When Arif told Mohammed that he was thinking of leaving, Mohammed responded with what seemed to be genuine affection, “That’s really sad to hear mate, you’ll be sourly missed.” Yet, Mohammed didn’t mean that 100%; feeling relieved that this would likely mean one less person to compete with for the Engineering supervisor role. It was then Mohammed decided to help the process along.

After finding the advert for a job he knew suited Arif, Mohammed pushed Arif to the advert, assuring Arif that he was the right man for the job, even though Arif was unsure he had enough experience. But Arif was interested, and it is then that a growing sense of urgency overtook Mohammed, who concluded that it was a matter of time without Arif, and that there was no one younger than him in the company, which fed his sense of insecurity that Arif was probably a better engineer. Arif had a better degree and better prospect, spoke better English and articulated his feelings and ideas in far greater clarity than Mohammed. Upon reflection Mohammed thought Arif seemed less awkward to approach than Mohammed knew himself to be.

Sensing that Arif was unsure who to speak to at the company, Mohammed called them up, found out the contact and presented Arif as a potential employee, who was not sure about the move but a great candidate. Mohammed prepped a relucted Arif to then call the contact and arrange a telephone interview. This looked good for Arif’s prospects, showing some initiative, so he was quickly put through a phone interview, which he passed with ease, showing his great communication and engineering know how, and was soon had a face-to-face arranged for a few days later. When asked to say what he was looking for as wages, Mohammed advised Arif to say he was working for a couple of thousand pounds more that he was and thereby increase the asking price of any potential offer. Mohammed even told him to ask for at least 7 thousand pounds more.

To ensure Arif was fully prepared to look his best in the interview, it was Mohammed who went to considerable lengths to research the prospective employer. Indeed, after some considerable effort, Mohammed offered an in-depth understanding of the prospective employer’s history, which he laid out in bullet points so Arif could easily recite in the interview and impress. In addition, Mohammed worked hard on Arif’s CV accordingly so that he seemed taylor-made for the role, rather than optimistically hoping for a chance at a role he might grow in to.

Not to leave too much to chance, Mohammed made sure that Arif had his first interview on Sunday to get ahead of the other candidates and make an extra positive impression. This worked and Arif soon moved to the second stage. The second stage took place on the Monday afternoon, and it was Mohammed who covered for Arif, claiming he had spoken to him on the phone Sunday, and he was far too ill to come to work, giving Arif the best hope of making the best impression.

But when the offer came in this is where it started to backfire for Mohammed. Arif was offered ten thousand more pound as a basic and more OTE in the new role. Arif jumped at the offer and put his notice in.

Upon hearing the news, the Chief engineer called Mohammed in to his office.

“Bad news, I’m afraid. With Arif’s departure we are being relocated up north, to save on costs. So, you can take redundancy or take a pay cut to move up north. Which would you prefer?”