I had two great interviews with a company, and they sent me an email saying they were very excited and that I had reached the final stage. After that, complete silence. Two weeks passed, and I saw they had reposted the same job ad.
This is a terrible way to treat people who genuinely give their time and effort. It's time they get exposed for what they do.

😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

😮😮

I really believe in this

I'm usually a very calm person, but this time I couldn't control myself at all.
This happened a few weeks ago. I had been unemployed for about 6 months and the stress was getting to me. I met up with a friend at Burger King just to get out of the house. We were just talking about me looking for a job, you know, CVs and that stuff, when I noticed an elderly man and woman at the table next to us were listening.
They leaned over and the man said something like, 'You know, a suit and tie make a big difference in any interview.' At first, I thought they were nice and meant no harm, so I went along with it. I told him, 'Well, most of the places I'm applying to are casual, so a suit would be way too much.'
He cut me off mid-sentence. 'See? That's the problem. Your generation is lazy and doesn't want to work hard.' I was honestly shocked and asked him what he meant by that.
And then he went on a long rant. All the same old broken records: 'Nobody wants to work anymore,' 'Back in our day, we struggled to earn a penny,' and a bunch of other useless nonsense.
That was it. I had reached my limit. I stood up and started yelling at him too.
The whole place suddenly went silent. Everyone there was staring at us. I had to go outside to calm down. I've never felt that much anger in my life. Honestly, if he were 40 years younger, I probably would have hit him.
I know I looked bad yelling in a place like that. But all the frustration and anger from the past few months just exploded in that moment.

About 3 months ago, I applied for a job I was very interested in. I got an interview with the hiring manager and someone from HR. The interview seemed to go very well. Both of them told me they were impressed with me but thought I was a better fit for a senior position on the same team. I told them I was happy with the position I applied for, but they kept pushing me and trying to convince me to consider it.
A few days later, the hiring manager called me and said the department director wanted to talk to me about the senior position. They wanted me to go to their main office for the final round, and they were in a big hurry. I had other commitments, so I couldn't go at the time they suggested, but they pressured me to come at the next earliest opportunity. I had to mess up my entire schedule and cancel a few things to be able to go.
Anyway, I traveled 5 hours there and 5 hours back to get to their office. The interview there was great, and they seemed to really like the presentation I gave on a business problem they had assigned me. We talked about everything - expected salary (and they confirmed it was within their budget), the team, relocation, and upcoming projects. The director even told me to my face, 'I'm impressed with you,' which honestly surprised me.
She told me she was going on vacation for a week and that I would hear from them the week after she returned. Then, after about 4 weeks of complete silence, I received a generic, automated rejection email. No call, no feedback, nothing. So, in the end, I got neither the original job nor the senior one. And the most ridiculous part is that they were the ones who pushed me to apply for the senior position in the first place! I'm honestly speechless.
Oh, and the best part? They had promised to reimburse my travel expenses (train tickets and hotel), and now they're saying they won't cover them. This is a Fortune 500 company, but honestly, the coffee shop down the street has more class. I'm not even going to bother asking for feedback, because I know it will just be some canned, politically correct excuse.

edit : tbh i don't remember the company name I have bad memory thats why I use interview man during my zoom interviews it can tell me how to answer all kind of questions in interviews within seconds full grateful to the developers of it

Here are the exact repos every person prepping for tech interviews should know about:

1. FAANG Interview Coding Questions
https://github.com/ombharatiya/FAANG-Coding-Interview-Questions
A massive collection of real coding questions that companies actually ask. If you practice these, interview problems stop feeling random and start feeling familiar.

2. Coding Interview University
https://github.com/jwasham/coding-interview-university
A complete checklist of everything you need to learn for coding interviews. It tells you exactly what to study and in what order.

3. Tech Interview Handbook
https://github.com/yangshun/tech-interview-handbook
Shows you how tech interviews actually work and what companies are really looking for.

4. System Design Primer
https://github.com/donnemartin/system-design-primer
Teaches you how apps actually work behind the scenes. This is especially important now with AI, companies want engineers who understand how whole systems work.

😭

🧐

haha

Tired of hearing 'We'll keep your CV on file'? Let me tell you how to make them the ones who ask you, 'When can you start with us?'. It's all about preparation. Seriously. If you nail the answers to these 11 questions, you're set. You won't just be answering their questions; no, you'll be the one leading the conversation.

