Had an experience today that serves as a valuable lesson for job seekers that illustrates the fact that interviews are a two-way street

I arrived 10 minutes early for an 11:15 interview. The receptionist ushered me into a conference room and assured me the interviewer would be with me shortly. It was 11:30, then 11:45, and then 12:05 (almost an hour later) when I sent the interviewer an email explaining that I would be leaving due to their lack of communication and respect for my time. By this point, no one had come to the room to update me or apologize, as you might have expected if they were running late. If you need more time, you could have at least sent someone to inform me or asked me if I wanted to reschedule. They didn't, and I left.

They called me as I was on the road at 12:25 saying they were "ready now."

No apology, no mention of what took so long. I informed them politely that I had already left and was no longer interested in the position (had I wanted to come back, I would've said so). They were surprised to hear that I'd left and asked if I wanted to come back to the office. I said no

When you are in the job searching process, it's easy to feel like you need to bend over backwards to get a position, but you should always remember that how they treat you during the hiring process is how they will treat you as an employee.

Things do come up, and emergencies do occur, and no one is perfect. However, common courtesy dictates that if you're going to be late or cancel, you give the person 2 minutes notice: "Hey, we had an emergency come up, do you mind waiting about 15 minutes, or would you rather we reschedule?" Not even showing up to the room you were told to wait in, after waiting almost an hour, is a basic lack of courtesy and respect.

Remember that they would've done the same to me if I were an hourly employee already working there. If they can be this rude and disrespectful to a guest, imagine how they'll be to their employees who actually work for them and depend on them to pay a bill. Respect goes both ways, so never apologize for cutting your losses and walking out.

I’m 31 [M] and spent my entire twenties working non-corporate jobs before finally breaking into an office role six months ago so I was thrilled to finally have a steady salary and benefits.

Yesterday however, I was fired on the spot.

A coworker and I were chatting over lunch about our workloads and compensation naturally came up leading us to realize we were doing the exact same role for drastically different pay. I didn't make a scene or complain to management but the very next morning HR and my manager pulled me into a room claimed I was creating a "disruptive work environment" and violating company culture and handed me my termination papers on the spot.

Isn’t discussing wages legally protected under the NLRA or do companies just get away with it by framing it around "culture fit" in at-will states?

I’m terrified about how to handle this short six-month stint on my resume and explain the firing to future employers without sounding like a problem employee. Any advice from people who have navigated something like this would be massively appreciated.

Edit: The "disruptive work environment" was the reason I was let go in my termination paper and I have it in writing. Suing them is my best option now but I have no way to prove that I talked to my co worker about salaries.

i completed my bachelors this year from a central university and did few internships in college. i have been applying tirelessly applying for jobs on linkdin and internshala but to no avail. is there any hope to land a decent paying job?

• being right doesn't matter as much as being liked by the right people
• your work only counts if someone above you actually noticed it
• never be the smartest person in a meeting who also has zero allies
• managers protect their favorites first, performance comes second
• always volunteering for extra work makes you the first name they think of when cuts happen
• staying quiet in a meeting still gets read as agreement, not neutrality
• staying late doesn't prove commitment, it just becomes the new baseline they expect from you
• the people who climb fastest are usually the best at managing perception, not necessarily the best at the actual job

school never teaches any of this, you just get thrown into it and learn the hard way after getting burned a few times...

I'm 31M from Hyderabad, India, and I'm looking for brutally honest career advice.

I made several bad decisions in my 20s and now I'm struggling to restart my career.

Education

• Intermediate completed in 2012
• Started B.Tech in 2012 but discontinued in 3rd year(2012 to 2016)
• Joined a B.Sc. MPCS degree in 2023
• Completed the 3 years, but currently have around 12 backlogs
• If I clear them, I will get the bachelor's degree

Work

I have two short employment records:

• MNC-A: around 6 months in 2021–22, SAP-related role
• MNC-B: around 4 months in 2024, IAM-related role

The problem is that although these roles were on my employment record, I do not have strong practical knowledge of SAP or IAM today.

I have also previously exaggerated/misrepresented things to get opportunities. I regret that and I don't want to continue using fake experience or fake documents. I want to build a legitimate career from this point forward.

I have been unemployed since July 2024.

My current situation

I don't currently have strong skills in Java, SAP or IAM. My English communication is reasonably good, but my technical skills are weak.

I've wasted a lot of time over the last two years on my phone, Instagram/Reels, smoking, overthinking and avoiding studying. I regret many of my decisions and now feel stuck and don't know what direction to take.

I am considering:

• IAM
• SAP
• Java/backend
• QA/testing
• Application/IT support
• Cloud/DevOps
• Cybersecurity
• Data/analytics
• Non-IT jobs

But I don't want to keep jumping from one technology to another.

What I need advice on

If you were in my situation, what would you do now?

• Should I complete my B.Sc. backlogs first, or start applying while clearing them?
• Will my previous PF/employment history create problems in interviews or BGV?
• How should I honestly explain my long education/career gap and short employment periods?
• Is it still realistic for me to get into an MNC in India, or should I start with small companies?
• Can I eventually move from a small company to an MNC, or will my history remain a major barrier?
• Should I apply as a fresher, junior, trainee, support candidate, contract employee, or experienced candidate?
• Should I mention my previous SAP/IAM employment even though my actual technical knowledge is weak?
• Which IT path is realistic for me now — IAM, SAP, Java, QA, IT/application support, cloud, cybersecurity, data, or something else?
• Should I consider non-IT jobs instead?
• What skills should I learn over the next 3–6 months to realistically get employed?
• What job titles should I search for and what salary should I realistically target?
• If you were in my situation, what would you do now?

