My Dream Company Ghosted Me After I Quit — Then HR Called Begging Me to Come Back

Building a career can be thrilling, especially if you land a job at your dream company. But it doesn’t matter how good a company is, if communication fails, so does everything else. Because a gap in communication can lead to anxiety, which can ultimately end up costing the company a valuable employee. One of our reader’s shared their experience.

This is Zena’s story.

Dear Bright Side,

A few weeks ago, I landed my dream job at a major firm in my city. It was a dream come true and I took a few days to just process what happened before I could actually share the news or start making plans.

But once it set in I put in notice at my current employer, told my family, and started looking for new apartment because the company was on the other side of the city. Things were starting to come together and I couldn’t be more excited.

Just as things were falling into place I got an email from HR. They said, “We’ve restructured the role. Here are the new duties and responsibilities. Also note that the salary is $25K less.” I was shocked. The other shoe had finally dropped and it happened in the most insane way.

How could they cut the salary by $25K and think people would be okay with that? It was insane. So I wrote back and said, “That’s not what I signed on for!” I got an immediate response. They had canceled my contract and then they ghosted me.

This had all happened days before I was supposed to move. It was my last day at my previous employer as well. So they had basically abandoned me after leading me on and making me uproot my entire life.

I was furious and thought they must’ve changed their minds at the last minute. Or someone must’ve thought that I wasn’t worth the salary they were offering. It was understandable but it didn’t help with my situation. I needed to make another plan and fast.

2 days later, the company called me again and tried to rehire me with the full salary they had offered initially. The entire situation was so insane that I didn’t know what to say. But that wasn’t the only thing that made me hesitate.

What they didn’t know was that I had been offered the same position from their biggest competitor. The salary was higher, they paid for my relocation and they seemed to have a lot more respect for their employees. The thing is, they’re in another state.

So Bright Side, what should I do? Should I accept the offer to be rehired and stay close to my family? Or should I take the new offer and see where life takes me?

Regards,
Zena D.

Some advice from our Editorial team.

Dear Zena,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your story with us. Don’t make this decision about geography, make it about who showed you who they are under pressure.

This isn’t just a quirky HR mistake. They cut your salary by $25K after you resigned, prepared to move, and reorganized your life. That tells you something very specific about how they operate: when it’s convenient for them, agreements are flexible.

And when you push back, they don’t negotiate, they cancel and ghost. The only reason they came crawling back is that something on their end fell apart. Maybe their second-choice candidate declined. Maybe a department head pushed back.

But none of that changes the fact that they were comfortable detonating your livelihood without warning. If you go back, you won’t be walking into your “dream job.” You’ll be walking into a company that already tried to see how little they could get you for.

And the next time there’s a budget cut, restructuring, or leadership shuffle, you’ll remember this moment, and so will they. The competitor, on the other hand, hasn’t played games with you. They offered more money. They’re covering relocation. They’ve acted like they actually want you there.

Yes, it’s another state. Yes, that’s scary. But careers are long, and reputations matter. Starting with a company that respects you from day one is worth more than proximity comfort, especially this early in the relationship.

If staying near family is your top life priority, that’s valid. But don’t stay because it feels safer. Stay only if you’re willing to accept that this first incident is likely a preview, not a one-time fluke. When someone shows you how they handle power, believe them.

Right now, only one of these companies has handled it with integrity.

Zena finds herself with a difficult choice but she is the only one who can make it and in the end she needs to live with her decision. She isn’t the only one with workplace struggles, though.

Another one of our readers shared their experience as well. You can find the full story here: I Passed the Interview—Then the Test Started Looking Like a Job.