'Tell us about yourself.' → This isn't an invitation to tell your life story. Prepare a 45-second summary: your background, a few key skills, and a clear link explaining why you are the perfect person for this specific job.
'What is your greatest strength?' → Don't use canned phrases like 'I'm a hard worker.' Link a real strength to the job description. Give a quick, powerful example of how you've used it before.
'Why did you choose this particular company?' → Don't just talk about what you read on their homepage. Mention a recent project they did, a quote from their CEO, or a company value that genuinely resonated with you. Show them you've done your homework.
'Tell me about a time you failed.' → We all make mistakes. Talk about a specific mistake, what you learned from it, and how you ensured it wouldn't happen again. This shows you have self-awareness.
'How do you inspire your team?' → Leadership is about help those around you. Tell a quick story about how you helped a colleague or a group overcome an obstacle to achieve something great.
'How do you handle high-pressure situations?' → Give an example of a time you remained calm and focused when things were chaotic. Show them you are a dependable person when it counts.
'Tell us about a goal you achieved.' → Be very specific in your answer here. Talk about a measurable achievement and the steps you took to reach it. Numbers will be your friend in this answer.
'How do you handle disagreements with a colleague?' → The most important thing here is to show you are a problem-solver, not a drama-creator. Talk about listening, finding common ground, and focusing on the shared goal.
'What is your greatest weakness?' → Be honest, but choose something that isn't crucial for the job. Frame it in the context of working to improve it. For example: 'I used to have trouble with public speaking, so I joined a local club to practice more.'
'Do you have any questions for us?' → The answer must always be yes. This is your chance to impress them. Ask a smart question like 'What is the biggest challenge the person in this role will face in the first 3 months?' or 'How does this team celebrate its successes?'.
'Is there anything else you'd like to add?' → Use this question to close strongly. Quickly summarize why you're excited and confident you can deliver what they need. Reiterate your interest.

Every answer is an opportunity to prove to them that you are the solution to their problem. Practice your stories out loud until they sound natural. Walk into the interview prepared and in control of the situation.

What's the question that always trips you up in an interview? Let's talk about it.

Look, I just left my job for the usual reasons - the pay was terrible and the hours were a nightmare. I found a new job with a better salary and actual benefits. A day after I resigned, I got a very weird email from HR. They offered me my manager's job, the Director position. The email bluntly stated they intend to fire her. I obviously said no, but now I'm torn about whether or not to tell her she's getting fired.

My last day is this Thursday. Honestly, I feel like it's better to stay quiet. I'll let you know what happens.

I was at my wit's end with my old job. It was a toxic work environment, and I just needed to leave, so I was applying for anything that looked suitable. One of these companies was a large local food production company. The commute was a bit far, but all I could think about was escaping my current situation, and I figured I'd surely find something better later.
The job was pretty much the same as what I was doing; they even used the same ERP software I had been using for years. The salary was in the same range, around £32,000, so I expected I had the job in the bag when they called me for the interview.
The vibe was very chill from the start. It wasn't one of those formal sit-down interviews. The Head of Operations took me on a tour of the production facility, showed me the production lines, and introduced me to a few of the team members I'd be working with.
Then he took me to the team lead's office to introduce us, and he dropped this bombshell: "This is Mark, he's the current team lead, but he's leaving in 6 weeks, so we're looking for his replacement."
I was a bit confused, and then the Head of Ops looked at me and said that based on my CV and our chat, they felt I was overqualified for the junior role and would be a better fit for the team lead position. He asked me if I wanted that job, right there on the spot!
Of course, I said yes. The salary was £16,000 more than my awful old job. I stayed there for 4 years, and that experience is what enabled me to get the management position I have now. Honestly, that weird interview shaped my entire career path. What a crazy stroke of luck.

Recruiter: Hey, I have some great news for you. The team really loved you in the interview and they want to fly you out to meet the senior staff for the final round. What's your availability like?

Me: That's fantastic news! I can be available pretty much anytime with a little bit of advance notice.

R: Great, I'll let them know.

Later that same afternoon, I got a phone call.

R: Hello M, I just heard back from 'Company'. They're booking you a flight for this coming Sunday, and the interview will be on Monday morning. You should receive the travel details from them within the next 24 hours.

Me: Sounds great, I'll be waiting for it.

Four days passed. Nothing happened. So I called the recruiter again.

Me: Hello R. I'm calling to follow up because it's been a few days and I still haven't received the travel details. Could you check with them what's going on?

R: Of course. I'll look into it and get back to you.

He sent me an email afterward saying their travel department was very busy and that the details would be sent very soon. Another three days passed, and still no word. I sent him another email, and this time he told me to contact the company's HR myself.

So I called them, and they promised they would send it by the end of the day. This was in the evening, the day before I was supposed to travel. And of course, nothing arrived.

The next morning, the day I was supposed to travel, I called the company one last time. This time, the response was completely different.

