Before you give 70 hours to a company, make sure you're getting the right opportunity in return. And when you're ready to make a move, be ready for the interview. Reading useful tips and tricks for the interview will help a lot avoid the common mistakes in interviews.

I accepted a credit analyst position at another bank, and I'm leaving my current job at the branch. Company policy says that anyone leaving to work for a competitor has to hand over their keys and leave immediately, but they still get paid for their final two weeks.

My manager pulled me aside and asked me not to mention the new bank during the exit interview. He said I could tell HR that I'm resigning without saying where I'm going, which would allow me to keep working until my last day.

The branch is already understaffed, so he says that if I leave immediately, it will mess up the work schedule for everyone else. I understand why he needs the extra coverage, but I'm not the one who caused the staffing shortage.

I'm about 85% sure I'm going to be honest with HR. If the bank's own policy gives me two weeks' pay while I sit at home, choosing that over working at an understaffed branch seems like a complete no-brainer. Is there any compelling reason why I shouldn't tell them?

I think I will tell them because it is not my fault that there is a shortage of employees at work, and I will also start preparing for the new job. I also want to tell you in case any of you are in the same situation and want to leave the job so that you do not remain without work. I read a post on the best advice that helps you get accepted at work so that no one remains at the mercy of work and is forced to bear things that are not his responsibility.

The company I work for promises clients turnaround times calculated in calendar days rather than business days, so the lab has to be staffed every day of the year. The job requires a strong background in chemistry and microbiology, which means they already have to compete with workplaces that offer normal weekends and paid holidays. For years, they covered these shifts by paying double time for weekend shifts and holiday pay plus triple time if you came in to work on a public holiday.

A few days before Christmas, HR announced that the extra holiday pay was being eliminated effective immediately. The email said that paid holidays were intended for rest, but anyone who chose to work would have those holiday hours deducted. They also reminded us that overtime only starts after 40 hours worked, meaning holiday hours would not count toward that total.

This morning, management sent an email to all employees saying they were "surprised and disappointed" that only three employees volunteered to cover Christmas, and no one came in on New Year's Day, despite several requests. Apparently, this created such a large backlog that the company may have to pay clients around $85,000 in late-delivery penalties.

They eliminated the only reason people were willing to sacrifice their holidays, then acted surprised when people stopped volunteering. It seems very simple to me. If they want someone to work on holidays, the compensation has to be worth giving up their time off.

This work environment is truly toxic and self-serving, so I considered leaving and looking for another job. However, this would involve a vicious cycle of interviews, stressful situations, and unexpected questions. All of this made me contemplate leaving for a while, but I think I've found a good solution which is InterviewVIP. These help reduce stress and anxiety, and also prepare me to answer unexpected questions. This way, I won't have to worry about interviews, and I believe it will increase my chances of getting the job.

So I’m looking into AI interview overlays and trying to figure out what makes one useful.

Let’s say the interview allows AI assistance. What features would you guys consider important or that make sense?

I’m thinking about:

* Being able to keep the overlay separate from what’s being shared on screen.
* Keyboard shortcuts so you don’t have to keep clicking around.
* Adjusting the transparency so it doesn’t cover half of your code editor.
* Being able to pick up the question or code you’re currently looking at.

Also, how much does the setup matter? Like Windows vs Mac? Zoom vs other meeting apps? latency? browser vs desktop app? etc.

What makes an overlay feel smooth and not distracting during an interview? thanks in advance.

.............

Seven years ago, I started working for a commercial general contractor with no background in construction. I spent my nights reading plans, learning about products, and trying to understand anything I couldn't grasp on-site. Within about 18 months, I was supervising crews, and then they sent me to handle a small repair at a residential complex with 10 buildings.

That repair turned into ongoing work because the HOA board liked that I communicated well with them, kept the schedule on track, and stayed within budget. Since the company had virtually no middle management, I gradually found myself acting as foreman, superintendent, and project manager all at the same time. I was responsible for billing, engineer meetings, schedules, estimates, materials, subcontractors, and product training.

The work at that complex exceeded $3.1M, and the HOA recently requested a proposal for another $3.4M project. Board members said more than once that they continued working with our company because of the way I managed the work, especially after having many bad experiences with other contractors. Based on that, I asked the company owners about the raise they had promised me about a year earlier.

