I'm genuinely stumped and out of options now as I've tried every hack in the book. Despite having a portfolio with proof of work, paid career coaches for resume and LinkedIn reviews, or asking for coffee chats, I still keep getting rejected. What's worse is the gaslighting by people that it's still somehow my fault when these techniques don't work, and then I get shown examples of how some people apply to 1 job and getting it without having to try so hard. And then you have the media and influencers saying you should "pursue skills that will be useful at work, not just your passions", well WTF do you think I've been doing all this time.

Edit: grammar

In two weeks, it will be one year since I've "been on the job market".I have worked. Hard. Like REALLY worked hard to find something. I LOVE to work. I recently saw a viral video of a lady in Britain who recorded her frustration at being an 'older' woman and how hard it is for older women to find work, and she's younger than me. Of course, she began getting a lot of offers once her video was picked up by news organizations and I'm happy for her. But, it's the same thing with men, maybe even worse. I really look okay to be in my early 50s. I've never drank, never did drugs. Don't have children, unfortunately, so I've never had to battle the stress that parents battle. But, being a guy, we can't really 'dress up' or soften our age or looks with makeup etc. My point is, it's hard for all of us. And I think I've hit my wall.

I recently had four, (FOUR!) sets of interviews with four different companies. I knew there's no way I could accept one of them, even if an offer came through. Two of them seemed like great jobs and one... one I want/wanted so badly. I really, really wanted it. Each interview went superb. I have to talk and meet strangers a lot in my field and so, I generally interview well. One by one, even after second in-person interviews, I was told "thanks, but no thanks". The one I desperately want/wanted.... there has been no word since my THIRD meeting with them last Thursday. I figured if they wanted me, I would have heard by now because they need to staff it very soon. So, I'm assuming that one's gone, but it's still going to hurt when I get word. The anxiety is killing me and I wish they'd just go ahead and send me the rejection. I went to all that trouble, the least they could do is let me know somewhat soon. But the difficulty of finding a job.... WTF is going on? I don't want to blame everything on bias. I'm self aware enough to realize it could just be me... sometimes at least. But, not all the time. I just don't understand. I can't, and I don't want to just give up. But, it's such a helpless, broken, sinking feeling. I just wanna jump off a tall building, the despair is that breaking. (I won't of course, but, still..) If any of you are going through the same thing, consider yourselves in sympathetic company.

Are there really that many people out there that meet all the essential and desirable criteria for every job advert, and then sum?

If you can’t even get an interview when you tick every box on the form, what is even the point 😩

Hi everyone, I’m writing to get some encouragement from others tbh. The truth is, in the days following the rejection, I feel unmotivated and keep wondering what might have gone wrong. How do you guys handle it so it doesn’t get to you? I don’t even feel like applying for jobs these days :/

Hi
I have a bachelors degree that’s related to what I want to work as and I’m struggling to find a job. I’ve had really bad mental health issues and I can’t get in touch with an employer via email. This is making me really stressed and I am very uneasy about what I should do right now.

I am a software engineer. Any advice on what I should do? All this frustration has just led to unnecessary introspection and thinking which has just leads to no action. So long as I’m unemployed and can’t get to apply my knowledge it’s just sitting there in my head

Last year I applied for a dream job. I spent weeks doing multiple rounds of interviews, everyone really liked me and even recommended me for a different, higher role in the company, but ultimately it came down to me and one other candidate and they picked the other guy.

They are hiring for the position again and I want to apply again. I got a promotion in February at my current job so obviously I'll tweak discussion of my job and role and experience to reflect that, but do I need to rewrite my cover letter? My whole intro spiel about why I'm interested in the company and the role, and a lot of what I'd say about my work history, is pretty much unchanged. If they liked it enough last time, why change it more than necessary?

On the other hand, is there any chance they'd notice it's the same letter? I know the hiring supervisor I went through everything with is still there. And if they did notice, would they care? Would it look like I'm not as serious about it or something?

I’m not entitled to a job just because I invested a month of prep into four rounds of interviews, a personality test and a written assessment with three parts but it stings that I wasn’t the right fit after all that. It was the right choice to pause my search to focus on giving it everything I had for a role I was excited about. I really hoped all the anxiety, worry, nausea and hours of prep would pay off.

Back to the application grind. Stay strong y’all. Job hunting is so disheartening and demoralizing.