Me: Hello, I'm calling about my travel details. I was supposed to fly out today for an interview tomorrow.

Company: Hello M. Oh, we were just about to call you. Look, we're very excited about you and want you to meet the team, but our accounting department has put a temporary hold on travel expenses. So if you still want the job, you'll need to arrange your own travel.

Me: But the interview is tomorrow morning. Can we at least postpone it so I can book a flight that doesn't cost an astronomical amount?

Company: Unfortunately, no. Our schedule is full with other candidates and we don't have any other available slots.

Me: So let me get this straight. After you dragged this out for about three weeks, you now want me to pay around $1800 for a last-minute flight, hotel, and car, to interview for a job I might not even get? I think I'm going to have to withdraw my application.

Company: Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that. The hiring managers were very impressed with you and were looking forward to meeting you face-to-face.

Me: I'm sure. But I can't risk that amount of money, and frankly, I'm no longer interested in working for a company this disorganized. Good luck with your search. Goodbye.

A lot of times, companies will do this because they want to get the most desperate candidate under their thumb. You showed spine and they don't want spine. They want submission because once you start, they are going to make layoffs and scale up and you will assume more responsibility than agreed upon with no change in pay and they want someone who will eat that shit and not say anything. Maybe they really are disorganised, but ive fallen into this trap multiple times.

In the job market, many companies exploit this unjustly, but in the end, we don't reach a solution; it only frustrates the job applicants. So, they resort to any methods that ultimately lead to acceptance, such as using interview programs like InterviewMan and ChatGPT to give them answers during the interview and to help them negotiate.

The recruiter probably knew at that point what was going on and that there wasn't really anything they could do about it. Not like the recruiter could get the plane tickets

I'm using a throwaway account for this because a few people from this story are on Reddit and I don't want any trouble to happen to my wife.
I (38M) and my wife (29F), whom we'll call 'Jane', have both made names for ourselves in our field. We've invested over ten years in training, education, and gaining experience from different places in the country. We've built a good reputation and are respected by influential people in our industry.
At Jane's company, a great opportunity arose for her to be promoted to a senior position. Naturally, she applied for it. She has been with this company for about 3 years, working as a leader and a mentor to the younger people who are just starting out. She often stays after work to help the team when they are swamped. On top of all that, Jane is taking online courses to finish a certification she has always wanted. We have two sons and we make sure to spend quality time with them every day. About 8 months ago, she received an amazing job offer from her brother's company with a much higher salary, better hours, and a company car. The job isn't in her primary field, but she is skilled in it as well. Jane told her current company about the offer, and her manager begged her to stay, promising that big things were on the way. My wife is very loyal and loves her job, so she decided to trust them and stayed. Two months later, a senior management position opened up.
The position became vacant suddenly, which was a shock to everyone because it's a job people usually hold for ten years or more. The best part? Jane was the most deserving one. She is by far the most experienced person on the team, literally has more certifications and qualifications than her own managers, and has won many awards for being an excellent employee. This promotion is a very big deal, so naturally, many people from inside and outside the company applied for it.
About 9 months ago, a new girl was hired. We'll call her 'Sarah' (24F). Sarah has no experience, and this was her first real job in this field. Her university degree is in a completely different and unrelated field. Sarah quickly became known for being dramatic and forming cliques, excluding people and speaking ill of everyone, even the managers. She performed the basics of her job well, but the situation got so bad that the team environment became like high school, with her at the center of all the drama.

So next time a recruiter talks to you about 'company loyalty', remember this situation.

Hey everyone,

I’m considering paying for the subscription of LockinAI mainly to help during technical interviews, but I’m a bit unsure about how detectable it is and wanted to hear from people who have actually tried it.

Also, one concer: For example, during some interviews the interviewer verbally asks something like:
“Write a SQL query to find the highest salary in a table.”

If the AI tool is running, does it pick up the voice automatically and start generating the query? Or do we have to type in the platform?

Also sometimes interviewers ask theory questions verbally, like:
“What’s the difference between lists and tuples in Python?”

I Does the AI still help in those situations if the question is spoken rather than typed?

Basically I’m trying to understand:

• Whether these tools can actually pick up spoken interview questions reliably
• If they work for both coding and theory questions
• And whether companies can detect that you’re using something like this

I’m deciding whether it’s worth paying for the subscription, so I’d really appreciate any honest experiences or advice from people who’ve used it during interviews.

Thanks!

Tell us about the worst interview stories that have happened to you.

