I'm about to turn 20 years old. In October, I resigned from a 2-year position as an administrator due to being understaffed, being given responsibility beyond my position description, being underpaid and my management was quite hostile. I did not have a new job in place, but I am in a privileged position to be with a partner who earns a stable income.
After around a month of a revolving door of interviews, I was given an interview and they hired me 10-minutes after the fact for an office administrator position. I was really excited because I took the timing as a compliment and the management was really warm and welcoming.
In my first week, I started to get the hang of the role. The only responsibility I needed more support with was invoicing. I let them know during my interview I completed basic invoicing in my previous role, but not as advanced as what they produce.
Despite this, I had an inclination I was a bit of an outcast. My colleagues came from very rich backgrounds with private schooling, whereas I come from a very poor working class background. I couldn't relate to anyone in experience or conversation but I still put my best foot forward and made a big effort to develop friendly professional relationships with everyone.
Yesterday, not even a month into the position, I was pulled into a meeting room right before the workday ended and I was told I was being let go. I asked if I did anything wrong, or if I could have improved on anything and my director only said verbatim “this is a small office and unfortunately you can only get to know someone so much during an interview, we just don't feel like you fit in”.
I went outside with my now ex-manager and she told me they both thought I was older during/after my interview. I explicitly said I was only 19 and nothing within my resume or interview was fabricated. Even my manager said she really liked me and she wanted me to stay.
Long story short, I feel like I wasn't accepted because I'm not high-class corporate like everyone else there was. I dressed professionally, I did my work well with efficiency. I know there is nothing I can do about it because I was in a probation period.
I just want to work somewhere where the quality of my work is valued more than my appearance or my pedigree. I don't understand how management can so easily interrupt someone's life, get their hopes up and waste their time. I'm so tired of the relentless recruitment process and having to present myself as a prize-pig to recruiters. It's exhausting.