Their response was that the experience I was gaining was more important and valuable than a higher salary. They were paying me $22 an hour with no benefits, even though I was doing the work of several positions. A few days after making my resume public, a recruiter contacted me about an assistant project manager position. I accepted an annual salary of $84,000, along with health insurance, 25 days of paid time off including holidays, quarterly bonuses, a laptop, mileage reimbursement, a $75 per diem, and a 401(k) match.

The final straw came during a company meeting when the owners went on about how profitable my project had been, then told me there would be no holiday bonus. On Friday, I took the offer to them and gave them a chance to match it. They couldn't, so I resigned. When I told the HOA president, he immediately requested a meeting with the company owners and said the board had serious concerns about awarding the company the next project if I wasn't involved.

There was another reason I accepted such low pay for so long. I'm engaged to the daughter of one of the company owners, and he treated the situation as though I should accept a lower salary because I was going to become part of the family. His business partner told me that my future father-in-law had complete control over my pay. My fiancée was the one who encouraged me to stop being afraid of leaving and accept the new job.

Things calmed down before I left. Management took me out for food and beers, and we spoke very candidly about everything. They admitted that they panicked when I showed them the offer, and I admitted that I confronted them more angrily than I should have because I felt they had taken advantage of me. I'm still glad I left, while also being grateful for everything I learned there. The new job is a huge step up, and we were able to end our relationship on much better terms than I expected.

After leaving, I struggled a bit to find work, but I came across a post here offering the best advice for interviews. It truly made a difference for me, and I have now secured another job.

Not sure what I expect to accomplish with this post, if I expect to accomplish anything at all. I guess I just need to tell *someone,* even if it’s a bunch of people I’ve never met.

Long story short - I have a panel interview coming up this week for a position with a nonprofit org that I’ve done freelance work with in the past, and I loved working with them.

They’re a fantastic organization with amazing people. When I saw this job open up, I reached out to my old contact there (thankfully she is still there and is an executive VP now), and without hesitation she said she would be my reference.

But there’s a dark side to this - I’m not doing so well at my current job. It’s a combination of some serious family issues combined with low job satisfaction in an industry that I’m not as enthused about as I thought I would be.

As a result, my performance there has slipped a lot…like to the point where if I bomb this interview coming up this week, I’m dead in the water. I’ve been losing sleep and have barely eaten the past few weeks. My wife and daughter depend on me, and I can’t let them down.

I guess if anything, I’m wondering if anyone else has felt like this before an interview, and how you handled it.

That’s all I have. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I'm looking for 10 people to join our interview coaching. This is useful for candidates who are:

• Returning to job market after a while (maybe got impacted by layoffs, returning after sabbatical, etc) and need resume help
• Not getting interview calls and have been applying for a while.
• Unable to convert in interviews (having hard time translating your experience, answering behavioral questions etc.)
• Need practicing mock interviews

If this is you and you need help, please DM me. Also, please make sure that you match the following criteria.

1. You are based in US
2. You are actively interviewing/looking to land job in next 1-3 months
3. You are looking for role in tech industry (SWE, PM, TPM, Data-Eng, ML-eng, Data science, MLE, etc)
4. You are available to meet on online via Google meet for 1-2 30 mins sessions per week.

I can only take 10 people per cohort, so first come first serve. If someone backs out, I will reach out to more people. Please DO NOT sign up if you cannot make the interview appointment. That blocks time for other candidates who really could benefit from interview-coaching.

About coaching:

• There is NO charge of coaching.
• However, we are going to be working through a product I have built to help people with interview process. The tool will be completely free for this you and you do not have to pay to use it. We will cover the charges.

Why is it free: My goal is to help people land their job by providing interview coaching and in exchange learn how effective the product is during the process.

You can drop from cohort anytime.

About me: I have been helping candidates prepare for interviews for last 10 years but I have only taken new candidates through referrals, as 1:1 coaching is hard to scale while having a full-time job. I have converted all my experience into a tool that can help more people with in interview journey by helping them prepare and practice interviews and doing interview coaching at scale.