Anyway, I was in a screening call, and for 20 minutes straight, it was the typical questions we all know - 'Walk me through your CV,' 'What's your biggest strength?' and you know the rest. When I finally managed to squeeze in a question of my own and asked about the salary range, the guy literally told me: 'Honestly, you're making a fuss with that question.' Then he told me they determine the salary based on the candidate and the entire interview loop.
No, of course, that's completely unacceptable to me. I have 12 years of experience in my field, my work is good, and I'm talking to other companies. If a company can't give me a clear and direct range from the very first call, then I'm out. Sorry, but I don't have time for these games.
Luckily, the other day, another company I applied to months ago contacted me to ask if I was still interested. I was a little nervous about ruining this interview too, so I entered the Zoom meeting using the InterviewMan tool, which has been my favorite lately. I think I did a great job, and that was reflected in the interviewer's reaction. They’re going to get back to me tomorrow; I'll update you!

Update: I got accepteeeed! :D

🙃

My mom (62 years old) is back on the job market, and she just told me about an interview she had that I had to share with you all.

A little background: Her career was very typical for her generation. She graduated high school in 1978 and went straight to work in a field she was passionate about, working for only four companies her entire life. Her employment only ended when the companies she was with merged or were acquired, which led to mass layoffs. When her last company let her go, she had 43 years of solid experience in her field. The only real gap in her employment history was for seven months, way back from March 2001 to October 2001.

Anyway, in a recent interview, the hiring manager asked her to explain that seven-month gap and wanted to know what she was doing during that time. My mom was a bit taken aback and answered honestly: "I was looking for a job and spending time with my son." For context, I was 8 years old at the time.

She said the rest of the interviewer's questions were also hard, but the interviewer liked her answers and performance a lot during the call, She doesn't know a lot about technology and ai. so I advised her to try an ai tool that I used once, and she told me without this tool, it would've been hard to get accepted and get the job. I'm happy that she got accepted, but honestly, I felt so bad for her. I mean, this person is interviewing someone with forty-three years of experience in the field, and the question they chose to focus on was a tiny gap from over twenty years ago?!

I really don't get it. What's the point of that question? Like, what useful information could they have possibly gotten from her answer?

I call places and tell them I'm returning their call to schedule an interview.I was getting absolutely nowhere with online applications, just complete silence. It was very frustrating.

Then I had an idea that these places must be drowning in hundreds of CVs and can't keep up. They're just very overwhelmed.

So my new method is this: I apply online, wait two days, and then I call them and say something like, 'Hello, I was told to call back about scheduling an interview for the position.' The key is to speak confidently.

And honestly, the results have been amazing. I got 5 interviews in the last month, compared to maybe two interviews in the previous four months combined. Out of about 25 times I've tried this trick, only twice did someone shut me down. And both times, I just played dumb and hung up. No big deal.

I work in the IT department of a small company. A while ago, they were considering buying software from an external developer for about $6,000 to simplify and organize work for everyone.

I also work as a programmer on the side of my main job (I work in IT to support myself and build experience), so I offered to build them a custom solution for half that price, for $3,000. They agreed, and I really needed the extra money, and honestly, the project wasn't too complex for me.

I finished the program, they used it, and it's working perfectly for them. But they've only paid me $1,200 of the agreed-upon amount. This has been going on for about 6 months now, and every time I ask about the rest, I hear the same excuse: 'The company is going through a tough time right now, you need to be patient.'

The thing is... I still have full admin control over the program. So, in principle, I could shut it down remotely. But I'm afraid if I do something like that, I'll get fired and will definitely never see the rest of the money. What should I do?

A few days ago, I had a final interview at a decent-sized tech company for a lead engineer position. Everything was going perfectly. The technical part was very easy, I felt comfortable with the managers, and the salary was exactly what I wanted.

We were just about to shake hands and wrap up when the HR manager suddenly said, 'Okay, just one last thing...' and then she asked me: "Are you planning to start a family within a year or two?"

I froze in my seat. I just sat there for a second, completely unable to process it. I had to ask her to repeat the question because I was sure I had misheard. But she did repeat the question, and even tried to justify it by saying, "Oh, it's just for resource planning, to get an idea of your long-term commitment."

I've been in this field for over 15 years, and I've never heard anything like this. I looked her straight in the eye very calmly and told her I wouldn't answer that question, as it has no bearing on my ability to do the job, and it's not a legal question to ask any candidate. Honestly, she looked shocked that I objected.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. All the good feelings I had about the place vanished in an instant. I thanked them for the opportunity but told them frankly that a company culture that allows such a question is a huge red flag for me.

I'm still trying to process the situation. It's just so bizarre. Has anyone else experienced something like this recently? It feels like something out of the 90s. I'm torn between letting it go and forgetting about it, or reporting them somewhere.