Company Offers Job To Wrong Candidate

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm being offered a job I'm not qualified for. Should I accept it?

During a recent job application event, there was a process that tested each person's comprehension and attention to detail. The person who used the computer before me did not close his tab, revealing his almost perfect result. I didn't think much of it at the time. I took the test and ended up teetering on the line between passing and failing. I had already accepted that I wouldn't get the job, but then the company called me with a job offer. As I sorted through my papers during onboarding, I realized that the assessment score displayed was not mine; it belonged to the person before me. They must have made a mistake in recording it. What do I do now? -- Borrowed Skills

DEAR BORROWED SKILLS: The best thing you can do in this situation is speak up and tell the truth. Since you did take the test and did not sneak that person's scores in as your own, you were honest in the application process, though they mistakenly assigned you someone else's score. Contact the hiring manager and express your sincere interest in working for the company, and add that you are concerned that your skills may not be up to par for them. Point out whatever your score was compared to what was listed in your onboarding package. Be clear that you would like to accept the job, but you want to make sure that you have the requisite skills to do it effectively.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I graduated college magna cum laude, yet my aunt appears displeased. While she congratulated me in an online post for everyone to see, she cannot stop boasting about her daughter, a college freshman who made the dean's list. In every conversation within our extended family, she manages to interject her daughter's achievements when other family members congratulate me in our family group chat. She even suggested to one of my aunts to split the congratulatory money I am about to receive, since her daughter received a certificate. Her constant antics are quite annoying to me. I'm not sure if I'm just being too sensitive about it, though. -- Magna Cum Laude

DEAR MAGNA CUM LAUDE: First, congratulations for such a significant accomplishment! To get through college, learn and experience social dynamics and the growing pains of becoming an adult is a lot. To do so with high honors is incredibly meaningful. You deserve to be lauded.

I don't think your aunt is displeased with you. I'm sure she is proud of you. Yet she is also fiercely protective of her child who is beginning the college process. She wants to make sure that her daughter keeps her confidence and understands the value of her achievements. Is your aunt insensitive to your feelings? Yes, but what you described sounds like she is cheerleading her daughter who has begun the journey that you just completed. Do your best to forgive her as you turn the page to the next part of your journey. You are doing great!

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(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)