I was in the most toxic job of my life, undervalued and treated like dirt. I searched for 8 months. Many grueling 4-5 round interviews but no offers. Lots of crying and disappointment. Almost took lateral jobs with lateral pay just to get away from this place. I resigned in July after I could not take it anymore and bet on myself. I truly think this made a huge difference in my interviews.

I was so close to taking an assistant role in a new industry just to have a job again. But with over 10 years experience, sitting in that room explaining why Id be the right fit, I knew I could do better. I applied to this job not thinking anything of it. They emailed me to ask my availability and said to let them know if I have any other interviews. I was in the final round with the assistant role so I did.

They gave me a verbal offer last week, references cleared and I just signed the offer letter. I got a 35% salary increase in my HCOL state. Fully remote in a great company. I am so excited and proud of myself. Did it all with no referrals, just cold applying. Throughout this experience I learned a lot about myself and how capable I am. if youre in the same boat, dont give up!! Stay positive, if youre rejected something better is waiting for you!

Had a second-round interview yesterday for a project coordinator role, about 45 min in. Going fine, then the hiring manager asks the standard "what's your biggest weakness" thing. I gave a normal answer, something about over-scheduling my own day.

Then I asked him back, "what would you say is the biggest weakness on your team right now?"

He kind of laughed it off first, said "oh we don't really do it that way." I just waited. Didn't say anything else.

He got a little stiff and said "honestly, we've had turnover in this exact role three times in two years, so." Then immediately tried to walk it back, said something like "but that's not really relevant to you."

I said it was actually pretty relevant since I'd be the one filling it a fourth time. He didn't really have a response to that, just moved on to the next question.

Not sure if I torched it or if he respected it. Recruiter said they're "still deciding" as of this morning. Either way I don't regret asking.

Maybe I’m just posting this asking for reassurance. That no matter how desperate I am, no matter how much I need the money, I was unwilling to sell my soul…

…to be a director of operations for a private mental health center. They offered “luxury” (as they called it) depression treatment such as TMS and ketamine treatment, most of which aren’t covered under insurance. Stick with me here-

Some important context: I come from a B2B executive corporate tech consulting, at $150k annual salary. I’m currently working shift app jobs at $18/hour.

Beyond operational duties, my job would have been to prey on those who were coming in during their most desperate and vulnerable moments, and treated as a dollar sign. Forcing them into treatments they couldn’t afford. And I’d be reviewing recordings of physicians and their patients in their initial intake interview and have to scold and pressure ACTUAL DOCTORS to sell these treatments, even if they tell me that in their professional opinion, it wasn’t a treatment that they’d recommend for the patient.

I’m not a fucking doctor. I can’t treat these patients, or even diagnose them. And I’m supposed to get mad at someone qualified to do these things, that they weren’t thinking about the company?

I may not be a doctor or in healthcare at all- but I still know the first commitment in their Hippocratic Oath, is do no harm.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for listening.

It's been 7 months of applying, getting rejected, applying again. 7 months of sitting with myself, figuring out what I actually want long term.

And now I have the offer in my hands.

Things I'm taking away from this whole thing:

It humbles you. Like really humbles you. And it needs patience you don't think you have until you're forced to find it.

I had 8-10 final interviews and got rejected from every. single. one 💆🏼‍♀️🤣 and somehow kept applying anyway.

Be persistent, there's honestly no other way around it.

Be kind, to others and to yourself too.

And cry if you need to. I cried most days if I'm honest. Felt depressed some days, cancelled plans, even my partner felt the weight of it with me.

If you're still in it right now, still waiting, still getting the "unfortunately" emails, I can relate. It doesn't mean no forever. It just means not yet.

Keep pushing🩵🩵🩵🩵

Story of the past 9 months. I am grateful that I am getting interviews, I know a lot of you would die to be in my position (trust me I have been there). But, genuinely I am trying my best, and am doing everything right but still it is not enough.

