Who knew that a cover letter can make a company you applied to investigate you?

Well, this person on the job hunt “submitted an application for an R&D role at a big company in Europe” and was recently taken aback by a call from the company’s lawyer.

Just two hours after submitting his cover letter, a lawyer and the department’s head were on the phone asking whether someone was giving the author info illegally. Read on below to find out how this peculiar situation unfolded.

A job seeker is taken aback by a call from a lawyer after submitting a cover letter for a job in their company

Image credits: Luke Southern (not the actual image)

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual image)

Bored Panda reached out to the person behind this story who told us that their utmost priority is to bring some attention to the effect of climate change on forests. “Climate change’s impacts on forests and the forest-based value chain have reached a critical point,” they said.

The author’s main message reads as follows: “We need cooperation between science, business and policy to develop appropriate response measures to ensure the longevity of diverse forests which sustainably provide products, ecosystem services and carbon capture.”

We also asked whether the Redditor could have ever expected a call from the company’s lawyer when writing that cover letter. “Never,” they assured us. “It seemed like a standard job application. Wait 6 weeks and maybe get an interview.”

The author later clarified a couple of details about the whole situation

Image credits: Yan Krukau (not the actual image)

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual image)

“I think I earn a decent salary, which is why I asked for the same in the job application”

What shocked people online in particular was the fact that the company was not willing to pay the Redditor despite the fact that they identified serious issues and showed that they can solve them.

“It made me feel trapped in my current role. I think I earn a decent salary, which is why I asked for the same in the job application.”

Since this incident, the Redditor hasn’t applied for anything else. “There are no other positions like this available (yet),” they explained.

In a second follow-up, the Redditor spilled even more details

Image credits: Equivalent-Cup1511

Image credits: Geraldine Lewa (not the actual image)

Image credits: Equivalent-Cup1511

We also wondered how this company they applied to and received a lawyer’s call from is doing at the moment.

“They are doing well, as are their competitors. That job description means they are working on the right things to survive the upcoming turmoil. I guess it’s down to whether or not they get the right people with the salary they’re offering,” the Redditor concluded.

And this is what people commented