(Part 1)

Well, I've got some bad news.

Originally the head of my department said he was interested in extending my contract by "one year." (Or maybe it was "up to one year" - he said it about 1-2 months ago and I don't remember.) I'm not quite so stupid enough to actually think they'll give me a full year, but I did think they would give me about 3 months, as their Gantt chart reveals a ~3-month timeline remaining for my project.

With literally two working days left until the end of my contract, my manager spoke to me today and said they would give me up to 1 month - and I would have to write a justifying statement explaining what I would do for that month, due on my very last day itself. This technically means they can do a 180 on my last day and just tell me to gtfo!

Kind of scummy. As my dad said after he heard that: "Welcome to the real world." (Although he also says it's very telling that the company "has no concern for the individual", and so me leaving is not a bad thing.)

Granted, it's technically not too bad when I look at it from this perspective:

• My original attachment outline was to enter and learn about their HRMS while helping them out with work.
• When they noticed that I am the most skilled Excel user in HR, the head of department put me on this dashboard project, which otherwise would be done by someone else. This is a major point that I put on my resume!
• The only reason they're even considering the extension in the first place is because of the dashboard project. Had they not been proactive in noticing my skills, there is a 100% chance I would be out of work by Monday.

So I mean, I'm still walking out with more gain than I expected going in. The only thing that I consider scummy (although it's pretty major!) lies in their informal treatment of me. They seem to have intentionally conjured a false hope of giving me a bigger extension, then pulled it back quickly at the last minute.

There's three things I would like to consider.

Firstly, the past: is this sudden news a consequence of my performance in this job? It's very difficult to quantify because I am classed as an intern and am not subject to performance appraisal. From the very limited feedback I have received, I would guess the quality of my work is at least okay but I could do better at meeting deadlines (I missed one, which is one too many).

(I'm not a sensitive person so there's no way of telling if they secretly hate my guts. But the workforce development specialist is universally hated and he still has a job despite butchering his relationship with just about everyone at work, including and especially those he reports to. So somehow, I think that's not the problem.)

Secondly, the present: what do I do now? I'm not sad to go - if I didn't see that there was something funky with this company, I would be blind. I will rant about that later. The question, then, is when and how I should go: I think I will take the 1 month extension so I can get a bit of cash, but who knows, maybe Monday comes and they don't even give that to me.

Third, the future: I haven't managed to secure a new position for myself. Dad says my job search is way too lax, while I would argue it is a combination of my job search being too lax, the job market being quiet, and my father only wanting me to apply to big companies and HRIS/"HR Analyst"/Digital Transformation roles. I've spoken to him today and he's agreed to expand this to include all HR roles and mid-sized companies.

(To be continued in Part 2...)