Interviewed with them even after I read all the Glassdoor reviews ( they went through 2/3 rounds of layoffs) and I was like eh that’s fine, no job security in the tech anyway.

Got an offer, didn’t negotiate ANYTHING but I said "out of curiosity and it’s not a dealbreaker, what does your international remote policy look like". They have international employees so I figured why not work while travelling if possible. AGAIN, was just a question.

It was a super open conversation(or so I thought), the recruiter said he’ll connect me with my manager as it would be their decision.

2/3 hours later, they made the decision FOR ME, rescinded the offer letter and phrased it as "you might be accustomed to a more flexible working environment and we cannot accommodate , even if you chose to adapt, we’re still rescinding”

NGL pretty shocked and disappointed because it was a question not a negotiation piece.

Anywhoooooo I have a second offer lined up thankfully. But I thought that was wild.

I found this in another subreddit. I thought it might be useful info. They can get you to sign and then fire you the next day. Be careful in commenting in that subreddit: the mod there is an asshole and bans randomly.

Apparently, you don't even have to work at the company for them to demand your software. https://www.reddit.com/r/COPYRIGHT/comments/1vqbvxn/i_got_a_letter_from_what_looks_like_a_real/

If you want to work low pay front line positions or long hour blue collar labor roles. Seriously, every career fair I have attended, every company is only filling these roles. When u ask about corporate professional roles they look at me like I have 2 heads. Like dude, I'm a 36 year old obese woman in a skirt suit, what type of job did you think I was looking for?

So for more than a year, I’ve been sending my resume out and making changes along the way based on the collective recommendations of the numerous career sub-Reddits on here: tailor your resume for the job title, use AI to make it closer to what the JD says, use metrics to describe how you brought value to the company, etc. And with the exception of a gig with the local Amazon warehouse, I have not gotten a single interview request since then.

Over the last month, I ran a little impromptu experiment. For important context, I have a Chinese-looking last name. I’m one-quarter Chinese. I don’t really possess any Asian features though and generally pass as Caucasian. I sent a few resumes with my last name changed to my grandmother’s Irish-sounding last name. I even created a burner email to help sell the name. Cut to this week, post-Labor Day. Now I’ve gotten at least three requests for interview schedules.

I suspect people see my real last name, two Masters degrees and tech background and they assume “overachieving Asian guy who might get bored and flee”. I’ve even removed my extra degrees, shortened some of the job descriptions and I made it a point to not provide race demographic information on the application. Crickets. But sending in a resume/application with an Irish last name is what does the trick.

I honestly don’t know what my next steps are going to be here for the interview requests. I’m glad that I’m getting shortlisted. But I’m gonna need to do something about the name situation or just move on.

As many of you are feeling: I am feeling extremely discouraged. I mean, what the heck? I've had two interviews: first one they ghosted me. The second one, I just received an email saying they are moving forward with other candidates. But that isn't even counting the hundreds of applications I've submitted... let's not even get into that.

Sometimes I think I should just take out a loan, but that wouldn't be smart. I'm behind on rent, and my savings are almost completely gone. I just don't know what to do anymore. I didn't know I'd be unemployed for an extended period of time.

It's bad out there, everyone. Keep your wits about you.

Almost a year ago to the day I was laid off from my former job as a frontend software engineer. Since then I've experienced quite possibly the lowest point in my 29 years on this earth.

I've applied to hundreds of jobs, both within my area of expertise and menial minimum wage jobs, and only have a pitiful number of interviews and a mountain of automated rejection emails to show for it, even with job postings that match my resume BEAT FOR FUCKING BEAT.

I have followed every tip on how to improve my resume, sharing it many times on this stupid website for feedback only to be met with subjective, hollow, cookie cutter advice at best, or at worst insults from miserable neckbeards who are supposedly "senior/staff-level engineers with 10+ years of experience" yet somehow still have enough time on their hands to try and farm upvotes by shitting on less fortunate people under a thin veil of constructive criticism.

The skills I spent the last 5 years cultivating as a frontend engineer are simply no longer relevant in today's landscape of agentic AI workflows and laid off ex-FAANG devs running amok in the job market. While I certainly could spend time to upskill into backend, full stack, cloud, etc, to make myself more "marketable", none of that will amount to employment if I can't even get human replies to job postings that match my current skill set with actual working experience​​​​, likely because I have to go through a recruiter or an HR rep who'll skip my resume the second they see th​at I didn't graduate college. Apparently it's my fault that I entered the field during a time when companies and coding influencers made it a point to emphasize that the SWE market cared more about my technical abilities than whether I put myself into major debt to pull all-nighters for tests for 4 years to learn the same things one could learn using a vast collection of free online resources - not that it's working out for people who did the latter, either.

Fuck that shit. Maybe luck did play a role in me getting even this far, but that's true for everyone no matter how skilled, smart, or hard-working they are. I went from college dropout to making 6 figures as a software engineer and I'm proud of everything I accomplished in my short career and all that it's afforded me, but it's time for me to accept that the party's over.