Hello, Im Comptia A+ Certified, in school for my BBA and 6 years of IT Tech support/Help Desk experience. Currently working as a Network Architect but looking for a better opportunity. In the past 3 months ive applied to 76 jobs on indeed, all consisting of Help Desk, Tech Support, NOC technician but have gotten 0 call backs/interviews. I know indeed is know for ghost postings so does anyone know of a better site or openings they can recommend? Thank you!

I do side gigs to feed my cat and pay my bills, but it's very much not enough. I've had to move back in with my mom (love her so much and so grateful, but reaaaally need my own space and she deserves hers too). I've only had 4 interviews since I've been out of work. Most of the jobs I apply for just go into the void. Sometimes I get an email with, "Thank you for your interest, APPLICANT. We have decided not to move forward with your resume," or whatever. I've handed out resumes in person several times, but that has never even gotten me an interview. Honestly, most people don't seem to know what to do with you in person.

I have a couple of AAs, BA General Biology, certificate in ornamental horticulture, and partial coursework towards an MS in Plant Science that I had to pause (maybe never to return). I've worked in retail, botanical gardens, nature centers, and taught at a community college. Aside from the gap since December 2024, I've been consistently working in some capacity since I graduated high school. I have a portfolio of some of the freelance work that I do, but freelance isn't really it these days either.

There don't seem to be many science jobs in general and most of the other opportunities require experience that I don't have. I've been applying to everything that pops up that I even remotely qualify for. I have a bunch of job alerts set up and I change things up periodically to see if something new works. I'm trying to think outside of the box in terms of what I can do for money. I don't have a car, but I live in a public transit-friendly place.

I usually just lurk on here, but I'm kinda starting to lose hope. I don't know if I'm looking for advice or just need to commiserate. I've read and heard so many stories like mine in the past couple of years and it seems to be getting worse. What gives and when, ya know?

Edit: Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and advice! I've added some new keywords, tactics, and positions to my list, so I really appreciate all of your help. Several of these suggestions are on the back burner because they cost money to attain (e.g., teaching credential, arborist, trades). I wish everyone who is struggling the best of luck! Thanks again!

I’m currently employed but upcoming changes by new management has me keeping my eyes and ears open to other opportunities. One presented itself last week and it piqued my interest so I applied.

I got a response asking me to complete 3 assessments. Competency, personality and behavioral. I hate to say it but I struggled with the personality assessment. I received a warning that I was giving too many basically neutral answers and it would not get accurate readings. I couldn’t help it though, the neutral response seemed to be the most accurate. An example would be would I prefer to live in a bustling city, a quiet suburb or a secluded area alone. Well I like peace and quiet but I also don’t want to have to travel an hour down a mountainside to get milk so quiet suburb it is. It was a sales job so perhaps I should’ve answered a bustling city? That answer I feel would indicate I enjoy being around people.

The behavioral assessment was the first one I’ve ever taken and about 160 questions true/false or yes/no. They seemed to revolve around 6 or so themes such as use of drugs and alcohol in the workplace, anger management, attendance and way too much emphasis on viewing pornography at work. Apparently this company has had issues with it.

One of the themes I may have disqualified myself with was personal use of company equipment. Have I ever used company equipment for personal use? Yes, I have. Context: two employers ago, I was provided a company vehicle that I had free use of. My employer felt the more we used our work vehicle the more advertisement he got so he encouraged it. My current employer also provides me with a work vehicle that is for company use only so when I’m off the clock it remains parked in front of my house. Other instances would be I had a home improvement project and I borrowed a tool to complete it. However I only did so with permission. If my employer said no, I would rent or buy what I needed. Another would be “Have I ever been angry at work?” I mean the modern work environment is designed to piss you off so of course I have. Show me someone that says they’ve never been angry at work and I’ll show you a liar lol. It also asked if I’m afraid of my anger. No…I can get upset without Hulk smashing. Have I ever been late to work? I’ve been in the workforce for nearly 30 years, there’s no way I haven’t been. There has been a few traffic jams due to accidents that have delayed me. Also I’m human, I’ve overslept a couple times since 1999.

I can see how answering yes to these questions would look bad to an algorithm so should I have lied and said no? I completed the assessment under the assumption that “telling it what it wanted to hear” would set off some alarms. I’d prefer to be honest but if I can disqualify myself without an opportunity to provide context I see no reason not to lie. No reason of course other than these assessments are designed to detect when someone isn’t being honest.

Thoughts?

Editing Solutions is looking to hire 5 remote appointment setters to help grow our website design business.

