on file

I got a phone call today. The dialogue went like this:

Me – Hello.

Caller – May I speak to Cyrus please?

Me – This is Cyrus.

Caller – Cyrus this is Bob Eagan I’m a partner at Bell, Edwards & Johnson, I’d like to talk to you about your resume that we received.

Me – (interrupting) but I sent you that resume almost a year ago, and you sent me a rejection letter within the week.

Caller – That’s true Cyrus, but if you recall, the letter also mentioned that we would retain your resume in our file and keep you in mind for the future. Its been a year, and now we've got an opening for a licensed attorney with no experience. So I went through our file of previously rejected resumes to search for candidates.

Me – Wow, I had no idea companies actually did that. All this time I’ve been thinking it was just a BS line -- a poor attempt to soften the blow of rejection.

Caller – That’s a popular misconception Cyrus. You see, companies often like to keep resumes on file in case of future openings.

Me – But its been a year, what if I had found a job by now?

Caller – Cyrus, that’s a great point. (pause)

Me - ...

Caller - I'll tell you what, that's a great fucking point. And I could sense your ability to make points like that by looking at your resume, and that's why I picked up the phone and called you today. What are your salary demands?