<p>I’m new to College Confidential forums, so let me know if I’m doing anything wrong. What you’re about to read might sound like there’s some venting, and I’m sorry if it does, but I actually want advice on what I can do in my situation.</p>
<p>If you’d like to contribute without having to read my story, here’s the SparkNotes version. I worked hard for my neighbor, got fired for (likely) tardiness while being told I was let go due to the economy, and have been given the cold shoulder ever since. This seems unfairly petty to me, as it’s already begun to interfere with my success academically and otherwise.</p>
<p>Just a note: Because this situation is sensitive and I don’t want to harm anybody involved, I’ve tried to make gender and some other details ambiguous. If something is unclear because of this, let me know and I’ll try to clear some of the confusion.</p>
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<p>In June, I was hired to work a 40-hour workweek at the small firm where the neighbor down the street is a partner. At around the same time, the neighbor offered to bring me on to the council of a non-profit he was involved in. These were decent offers, so I passed on the opportunity to visit my out-of-state family, bought some dressy clothes, and began to work. I arrived early, stayed late when I needed to, got along fine with everybody, and did my assignments correctly, but there were two Mondays in July when I slept in. I wasn’t partying or wasting my time; my alarm clocks (both of them) just didn’t wake me up. I called after waking up at 9:15 or so the first time and let my manager know what had happened. I offered to work an extra hour after I arrived, but (s)he said it was fine. It was a relief and I tried to work extra hard.</p>
<p>The next week, I had the same issue. I woke up, forgot to call, and rushed to work after getting changed, arriving at about 10:00. I apologized to my manager and my neighbor, and I got to work. At 11 or so, my manager said that one of the secretaries needed some work to do and asked if I needed any help. I let her know that if she wanted, (s)he could help with one of the items I was assigned. At about 2:30, the manager asked to see me in her/his office. S/he told me that because business had slowed, “We’ve decided to let you stop working for us early.” S/he continued by talking about the economy, and at the end of it I said it had been a pleasure working there and packed my things to leave.</p>
<p>I sent an e-mail asking my manager to confirm my termination date. S/he called the next day and explained that would be on my final paycheck. I told her/him that I had a few other questions, and s/he said to send another e-mail. I did, and the questions weren’t inappropriate or negative. I even apologized. However, I didn’t get a response. A week later, I sent a message to check whether my e-mail had gone through. I got a failure notice stating that the recipient rejected the message. The same message came up when I tried to get in touch with my neighbor.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I applied for paid and unpaid positions at the local hospital and university. Things were going well at both institutions until I submitted my CV with my neighbor’s firm listed as a past employer. After that, they either stopped returning my calls/messages or told me that they didn’t have open positions for me. It’s possible that my accomplishments just aren’t that great, but I’d racked up a decent list: straight-A grades, honors and AP courses, volunteering hours, a 1st-place extracurricular award in my state, etc.</p>
<p>This year, I was invited to apply for membership in NHS. A big part of admission is the number of hours that a person has volunteered/worked. I made a copy of the hours form, filled in the return-by date, rang my neighbor’s bell and asked his wife if he was there, and explained that I had a school form that I needed signed.</p>
<p>On a Friday (two days before the date I’d specified as the deadline), I visited my neighbor to make sure he had gotten the form. He mispronounced my name and told me, “I got the sheet, and I’m not going to sign it. You were late a couple of times, and I don’t want to say anything negative about you.” I said that I understood, and he turned around and went back inside before I could explain that I didn’t need a letter, just my responsibilities and a signature in the specified blanks.</p>
<h2>This is upsetting - I’d explained on the form that I had a deadline. That my old boss, an intelligent and driven person, waited until I asked him to tell me something so important to my application, suggests that he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt my chances in other areas. I’m also concerned about the possibility that somebody at the firm gave me a very negative review, closing doors at the hospital and university.</h2>
<p>I understand that, excluding psychosomatic explanations, I’m the one to blame for my tardiness. I had an opportunity in a field that I liked, and I more or less blew it by not being able to wake up. However, I think I’ve been treated more harshly than necessary. This is my senior year, and that was my first and only paid work experience so far. It was a very significant commitment (I had to turn down other opportunities and I took no vacations this summer) and I feel that I benefited when my co-workers talked to me, but I’m worried about whether writing that I worked at the firm would be worth the risk of being slandered if a college or NHS admissions officer calls them and asks about my work. Are there any things I can do to mitigate that risk?</p>