas – I am both), and I sent them my resume. We went back and forth (all in Spanish, proving I knew the language) and set up an interview. We had our initial conversation in Spanish, she complimented and said that she was happy with how much I knew, and then said we'd do the interview in English. It went well and I was so pleased that I could both do English and Spanish with her right away.
She got me to come in the next day and do a trial shift. Honestly, it wasn't the best shift. It was very very busy and just her, myself, and one other woman. At the end of my shift, the boss said that she was sorry I didn't really get any official training and that it was so busy, but I did well for my first day, and we'd probably just continue training like that, learning as I go sort of thing, seeing how they do stuff, etc… she gave me paperwork to take home and sign, and gave me a sheet explaining how tips worked. She also told me she was glad that I could understand her instructions she gave me in Spanish – it was so busy sometimes she would just come in and say something in Spanish instead of English, but I still understood her. She also specifically said that she was glad I obviously knew about their culture and how important food is. So it wasn't like I was showing my best work, I was nervous and it was a busy first day. BUT she still seemed pleased with me.
She said that somebody would contact me by Monday or Tuesday (my first shift was on a Friday), I could bring the paperwork back in, and they'd put me in the system as an employee! I was so excited and happy to finally have a job again. I enjoyed it even though it was busy, that just made the time go by faster. Her and I exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and she even had me text her before I left so that we had each other's info and confirmed it was correct. It was all looking and sounding great.
On Monday, I waited, checked my email, kept my phone on me, but at the end of the day I still had nothing. So on Tuesday afternoon, I texted my new boss and asked if I could come by and drop off the paperwork I had filled out. She just responded by saying she wasn't there that day. I said okay, no worries, expecting a response like, “come in tomorrow instead” or something… I have not heard from her since then.
They have been actively posting on Instagram all week. It's not a big enough restaurant that they have a main social media manager or anything like that, they told me that they still run it. The restaurant is open – like I said it's nearby, so I have passed it and they're just operating like normal. I just wish they had at least contacted me and told me no, said they changed their minds or…whatever it is that happened. They gave me paperwork, made me fully believe I was hired. I told my family, my partner kept saying how proud he was of me, and now… nothing.
I'm so used to interviewing and never hearing back. That's 100% a thing that happens now. Like, it's more shocking when you get an email saying “thanks but no thanks” after an interview instead of silence, right? I guess this is something work places are doing now as well? Not even firing them, just completely disappearing. I never got to give them my paperwork, so they don't have any of my banking info, and I am not even going to get paid for the one shift that I did work.
I am so embarrassed that they made me believe I was going to continue working there, and that I told so many people that I had a new job. I feel like such an idiot for actually believing them when they said they were going to hire me. Why did they even give me paperwork to start with? Do workplaces do this now, go through the full process and a trial shift just to get some extra help and then not have to pay them? Or was that just this restaurant specifically? It's been so long since I was even hired somewhere, I have no idea how any of this works anymore. I just at least want a no. I feel pathetic and so embarrassed.
TLDR: was “hired” by a restaurant, worked a trial shift, they gave me paperwork to go home with and said I'd hear back. I never heard from them again and never got paid for the shift I worked.