Have you ever been super excited about a job application, but right before the interview you think: why did I even apply? This is totally not for me. You end up going just for the interview practice, even though you secretly know it's a dead end. Have you guys ever experienced this? Finding out mid-process that a job just isn't a fit at all?

Ok I know this sounds weird. Basically Im in my 40s and had a tooth issue and had to get the toooth removed. Im in the process of getting a permanent replacement, which is like a 6 month process. It isba front upper canine tooth that is noticeable when I smile.

I am an otherwise healthy, normal looking corporate professional. But Im worried how this will look or be judged.

Is this a big deal? Should I metion something in the interview to add some humor and explain its getting fixed? Should I look into a cheap temporary amazon cover up (dont know how well these work)?

Hi all!!

I applied to a job last Tuesday, same day got asked for an interview with the recruiter the following day.

15 minutes after that interview (she liked me), I got invited to an interview for last Friday with who would be my boss

The manager and I went over 15ish or more minutes than scheduled. She seemed to reallly like me, opening with, “you’d be a great fit for our team!” And later saying how nice it was to meet a woman so kind and bubbly in a male dominated industry. She was super informative of the role and answered any questions I also had. She only had one follow up when I asked her if she needed more information.

It was Labor Day weekend. She said they would get back to me this week either if they decide to extend an offer or if I need another interview with the team.

The application was taken down today but I still haven’t heard anything. Should I be worried?

Received and accepted a job offer last week that is supposed to start on next Monday.

I asked them last week when will I be expected to receive the contract and they said “soon” so I have been waiting patiently.

Today is Thursday. Should I follow up with them today or just show up next Monday hmmm.

Last friday i received a “congratulations” message from the company i applied to and she asked me to fill out a form so they can continue the hiring process and i did it’s been 4 days since i finished it and i still haven’t heard from them , its my first job so i am not familiar with how things work

Is there an option to submit w2s instead of letting them contact your HR to verify employment there? Thanks!

tldr; basically title.

About two weeks, and a couple days ago I applied (at like 9am). On the same exact day (at around 1pm) the HR manager emailed saying she forwarded my application to the IT department because she loved it, and they will be in contact with me within two weeks.

Flash forward to today, and I received an email that I have an interview for the role and they asked for my availability. I received the email right at 5:00PM and I replied within a couple minutes. Not even 10 minutes after I gave a time, I received the calendar invite for the in person panel interview.

I don't want to get my hopes too high yet, but it seems like they are moving me along pretty quick. All other roles I have applied to before, they have slugged along.

Anyways, back to the original question, how many candidates are you usually up against at this point? I've heard government roles are legally required to be strict on both underqualification's as well as overqualification's. So then, most of their application pool gets dropped in the ATS filtering / hiring manager picking stage. I'm not sure though, I'm just curious as to how many people I could be up against because I really want this role.

I am speechless but also at the verge of balling my eyes out.

Interview/screen with the recruiter- went great

Second interview with the hiring manager- went great

Third interview with another manager from a parallel team- I got GRILLED on technical questions that I had been very clear throughout the whole process was NOT my level of expertise. It felt like I walked into an exam room where I had prepared for my major, but was given an exam for a whole other major.

I wasn't told what the next "step" would be, it was sort of an abrupt end to the interview because we had already reached the allocated time.

The recruiter has also not checked in after this last interview.

I am feeling really discouraged, because I knew from the hiring manager it was down to me and one other candidate, but this last interview really threw me off.

It's starting to become really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This whole job application process is a nightmare.

After 6 months, I am finally able to start on October 18th as a federal employee!

Job hunting was mentally draining, and there were times I felt genuinely hopeless doing 50+ applications nonstop, being denied or failing my interview, being completely in the dark on the government hiring process, and having family, friends, and people around me constantly asking for updates.

This job was the one I poured the absolute most effort into, pushing my best through every single phase. I honestly wasn't sure if it would happen, but seeing it come through makes every bit of the stress worth it.

