junegloom's journey

I recently encountered a frustrating situation while applying for jobs online. When I submitted my application through a company's website, they required me to provide reference contact information right off the bat. I understand that references are important, but I believe this should come later in the process, not at the initial application stage. At this point, the company is just a website to me, and I worry that they might misuse my references' contact details, potentially selling them to telemarketers or spam lists. I value the trust my references place in me by sharing their contact information, and I don't want to burden them unless I'm genuinely interested in a position. I feel that an initial phone screen should happen first so I can assess if I want to move forward with the application. After all, I don't want to exhaust my references' goodwill by asking them to vouch for me too often. Is it common for companies to require reference information at this stage? I’m considering just putting 'available upon request' to bypass this requirement.

I just got laid off from my position at a company that had two facilities across the country. They decided to consolidate all operations at one location, and unfortunately, my site is the one that’s shutting down. I had a feeling this was coming, so it wasn't a huge shock. My manager was based at the other site, and I was working remotely for them, which made things a bit complicated. What really confuses me is that they mentioned they still need staff and will be creating a new position for my role at the other location. They told me I could apply for it once my facility closes. Honestly, I find this puzzling. If they’re consolidating to save costs, why lay me off only to hire someone for the same position again? It feels like a waste of resources to go through the hiring process when I could have just transferred. I’m not interested in applying for the role since relocating isn’t an option for me. It just feels like they’re saying I’m welcome to apply to soften the blow, but it raises questions about their intentions. Do they think I’m not good enough and want to find someone better? If that’s the case, why even invite me to apply? It just feels off, and I’m left wondering what their angle is.