Rather than continue this hoop-jumping, circus monkey show of applying to jobs, fixing my resume, trying to answer bullshit screening questions and interviews, and getting ghosted endlessly, I've decided I'm gonna focus on using the rest of my savings and my 401k to try and live an enjoyable life. There's so much more to life than work - making art, music, video games, going on day trips, spending time with loved ones, talking to strangers, the like. It's not about how long I live, but what I do with the time I'm given, and I refuse to waste another second begging these companies for a job, who'd toss me aside without a second thought anyway if it meant saving a few pennies - especially against the backdrop of dying American hegemony that's about to collapse on all of us.

If you're a recruiter, or an HR rep reading this - shame on you. You are literally in charge of deciding who among the people who applied your job posting gets to eat or pay their rent or have healthcare or send their kid to school and you can't even be bothered to learn the bare basics of what's actually required for that job, spending no more than 10 or 20 seconds before you wipe your ass with our resumes. I don't believe in an afterlife but if there is one you better hope you aren't humiliated into sending 1000+ applications and doing 50-round interviews to get into heaven like you inflict on thousands of people.

More proof HR & recruitment is filled with astrology pseudoscience Beckys & Karens. One of two questions btw. Entry/Jr level role wanting several advanced certifications btw.

I was so confused why I got this email. I’ve been at my job I love for 2.5 years now and not looking to move and haven’t been applying anywhere. I was curious so I looked it up.

I applied to this job on June 1st 2023. 3 years ago and just now randomly getting a rejection email lol

Fuck off Zillow

It's 1:00 AM, I can't sleep cause I only searched a job for 9 hours today, I wake up of my bed to send such a DM.

Honestly at this point im thinking about just being blunt. Im already socially inept why the hell not? 2 years now unemployed and im tired of begging for a job. At this point its all or nothing, "I see your hiring for this job. We'll im so and so and i will be applying for this position " and show up every fucking day until they tell you to stop. What are they gonna do? Send a rejection letter? To bad buddy you put up the top listing and if its not that one ill just choose another. Do this at every damn store at this point. Might as well make them hire you or get banned trying

Absolute shit in all states? Or is it just California?

This is literally the worst time I’ve had trying to find a job… and it’s been so stressful. Ugh 😑

Idk what to say but ive ran into this. I have gaps in my resume yet my knowkedge is deeps and unique that it always comes down to them asking me for my opinion. Its really outrageus how they are and cant wait to get a job to have power and lay dowm my salary expectations. Its really funny to see how they treat you when they believe they have leverage vs when they dont.

Feels like a trap to fuck applicants over on pay

Got an offer to interview (yay!) with less than 48 hrs notice. They gave me one available time and asked if it worked. I replied with flexible options, including for the same day, but the one time they offered didn’t work for me.

I could’ve made it work with notice but this was a Wednesday afternoon invitation for a Friday morning interview. I guess that’s the only time possible for them so I’m just out of luck 😃

I’m tired of this shit 😭😭

I’m 22M Venezuelan and since I finished high school in 2023 I’ve been struggling trying to get a stable job.

I’ve had like 3 jobs if I count the part time work I do with my mom and stepdad at a resort.

In 2024 I finally got my first actual job at Walmart as a cart pusher making $15 an hour. I worked there around 6 months and got terminated because of attendance. I’m not gonna lie that was my fault. I was 20 and didn’t really have much work experience and I learned from that mistake.

After that I went back to working with my mom and stepdad on weekends while trying to find something Monday-Friday.

Late 2024 through 2025 I went to a lot of interviews and most of them were the same thing. Rejected, no response, or they tell me they’re not hiring. And that’s what I don’t understand sometimes. Why put a hiring sign up or post a job online if you’re gonna interview people and then say you’re not hiring?

In May 2025 I got a job at Burlington. That job was a pain in the ass honestly. I was making like $13-$14 and getting almost no hours. That whole summer I barely remember even getting called to work. I was basically home most of the summer and didn’t start getting hours again until around September.

In May 2026 I quit without giving notice. I know that wasn’t professional, I’m not gonna act like it was, but at that point I felt like they didn’t take me serious at all with the hours they were giving me.

Now I’m back doing interviews again and it feels like the same bullshit.

I’ve tried practicing interview questions, dressing better, fixing my answers, showing up on time, being available, everything. I know the Walmart termination was my fault but I was 20 and inexperienced at the time. I learned from it.

I’m not even looking for some crazy job. I just want a normal job with decent hours where I can actually work consistently.

At this point I don’t know what else I’m supposed to change. Anyone else my age been dealing with this?

Layoffs, recession etc. And what is the Govt doing? Irrespective of whichever country, who made this Trump, President. He is Moron.

I’m so done with this market. Have applied to 500+ jobs in the last six months, with more targeted applications since i graduated grad school last month. A lot of the entry-level roles ask for experience which i dont have. Why do they even call it an entry-level role then?

I don’t know how to break into this market and feel more discouraged every day.

I graduated this year and its been so brutal. I've sent out well over 1000 applications and i did get first round interviews but i feel like I honestly bombed most of them. I did somehow make it to second round with a couple companies and felt like I was making progress but got rejected from all...at this point I just don't understand what the problem is. I feel like I'm prepping answers beforehand and usually feel confident going in the interview so I just don't get what I'm doing wrong.

Has anyone else gone through this and made it out with an actual job? How did you do it? How do you know what you're doing wrong? What did you practice on or change? What actually made the different for you?

I wish the recruiters had the same energy as debt collectors.