I once applied for a new job and had what felt like a very successful interview. I left feeling confident and excited, certain that the position would be mine. While waiting for the result, I made the mistake of telling everyone at my current workplace about it — where I applied, how well the interview went, and how I was expecting to move soon. I was proud and hopeful, so I didn’t think twice.

Eventually, I received the offer and accepted it. I left my job, said my goodbyes, and started at the new company. After a couple of weeks in the new role, I felt like I was settling in well. One afternoon, my new boss casually mentioned that shortly after I joined, another applicant from my former workplace sent in their CV for the same role. They had reviewed his application but ultimately decided not to hire him.

Not long after that conversation, my phone rang. It was that colleague. Instead of congratulations, the first thing he asked me was whether I had taken “his spot.” He seemed genuinely disappointed, almost as if he believed the role should have been his.

I took a moment and told him calmly that I didn’t take anyone’s spot — I simply earned my own. The company chose me, just as they chose not to move forward with him. There was a brief silence on the call, and then he simply accepted the explanation.

It was an odd moment, but also a reminder that timing, preparation, and fit matter in life. Sometimes things work out for one person and not for another, and that doesn’t make anyone a villain. We each follow our own path, and this was mine.