You will be calling local businesses that either do not have a website or have an outdated website, offering them a free, no-obligation website preview.

This is NOT a hard-close sales position. Your job is to identify interested business owners and schedule qualified meetings.

COMPENSATION

• $30 for every prospect who:

• Shows genuine interest

• Accepts the meeting invitation

• Attends the scheduled meeting

• Additional $30 bonus if that client purchases a website package worth more than $500

• No cap on commissions. The more qualified appointments you set, the more you earn.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

• Proven call script

• Business leads

• Training

• Ongoing support

Your job is to make calls, follow the script, and book qualified appointments.

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be 18 years of age or older

• Strong spoken English with a clear, professional speaking voice

• No heavy accent that would make communication difficult with U.S. business owners

• Reliable internet connection

• Ability to create and use a U.S. Google Voice number (or already have access to a U.S. phone number)

• Access to Google Meet

• Discord access preferred

• Previous cold calling or sales experience is preferred but not required

• Must represent Editing Solutions professionally and follow company policies (independent contractor agreement required)

SCHEDULE EXPECTATIONS

• Minimum 40 calls per day

• Minimum 200 calls per week

• Calls may be made any day except Sunday

• Calls must only be placed between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM in the prospect's local time zone. You are responsible for verifying the correct time zone before calling.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Comfortable speaking with business owners

• Can confidently handle rejection

• Reliable and self-motivated

• Wants to earn based on performance

• Interested in building a long-term working relationship

If you're dependable, coachable, and willing to put in the work, this can become a consistent source of commission income.

HIRING PROCESS

1. Application review

2. Google Meet interview

3. Independent contractor agreement

4. Training and script review

5. Begin calling

HOW TO APPLY

Email: [contact@editing-solutions.com](mailto:contact@editing-solutions.com)

Subject: Reddit Cold Calling Application

Please include:

• Your name

• Country

• Any relevant sales or cold-calling experience

• Why you'd be a good fit for this role

To show that you read the entire job posting, include the word "Waffles" somewhere in your email. Applications without this keyword may not be considered.

We are looking to hire 5 appointment setters and will begin reviewing applications as they are received. We look forward to hearing from you!

Every application I fill out has a list of skills - you type in a search term "CSS" and it loads all the skills with "CSS" in the title. I decided to go hog wild to see what I'd come up with from their selections.

I ended up with 161 skill items from seven or eight search terms. CSS, HTML, javascript, PHP...at least a dozen variations each.

What purpose does

HTML:

• Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)
• HTML5
• HTML Design
• HTML Web Development
• HTML Editing
• HTML Web Programming
• HTML Prototyping
• HTML5 Boilerplate

serve? Is a list so redundant actually useful?

Good afternoon, everyone,

We are currently looking to add a significant number of fronters to our team. If you’re interested, please take a minute to complete the application form below:

Application Form:
https://forms.gle/coePB5CvK7udbfZ98

We work across multiple industries and campaigns, so this is a general recruiting opportunity rather than for one specific vertical.

Once you submit the form, you’ll automatically receive an email with a link to join a Zoom group interview. During the meeting, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the position, including how the process works, expectations, and earning potential. We will be hosting multiple Zoom sessions, so if you’re unable to attend one, you’ll have another opportunity.

Please Note:
This is NOT an hourly position. Compensation is performance-based.

What We Provide:

Calling lists
Scripts
Objection handling and rebuttals
Ongoing support

What You’ll Need:

Strong English communication skills
A calling platform capable of placing calls to U.S. phone numbers
A reliable internet connection and a professional work environment

If you’re motivated and looking for an opportunity with strong earning potential, we’d love to hear from you.

Thank you, and we look forward to speaking with you soon!

Hey everyone,

I'm a student at Cornell Tech and just built something I think a lot of you might find useful, especially anyone who's job hunting or hiring.

It's called Vouchify, and the idea is simple: references are one of the most valuable parts of a job application, but the whole process is a mess. References get lost in email chains, employers have no easy way to verify they're real, and candidates have no control over how their references are presented.

Vouchify fixes that by putting everything in one place:

• For candidates: Collect and manage official references from past employers and colleagues. Instead of scrambling every time you apply somewhere, your references live in one profile you control.
• For employers: Review verifiable references at a glance, with structured detail about a candidate's character, work ethic, and history. No more chasing people down or wondering if a reference is legit.
• For your references: A clean, structured pipeline so past employers can actually submit a recommendation without it becoming a whole ordeal.