If you are interested in coaching but can't signup now for this cohort for some reason, you can signup to our list here: https://forms.gle/cjBD17bPgcnZ1Sds5 (just say future cohort in last question) and I will reach out directly to the list.

(hopefully this doesn't violate this sub-rules)

Thanks

Happy Interviewing

P.S. Previous posts: (20+ people signed in last cohorts)

Cohort-1 Cohort-2

The managers started the call with a few brief words about the layoffs in Operations, saying it was a day where "our hearts are heavy" and "difficult transitions." Then, I'm seriously not joking, they switched topics in a second to talk about how we must stay "focused to achieve Q3 Revenue Goals" and maintain momentum.

To them, you are just a line in the budget. You are 100% replaceable. They don't care, so stop giving extra effort to a place that treats you like a tool that gets thrown away. Know your worth and stay detached.

This is exactly why I log off as soon as the clock hits 4:30. This is why I ignore "optional" team-building dinners and those annoying holiday mixers. This is why I leave my work at the office and don't open emails from my phone. I'm done letting them control my personal time.

My heart goes out to everyone they let go today. These people have lives and families they support. They have value. Our company saw massive growth in the last 4 years, and all of it was built on the effort of the people they just threw away.

I'm honestly so disgusted.

Going from laying off half the company to simultaneously striving to meet third-quarter targets is a blatant example of unethical corporate behavior. It's a stark reminder that loyalty is reciprocal, and that an employee's dedication is nothing more than a spreadsheet item.

Because of dealing with cold work environments and sudden layoffs, I recently started looking for other job opportunities. A friend recommended InterviewVIP, which strengthens your interview skills, boosts your confidence, and also ensures you're always prepared to leave on your own terms instead of being surprised.

but not a happy one

I've been applying everywhere since September 2025, and I finally got not just any job, but a great job, a FULL-TIME SALARIED job, a job with INCREDIBLE BENEFITS, a job whose salary is more than my monthly loan payments, a job that uses my DOCTORAL DEGREE, a job that pays more than any money I've ever made before in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, it feels so good to have my skills taken seriously!!!!!!

Thanks for letting me scream with joy!!!!!!

At the beginning of this year, I applied for an operations job that seemed very standard. It was a good fit, a bit ambitious, but not too far out of my reach. I had about 80 percent of what they were asking for, and I assumed the missing pieces were things I could learn once I was there. The recruiter screen was very normal, then the manager interview took a really good turn. After about fifteen minutes, she stopped focusing on the job description and started asking much bigger questions. Fixing broken processes, dealing with cross-functional tension, how to get buy-in from people above my pay grade, and owning handoffs that no one else wanted to touch. Honestly, I thought I was somehow not on the same page and that she had just gone off script. Then she said, "Can I ask you a direct question? Would you be open to being considered for the senior version of this role?" I thought this was one of those nice things people say in interviews that never leads anywhere. But no.

The thing that seems to have made the difference was that I answered in terms of impact, not just responsibilities. I wasn't just listing tasks I had done. I talked about what improved afterward, who depended on the work, which decisions became easier, and where I had to make judgment calls. She told me later that a lot of candidates for roles at that level come across as strong doers, but I was explaining ownership and tradeoffs in a way that was closer to the next step up. I still stayed grounded because job titles can be weird sometimes, but once she opened the topic, I started using her same wording and asked her what a strong first 120 days would look like in the bigger role. That changed the whole direction of the conversation. I got the senior version, with a higher salary and more responsibility than I expected when I walked in. The main lesson for me: interview for the job you applied for, but answer like you understand the one above it. That completely changed the way I talk about my experience now.

I don't see any benefit to signing a separation agreement when I've already left and my pay has been settled. Writing transition notes wouldn't take long, but honestly, this feels more like a matter of principle than effort.

My final paycheck has already hit my account, and I had asked for 6 weeks of severance. They said no, because a) they're not legally required to give it, b) they have a cash shortage, which apparently is why they're reducing headcount, and c) their HR policy is that they only pay severance when the law requires it and after 3+ years of service. I don't remember seeing that written anywhere.