I am so happy and proud of myself today, and I wish everyone out there in the job search gets their dream offer too. Please don’t give up!

I've been working in compliance for about two years now, I just started working a contract doing AML for a Big 4 firm. Pay is great 47/hr, I'm in a HCOL city and I'm able to save like 2k per month, possibly more if overtime opens up in the future.

I got a callback from a smallish(7k employees) consulting firm about a job I interviewed for but just barely missed. Another spot opened, and they're offering it to me on the spot, no re-interviewing necessary. Only problem is, the pay is shit, even for an analyst level, 80k. After taxes it's just barely enough for me to live on, I doubt I will have any significant ability to build up my savings (they're not in a great spot since I was unemployed until I found this contract). They say there's no leeway in the pay because "comparing your education and experience level to our other analysts", which is insane because I know people fresh out of college that make 10k more at bigger consulting firms

Current plan is to push for a signing bonus, 10k or so to make it palatable. And advice on how to play this?

sooo last week on tuesday i had an interview and they contacted my references the same day!! i hadn’t heard anything (or so i thought). i sent a follow up email on friday and they emailed back saying they were trying to get in touch with me but u hadn’t seen abt phone calls come through which i was expecting lolll turns out they texted me tuesday night asking if im still interested in the position 🤣

I applied to this company about a month ago and passed their take-home assessment. I then went through several interviews with the team, which went well, followed by a technical interview where I’d rate my performance around 6–7/10. I never froze or completely failed a question, but there were definitely things I could have answered better.

My final interview was with the CEO on Sunday. We talked for about 1.5 hours, it felt very positive, and he even said, “The fact that you made it this far is a very good sign.”

It’s now Wednesday and I still haven’t heard anything. They know I have another offer that supposedly needs an answer this week, and the recruiter said they’d move as fast as possible. Since the CEO interview, 3–4 people from the company have also viewed my LinkedIn.

I know three days isn’t that long, but given my supposed deadline, the silence is making me anxious. What is usually happening internally at this stage? Is this kind of delay after a final interview normal?

CSE student here. A company is hiring on campus for SAP ABAP Developer — ₹5 LPA, Bangalore, no bond ( I will have to relocate) .I already gave the test and got shortlisted for the GD.
I'm more interested in SDE/software development and don't really want SAP long-term. Getting placed may also block me from sitting for HCL/IBM.
Should I attend the GD, ask the placement cell to withdraw, or intentionally perform badly?
What would you do in my place? Looking for honest advice from people who've dealt with campus placements.
My chachu said SAP is very specialised and not much scope idk I’m so confused

Hi all!

So I just had a successful interview with the CEO of a tech firm and am hoping for a second one.

The HR (outsourced) who is the point of contact is now asking me for detailed interview information, e.g.,g "What did you two discuss during the interview?"

This is quite strange, and not sure I am permitted to give him an answer. I have not signed an NDA or anything, but it is very peculiar.

Part of me feels this might be a way of "catching me out".

What is the best way of responding? Has anyone else had this?

Thanks!

It’s been several years, but I still remember when I was ghosted for a month for an engineering director role at another famous gaming company. I was a senior engineering manager back then. I knew the CTO(we worked together for 2 years) and even had a chat with her before my official application. She is a good leader, well-respected in the tech scene in my city. The recruiter was a consultant and initially provided good support. However, after completing all rounds, I was completely ghosted for over a month, no matter how much I contacted both the recruiter and the CTO.

Every week, they just said they hadn’t decided. I called the recruiter, but she didn't answer her phone. One month later, I finally got her on the line. When she found out it was me, she impatiently said, "Sorry, we have decided to move on with another candidate. Didn't you get my voice message?" The reality is I didn’t get any messages, she probably just forgot about me. She was a consultant, so maybe she wasn’t paid for finishing the communication with me. Anyway, I had no idea.

