I’ve [24F] been applying for jobs. My “friend” [26F] snuck into my computer and added “f**k you” into my cover letters. I’ve been unemployed for months because of this. Is there anything I can do about it?

A Redditor shares a devastating betrayal by her close friend, Beth, who sabotaged her job applications. After months of unemployment, the Redditor had been diligently applying to jobs with tailored cover letters, only to discover that her friend had secretly inserted a rude message into the letters, causing her to be ignored by employers. Now, the Redditor feels both angry and hurt, questioning if there’s anything she can do to recover from the sabotage. Read the full story below to understand the situation in detail.

‘ I’ve [24F] been applying for jobs. My “friend” [26F] snuck into my computer and added “f**k you” into my cover letters. I’ve been unemployed for months because of this. Is there anything I can do about it?’

After college graduation, I got a job at a start-up in the tech industry. Unfortunately as you may know, many start-ups fail. After about 1.5 years working there, I was out of a job. My closest friend at that job was Beth. Beth and I decided we were going to make a team effort at finding new jobs, since we knew we were going to be applying at the same jobs anyway. We have very similar experiences and backgrounds.

She and I were incredibly diligent with our job search. I can’t stress this enough. I had written six unique cover letters and resumes that served as templates–they highlighted my experiences in ways that catered to the jobs I was applying. Each template had a label and a description. When I applied for a job, I would read the description, match that to whichever template was the most suited, and applied, etc.

Beth did the same thing with hers. We also were incredibly diligent at editing each others resume/cover letters for spelling errors. I know that I read mine over and over and over again, since we all know grammar mistakes are the quickest way to get your job application sent to the trash.

So, here’s what happened. It has been six months. I’ve been incredibly unsuccessful at landing a job, while Beth got one almost immediately. Even though I was unemployed, Beth helped me all the time, reading over my letters, sending out recommendations on my behalf, everything.

Well, guess what? Beth sabotaged me. In my cover letters, she snuck in a “you’re not really reading this, f**k you” just smack dab in the middle of my letter. This was AFTER I had poured over every detail for spelling errors. Since I discovered this, I tried to confront her about it, and she has been avoiding me ever since. Is there anything I can do? I have literally applied for HUNDREDS of positions, and I’m worried that I’m just permanently blacklisted. I’m so angry and so hurt.

Tl;dr My friend, who was supposed to be helping me get a job, sabotaged me intentionally by sneaking in “you’re not really reading this, f**k you”. I haven’t heard back from a single place because of this. What do I do?

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

[Reddit User] −  Honestly, I suspect most cover letters go into the trash can. When I was a hiring manager, I never had one passed along to me from HR. Even if yours was read it was more than likely tossed soon after. If I was you I’d get a new email address to use, new phone number and use a different address. I might even start using a middle initial or my middle name. This way if they scanned your info into a database your entry will be unique and not linked back to your old resume.

Do not call any places or contact them to explain what happened. Because, as I said, more than likely your snafu either went undiscovered or is forgotten. Don’t risk calling more attention to it. As for Beth, obviously drop her as a friend. Then spend a few hours daydreaming revenge. She’s a rotten person.. Edit: extra word.

upsidedownward −  I don’t even know what to say to this one. That’s a really s**tty, n**ty thing to do. I’m ~~pretty sure there’s no legal action~~ not sure if there’s any legal action that can be taken, but the best thing you can do is try to repair your reputation. Do you have any other friends who work in the industry? If so, then start talking to them about jobs. You can explain what Beth did and see if any of them would be willing to go to bat for you.

You could also try contacting some of the places you applied to and apologize for the error – maybe explain that someone who was helping you apply to places altered your cover letters without your consent. You may never hear back from them, but it may give you some peace of mind. In the future, never ever let someone send out cover letters/resumes on your behalf unless they’re a headhunter or placement-type person. I’m not even sure if any of this is good advice, but you totally have my sympathies with this one.

HarrisonFordsEgo −  Right. I’ve been in high-tech for 20 years. I have compiled an extensive list of technical recruiter contacts that I can share with you. Reach out to them directly, ideally without one of your previous cover letters. I would also suggest phoning them first, establishing a rapport, and then after they agree to it, send them an email. PM me directly, and I can send it to you. Most of these recruiters handle world-wide, overseas contract assignments. Not sure what you’re looking for, but it might be a fresh start.

Edit: To all the folks asking for the list, I’m sorry, but I can’t share it with all of you. If OPs situation were not so dire, I’d never have offered.

j–Brick −  As an employer whose employee was possibly still on probation… I would LOVE to know that I had such an unscrupulous a**hole working for me.

numbersdontmatter −  Um, can people stop giving OP advice on how to effectively write a cover letter? This post isn’t asking questions on how to do that, it’s on how she can deal with her friends sabotage in relation to her future employers and getting hired.

PartyMonsterAdore −  My friend, who was supposed to be helping me get a job, sabotaged me intentionally by sneaking in “you’re not really reading this, f**k you” That’s **not** a friend. Distance yourself from someone who’s obviously toxic and doesn’t respect you. Employment is never something to f**k with, especially in the early stages when it’s hard to get a break.

hungrydruid −  I don’t really have any advice for the Beth-situation, beyond burning that bridge with a vengeance. What a horrible person. As far as the applications go… try reapply to different jobs, and even jobs you’ve already applied to. They may not remember your name, if they even recorded it or just put your resume in the circular file and wouldn’t remember you.

[Reddit User] −  She’s not your friend. Remove her from your life and ignore all future attempts of contact with you from her.

[Reddit User] −  Its a s**tty thing to do but how could you not spot it sooner? Its still just a template so there is no way that you arenth pruning it to make sure it matches the potentional employers expectation and score you an interview. Most people are able to spot a template you are just shipping out with a company name change slapped on and throw it away.

[Reddit User] −  I don’t get it. Your friend said “I made a couple edits, here’s your letter back!” and attached it… Then you sent all six versions along without reading then once more?. This story makes no sense…