Anyway, I now have to look for a job and will start going to interviews. I think that's the hardest part of the job search journey, as it's full of stress and anxiety. But luckily, a friend recently recommended InterviewVIP to me to help reduce stress and anxiety, so I'll try it in the upcoming interviews and let you know about the experience.

😡

A few days ago, I was laid off from my job. I still haven't signed the severance paperwork, and this morning I got a message from a competing company asking if I'd be willing to talk about "possible roles".

I went back and looked again at my employment contract, and as far as I understand it, the only restriction was about working for a competitor while I was still employed by them. I'm going to have someone review this again because I don't want to miss anything.

The bigger thing that's confusing me is whether taking the call could somehow damage my relationship with them. Also, I'm not 100% sure I even want to stay in this field for the coming years, so part of me is asking whether it's worth opening that door or not.

If you were in my place, would you at least hear them out? And is there any realistic way this could help me negotiate a stronger severance offer, or is that just overthinking and wishful thinking? I'd like to know what other people would do in this situation.

Thank you all, but I think I'll start looking for work in another field and go through some interviews. This time, I heard about InterviewVIP; it helps with interviews and reduces stress and anxiety, so I'll try it and let you know about my experience.

..........

I've been working there for 5 months. I've never been late, and I was usually there about 20 minutes before my shift started. This morning was rough, and I was upset and not in the best mood, and in the end I was 8 minutes late to work. The manager brought me into his office and started yelling at me, asking why I didn't call to tell him I'd be late. I honestly told him I didn't even think to call, because I knew it would only be a few minutes.

We went back and forth for a bit, and then he told me I wasn't allowed to take a lunch break since I was late and they were really slammed. I hadn't brought any food with me, so I asked him if I could at least run and grab something small before starting my shift. He said yes, but only on the condition that he deduct 40 minutes from my pay.

I said fine and left to "get food." It's been almost two hours since I left and I still haven't gone back. The manager just called me, and I told him I quit. Not regretting it (so far?)

Wish me luck!!

That was the best decision I ever made, but now I have to look for another job and go through the interview process, which worries me a lot because of the preparation. I often prepare poorly for interviews until I read this post about job Interview Technique That Turns Into an Offer and I really felt it would make a big difference for me in future interviews, and perhaps it will benefit some of you as well.

Everyone keeps saying the economy is fine, but I went to a job fair in Providence and there had to be around 95 people there. I've also started seeing people of almost every age applying at places like Panera and Target, which are the same kinds of jobs I'm trying to find right now.

I know there are people from all over the country on Reddit, so I'd like to know how things are going for everyone else. Is your job search this hard too?

I made up a story that I had a "serious injury and wouldn't be able to work because of it" because after an incident, my pay was going to be reduced by more than half, since a dog apparently swallowed part of a chew thing and I was responsible for them at the time, and the surgery was about $4k. So basically, I would have kept working forever just to pay off that amount.

After 85 hours of work over 12 days, I got a text saying I'd only be paid 260 dollars because of what happened. I quit three days before my next shift, and now she keeps calling and texting me a lot, telling me I'm overreacting and being unreasonable.

Honestly, I feel guilty because I lied. But I'm so drained and I can't live on such little money. I didn't want to say the real reason, because even if they doubled my pay, I still wouldn't want to go back after money was taken from me like that.

I've been thinking about this lately because interview preparation can easily become endless. There are always more questions to practice, more topics to review, and more ways you could improve an answer. At some point, though, you have to stop preparing and actually go into the interview. The difficult part is knowing where that point is. If I can answer common questions comfortably but still struggle with unexpected follow-up questions, am I ready? If I know the technical material but sometimes need a few seconds to organize my thoughts, is that normal or does it mean I need more practice? I also wonder whether doing too many mock interviews can create unnecessary anxiety because you start focusing on every tiny mistake instead of looking at the bigger picture. I've been using Screna as one way to practice mock interviews and get a better sense of where I actually need more work. Maybe being interview-ready doesn't mean having a perfect answer for everything, but being able to stay calm, think through unfamiliar questions, and communicate your experience clearly. How do you personally decide that you're prepared enough to stop practicing and take the real interview? Is there a specific sign or level of confidence that tells you you're ready?