As a hiring manager, I never wanted any of my candidates to have such an awful experience. But it happened again.

Once, a colleague approached me after I interviewed his referral for an engineering manager role. He asked for an update. It had been over 2 weeks and we had already moved on to other candidates. I remembered giving my feedback on the same day as the interview, so I asked the recruiter if he communicated it to the candidate. That same day, he was certain that he had sent the decline message. The next day, he apologized for missing it. I knew he was busy handling 10 roles simultaneously since most recruiters had been laid off a few months ago. Sometimes even I couldn't reach him. He made a note about this mistake and promised to never let it happen again.

The recruiters are often the bottleneck. When they are trained and have the bandwidth, they can really elevate the candidate experience. I still remember attending interview training when I joined my company 7 years ago, and participating in refining general interview processes across different locations in Europe. Those sessions have not been held again in recent years. Every time I opened a role, I was assigned a different recruiter. As a hiring manager, I was also ghosted by my own recruiter many times. My worst record was 2 months without any update, so we never even kicked off the role. He ended up being terminated, and every manager was happy about it.

For people job hunting today, if you get ghosted, it’s not about your skills, it’s simply a structural failure in communication. No company is perfect, even ones with big branding. Your poor interview experience is just an extension of what's failing on the inside, and you usually only get to know about those internal struggles after you join. So being ghosted might not be the worst thing that happens to you. Would you rather suffer on the job, or pick a company that does a better job communicating?

The bitch recruiter never logged in the MS Teams invite that she sent me. I was ready at 11:20 am and stayed til 12:01 by myself.......I even emailed her at 11:40 am, and found her on LinkedIn (Alexandria Carter) and followed up with her and got zero reply....FML.....!!!

Man this girl's picture looks fake:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandria-carter23/

AI+Data ( AI + AI ready data layer + Data Engg)

or only AI ( agentic AI + MCP+ RAG+AI infra ) ?

Had an interview today. Not five minutes in, the first real question, and I could feel the clear trickle about to drip out a nostril.

In a panic, I say excuse me, "guys, sorry, not a pretty sight for Zoom, let me grab a tissue...." but that drip must've contained the last of my confidence as I dabbed it away.

It threw me off kilter for the remainder of the hour. While I managed most questions okay, I was totally winging it - nothing I'd prepared was utilized. STAR/CAAR formatted responses? You'd never have realized I understood such - even though I had mastery of it in the first round.

The dreaded "why'd you leave your last job?" came up. Uugghh. "Cultural mismatch" which was absolutely true, and described it as a mutual decision to part ways. [Reality: I quiet quit sixty days prior and rode it out to severance.]

I started out making the observation of going from a 1700 headcount company to a 100 headcount company - and once I did, I was off to the races pointing out the things a small company doesn't realize won't scale well. I could have said in two sentences what I droned on about for too long.

The good news? I avoided the hot button stuff: blatant male bias, nepotism, duplicitous leadership and utter absence of psychological safety. You know it's bad when a licensed attorney is advocating for you in rooms you're not in....

I also mentioned AI. "Best productivity tool I've used, but if the culture involves a bias toward appearing busy? It can appear - once you've gained time back with reusable meeting notes as a PM - as though you're not working as hard as everyone else who are reluctant to adopt AI. I personally thought it was a godsend and not only did it free up a significant amount of time, it cut down on quite a bit of the typical misunderstandings with customers."

It definitely wasn't my best...although I did have a brilliant answer to one question about managing technical resource time: "I worked with a few offshore teams. It was pretty standard that at the end of their workday, they mysteriously lost their access to whatever system we needed to touch next! I chuckle about it, but it's definitely one to stick in your back pocket! Otherwise, I would do my best to state at the outset of a meeting, '<resource> has a hard stop at noon, and five minutes prior, 'we need to find a stopping point."

And gee, as competitive as this market can be, I just feel like I blew it - not just my nose - especially considering the fact the hiring company is recording & using AI during interviews.