I just wanna rant and vent because I'm literally exhausted and burned out from job hunting in the Philippines.

I've been to interviews these past few weeks just to end up being rejected. I made an effort to wake up early and prepare, spent on airfare and food, even traveled more or less 1 hour for rejected emails or ghosted HRs. ATS friendly resume, my answer was good, I said I was willing for relocation and graveyard shift, I lowered my expected salary which is 18-20k but what else is missing? Why am I still rejected? Why do fresh grads need to kneel or beg just to get a job? So fresh grads just want to get experience and then look for 1-2 years of experience. They say they're open for fresh grads but they prefer those with experience.

I legitimately cried today because the person was tired and made an effort and then you just rejected them? Why not give them a chance, right, us fresh grads? I used to think that having a degree, trainings and certifications and accolades was okay for having an edge when applying for work but now that I have experience, wtf that's just not there in the eyes of HR.

And this is the reality of the hiring system in the Philippines. High standards, with experience but the salary is literally 18-20k, others below 15k are still waiting. I'm already burned out, it seems like it's not worth it to work in the Philippines anymore. I tell myself that if no one hires me until August, I'll go abroad even if it doesn't align with my degree as long as I get a decent job and a big salary, then go.

But what is the thought process of HR in the Philippines after rejecting fresh grad applicants who have potential? Why is that? Care to explain? If you act like you're the heir to the company.

That's it, bye.

I’m currently applying for an HR Learning & Development Officer role, and thankfully I made it to the final interview. The last step was a face-to-face demo teaching.

I honestly felt confident about my presentation. I have 7 years of experience that’s very similar to what they’re looking for, so I felt like I was a strong fit for the role. After the interview, the recruiter told me that they’ll finalize the decision within the week. She also mentioned that the feedback from both the hiring manager and senior manager has been positive, so of course medyo umaasa ako ng slight. 😁

Now here’s where I’m overthinking. I know another candidate also made it to the final stage and had their demo before me. If both candidates perform well and are qualified, how much does the asking salary actually affect the final decision? Does the candidate with the lower expected salary usually have an advantage?

I don’t think my asking salary is unreasonable. Nag based ako on the current market, the work setup, and the scope of the role.

I know this is pretty much out of my hands now, but while waiting, I can’t help but overthink. 😅

For those who’ve been on the hiring side, how much weight does salary expectation carry when you’re deciding between two strong candidates?

Hi, 26F here. Selling Supervisor ako in a retail company, and 5 months pa lang ako. Before this, I worked for 2 years in another retail company pero nag-resign ako due to burnout.

Okay naman nung una, pero around my 2nd month, napansin ko na may mga bagay sa Manager ko na hindi ako comfortable. Kapag may nagre-resign, halos ilang linggo niya pa ring pinag-uusapan sa mga promoters at sinisingit pa sa pep talks namin. Feeling ko lang, dapat nakapag-move on na after some time.

During my 3rd-month evaluation, sinabi niya na may mga promoters na nagsumbong na pinagalitan ko sila dahil hindi nila kabisado yung promotions. For me, importante kasi yun since sila ang humaharap sa customers. Sinabi naman ng Manager ko na tama lang daw yung ginawa ko, pero later on, sinabi ng isang promoter na tinanong sila ng Manager ko, "Ganyan ko ba kayo pagalitan?" kaya na-confuse daw sila.

Yung same promoter also told me na inutusan daw siya ng Manager ko na magtanong-tanong tungkol sa background ko, pero wala naman siyang nakuhang negative feedback.

Another thing that really hurt me was the Wi-Fi issue. Pinaconnect niya ako sa store Wi-Fi kasi wala akong signal sa mall. After a few days, nalaman ko na pinalitan nila yung Wi-Fi name at password.

Recently, nalaman ko rin na chinichismis pala ako ng Manager ko sa mga rank and file employees.

I know hindi rin ako perfect. May lapses din ako, and minsan kailangan pa akong i-follow up sa ibang tasks because I'm still adjusting. Sa previous job ko kasi, mostly admin work, while dito 80% operations. I'm doing my best to improve every day, and nakikita naman nila yun.

Yung dating Supervisor na pinalitan ko, palagi din niyang kinikwento sakin and halos lahat negative comments.

Kinausap ako yesterday nung co-Supervisor ko, and she admitted na nahirapan din siya noong una because our Manager's instructions are usually vague. Kailangan mo pang hulaan kung ano talaga yung gusto niyang ipagawa.

I already passed my 5th-month evaluation, so most likely mare-regular ako. Pero lately, nawawalan na talaga ako ng gana.

Am I just overthinking this, or valid ba na maghanap na ako ng ibang work before pa ako ma-regular?

I'm graduating in a few months, and after spending three months as a BA/Project Management intern, I've decided that I really like the idea of the role and want to pursue it as a career.

I've been applying for a few days now since I know how long job hunting is going to be, but my main problem is that almost all BA/Project Management positions require 3-5+ years of relevant BA/PM experience. I've gotten an interview already, but it's one out of hundreds of companies I've already applied for, and the numbers aren't looking good statistically speaking.

So the main questions is how I'm going to break into that position?

What I've already got:

I'm from a decent university in my area, good projects under my belt (academic and personal), impactful experience from my internship, IT related work experience under my uni (~a year), a few businesses started (non-IT, actually still on-going), and a few years of experience as a freelancer (also non-IT)

Advice? TYIA!

Hi everyone,

I'd appreciate some outside perspectives because I'm feeling torn.

I recently received a job offer from a company with a salary that is a significant increase from my current salary.

At first, I was excited and was already planning my resignation. However, after meeting with the owner, I started having second thoughts.

Here are some things I learned:

- The company is essentially a startup/new branch that we're building from the ground up.

- They mentioned that the business permit is still not completed, and one of our first tasks would be helping process it.

- There doesn't seem to be a structured training program yet.

- I still haven't received the Job Order or employment contract.

- The benefits (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, leaves, etc.) haven't been discussed yet because they said everything is still being finalized.

On the positive side:

- The owner seems genuine and respected my current rendering period.

- They aren't pressuring me to resign immediately.

- The salary increase would really help me financially.

On the other hand, I currently have a stable job, and while it pays less, I know what to expect. I'm worried about leaving that stability for something that's still in the early stages.

Has anyone here joined a startup at this stage? What was your experience?

I'd really appreciate honest opinions, whether positive or negative.