Why Daniel walked away from a 6-figure offer (and how he knew it wasn’t as good as it seemed)

Last week, my friend Daniel walked away from what seemed like the perfect role at a fast-growing startup.

The reason? The job requirements were a tangled mess of contradictions. Here’s what he learned about navigating today’s job market:

“We need someone with 15+ years of experience, advanced coding skills, and project management expertise—but mostly, you’ll be organizing meetings.”

That’s when the alarm bells started ringing.

Daniel stared at the job description, wondering how a single role could demand so much and offer so little.

He had been in talks with recruiters for weeks. They reassured him he was the perfect candidate, but every time they discussed the role, the expectations seemed to shift.

Daniel checked all the boxes:

• He had years of leadership experience, having successfully scaled multiple teams.

• His skills matched what they initially outlined.

• He had the references and results to back everything up.

But the more they talked, the more it became clear—the role was not what it seemed.

Here’s what Daniel discovered:

• Many companies don’t actually know what they need. They list everything they want, but rarely focus on the must-haves.

• Misalignment across departments creates job descriptions that are all over the place. HR, hiring managers, and teams often have conflicting views of the role.

• Candidates get stuck in the middle—feeling qualified for one set of requirements, only to find the reality far more confusing and vague.

What Daniel is doing differently now:

1. Asking for clarity early.
   Before applying, Daniel now digs into the day-to-day responsibilities and how the role fits into the company’s larger goals. The more clarity you get upfront, the less confusion down the line.

2. Prioritizing roles with a clear vision.
   If multiple people can’t give a consistent description of the job, it’s a red flag. Daniel now walks away from any role that feels undefined or ambiguous.

3. Ignoring the buzzwords.
   Terms like “self-starter” and “dynamic environment” are just filler. Daniel is now focused on understanding what the company truly values and how they measure success.

Just because a role looks shiny on paper doesn’t mean it’s a great fit.

Has anyone else run into job descriptions that feel like a maze? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks,
Camila Rivers
Recruitment Coach