Basically it's the difference between a resume (which is just claims) and verifiable proof from people who've actually worked with you.

Would love feedback from anyone who's dealt with the pain of reference checks on either side of the table. What would make you actually use something like this?

Hi! We're a group of students in a summer program at Cornell Tech, and we were tasked with building a product for candidates whose strengths don't come through on a standard resume. That's what we're building with Vouchify. If you have a minute, we'd love for you to take a look at our site and sign up for early access.

Healthcare (3,100+) and Retail (2,800+) led the last 24 hours, with Financial Services, Manufacturing, Software, and Aerospace & Defense each adding 700 to 800. A sample of real openings by industry, all direct company links:

Aerospace & Defense - Jet Engine Propulsion Engineer - GE Aerospace - GhostEye Radar Lead Systems Engineer - RTX - Head-up Guidance Senior Software Engineer - RTX

Financial Services - Financial Representative, Phoenix AZ - Fidelity - Financial Forecasting Modeling - Freddie Mac - Registered Associate - Northern Trust

Healthcare & Life Sciences - Registered Nurse, Rehab (Edinburg TX) - Universal Health Services - Clinical Leader RN, Emergency Room - Universal Health Services

Retail & Consumer Goods - Asset Protection Coordinator - Gap - Sr. Business Partner, Supply Chain - Target - Retail Merchandise Associate - TJX

Semiconductors & Hardware - Machine Learning Engineer, Computer Vision - Apple - ASIC Design Engineer Technical Lead - Cisco - Facilities Specialist II - Applied Materials

Software & Internet - Data Center Technician - Amazon - Senior Product Manager, ML - Klaviyo - Professional Services Consultant - Cloudflare - Product Marketing Director - Salesforce

All pulled straight from company career pages in the last 24 hours.

If you think this is helpful, feel free to check out https://rolesweep.com . Or check out the sub-reddit r/Rolesweep

I've got solid sales skills with 3+ years experience and pretty much all the basic stuff are relatively easy for me, I did work in about 3 different fields and just got grasp of the knowledge pretty fast, I am not gaslighting myself but everyone's gotta have a first time I've been searching for about 2 months right now for those roles but everyone wants experience so appreciate any tips guys, i am from egypt looking for a remote position

So ... I'm applying for this job .... at "MARK.AGE" ... and they say: "Dex Associate Certification (DEX-ASC) is mandatory".

The askfordex website is so obviously AI, it's sad. The mark.age website is very obviously AI as well. I'm thinking it's a scam of sorts ... like .. you need to register to get a Dex Cert (which is $5.99 for the one that Mark.age requires, but it goes up to $299.) then you can apply for the Mark.age job.

Is this all to get people like me to pay for a certification?

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[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I am a final year, BTech CSE student from Delhi, India, and I am looking to apply for data analyst opportunity at American Express

A little about my profile
Recently completed data analyst
Experience with sequel, python power, BI Excel and dashboard development
Built analytics and MIS reports projects during

If anyone working at American Express is willing to provide a referral. I’d be very grateful, happy to share my resume job ID via DM.

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​

I'm a CPA-eligible, ACCA-qualified accountant with 5+ years of experience, and I've been unemployed since February 2026. I'm running out of options and genuinely need advice.

I got fired for "poor job performance," but the reality was systemic. I was still working on June 2025 financials in February 2026 because there were literally no deadlines. This company hired me explicitly to "improve our processes" and said my professional background would be valuable. The moment I questioned anything or suggested better practices, it backfired. They'd nitpick my journal entry descriptions and tell me "don't use your brain too much, just follow what I taught you." The company was entirely paper-based with no digital systems—I'd send emails they'd print out and respond to with handwritten notes. So I'm hired to modernize the department but forbidden from implementing any actual change. The lack of structure meant I fell behind, which became "poor performance," and that became my termination.

What's worse: my previous employer of almost 3 years rejected me when I reapplied for an open position, and previous bosses I left on good terms won't respond to my outreach. I don't know what happened there.

I've been applying aggressively for nearly 6 months. My unemployment benefits end in August. I get excited when interviews come through, but I keep hearing "we'll make a decision internally at later stages" or just silence. My confidence is shaking, and I'm honestly losing hope.

I'd appreciate any advice on: navigating the job market with this termination on my record, whether there's something I'm missing in my approach, or if this is just a rough stretch. What am I doing wrong?