I've been working in London for the past two years. Starting up in a huge tech hub like London is pretty challenging, you have to try to succeed on many fronts, definitely lose on some, but picking up where I left off, proving perseverance and self motivation was something I had to apply.

I was targeting tech companies, sales, marketing and business development roles, as I am an IT graduate and I had more than 8 years experience in sales at that time.

I was hired by a tech company after a phone interview and long story short I start working for them. I only spent 3 days at that company.

I reported to the hiring manager and she guided me to be inducted by their most experienced guy there, one of my colleagues, with a similar position to mine.

It wasn't clear for me at that time, but my colleague was living under the impression he was my manager. He was acting to be some sort of team leader, but with no physical support in the company organisational chart. Our communication level wasn't at its best, but I never tried too much, as I don't want to artificially progress my relationships with my colleagues, I like to let my relationships grow organically.

I was nice to him, as I always am, but when I was given some tasks from my direct manager, I prioritised my manager's tasks first. His attitude changed, he was basically avoiding me, no eye contact whatsoever, no contact, nothing.

To be honest I really didn't care if one of my colleagues was in a bad mood and didn't do anything about it. I could have spoken to the hiring manager right away, as I had long term plans with the company, but I didn't want to be seen as that guy who doesn't integrate with the team, so I didn't say anything about my colleague's behaviour.

In my 3rd day there, my colleague comes to me and asks me if I know what an open ended question is. I explain that of course I do: it's a question that can't be answered with just "yes" or "no" and I'm using them all the time.

He asks for an example. I say: "How was your journey to work this morning?"

He says it's not open ended. I react and say he's wrong.

He reacts responding "it's not open ended, as it can be answered with only one word: Fine".

I'm amazed and I say that "fine" is neither "yes", nor "no", so it doesn't prove that my question is close ended, as he was stating.

I ask him for an example. He says: "what are you planning for the future?"

I answer that indeed his example is an open ended question, but if I wanted to give a one word answer just like he did with mine, I could answer "nothing", but that still doesn't prove that it's a close ended question. He doesn't say anything and leaves.

At lunchtime, my hiring manager calls me to her office and she fires me right away, without offering me any explanation.

What is the lesson we should all learn here? Please comment and let me know your point of view.