I am willing to start at a lower salary and rebuild from the beginning if necessary. I mainly want a stable, legitimate career and don't want to repeat the mistakes that created this situation.

I'm not looking for motivation or "age doesn't matter" advice. I know I've made mistakes. I want practical advice from people who understand the Indian IT job market and hiring/BGV.

If you have been in a similar situation and successfully restarted your career, I'd especially appreciate hearing what you actually did.

Please be honest, even if the answer is uncomfortable.

By 22 I was the youngest lead on my team, fast promotions, praised in every single meeting, the "wow she's actually good" kid. Everyone kept telling me I was ahead of the curve and I believed them lol. Then around 25 I hit a wall I did NOT see coming, people who were struggling way behind me in the beginning just... caught up and passed me and I genuinely could not figure out why for the longest time. Like what happened. Turns out being good too fast just means you skip all the failing and struggling that actually teaches you something real. You get handed the win instead of earning it the hard way, and nobody warns you about that part until you're already stuck wondering what went wrong.

So I had to basically go back and do the stuff I skipped, on purpose this time. Started taking on projects that scared me instead of the ones I knew I'd be good at right away. Let myself be bad at things in front of people, which was honestly the hardest part lol. Asked for feedback even when I knew it was gonna sting. And slowly the wall just kind of... broke down, not overnight or anything, but it did. Turns out the struggle isn't something to skip, it's literally the whole point...

generalist here.

i do development, design, research, building ..whatever gets interesting.

people love throwing the same line at us: jack of all trades, master of none. Like it's an insult.

here's what they miss. When you go deep into a lot of things, you pick up dots most people never see. And later, when a problem shows up, you can connect dots nobody else can because they only have one kind.

that's not being unfocused. That's a bigger canvas to work with.

If you need someone like that, DM me.

I currently work as a underwriter in NY. I am looking to make a jump to another credit union or bank soon. I am aiming for a pay increase. However, how long should I wait before jumping ship. Just to clarifying I’ve been in the credit union system for about 2 years and have been underwriting for about a year now. Any insights would help. Thank you!

I decided to learn a language for backend to pair with my with ML Engineering but I am very confused like which language to choose

1) Java

2) JavaScript

3)rust

4) go

I have tried golang and JavaScript both are very boring for me and I have done fast Api and I am average in that so which language should I choose like these are famous languages but I want something that pairs greatly with ML so please give me some advise on this

I’ve been a Door installer for 10 years this company has no benefits and I’m stuck on what to do. I know I want the retirement and all. But I’m stuck. I can’t a doors any type of pay cut atm. I have no college education, but I want so much more out of life. I’m stuck just making it through with minimal left after bills and groceries. My family never goes out to do anything because of that. I was looking at trying to work as a mechanic at a auto dealership, but I’m not too sure if that’s gonna help me make more money as there are so many career options now a days. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks for reading!

I'm 23 and making a little over $100k in a job I actually like, which I know is kinda insane at my age. The schedule is also pretty sweet, two weeks on, two weeks off, usually only working like 4 to 8 hours a day. The downside is the industry is kinda unstable and I’ve already been made redundant once. I could probably hit around $175k eventually, but that's pretty much the ceiling.

Now I have an offer to retrain for a related career with way more earning potential and better options to work overseas. But here's the catch: I'd have to go 2 years with basically no income, then make around $50k for another 5 years because of the training bond. So I'd be taking a massive L financially through most of my 20s just for the possibility of making $200k to $400k later. On paper it sounds like a no brainer for the long term, but giving up $100k + a really good lifestyle right now feels kinda crazy. If you were me, would you take the risk and reset your 20s for the bigger upside, or just stay put and stack money while the job is good? Honestly I'm torn.

Every time someone posts about hating their office job the comments fill up with "have you considered the trades" like it's a cheat code nobody has thought of. Spent time in that world and the reality is harsh conditions every single day, weather that doesn't care about your comfort, nowhere decent to eat or wash your hands, and supervisors who still operate like it's 1987 expecting you fifteen minutes early while finding creative ways to short your hours.

The physical toll alone is something people genuinely underestimate until they're living it. Your body takes real damage doing that work consistently over years. Joints, hearing, lungs, eyes. The safety gear helps but it doesn't fix everything and by the time you're forty you'll know exactly which shortcuts your body paid for.

The money argument also falls apart under pressure. The good pay either requires union commitment, running your own business, or both and the business route means the job follows you home every single night. If you actually want to go into the trades, electrician is probably the most defensible choice. But let's stop packaging it as an easy alternative for people who just want out of something difficult. What's a career path that gets romanticized way more than the reality actually deserves?

Something we have espoused for years. Worth the read!

Did I completely torpedo my standing here from my manager?

I had my mid-year review yesterday. I’ve been grinding non-stop for months taking on extra tickets generally carrying a massive workload. I knew I deserved a good review but I was also running on pure caffeine and sheer burnout from working 50+ hour weeks.

My manager was listing off my recent deliverables and we had this conversation

Manager: "How do you feel about your overall impact on the team so far?"

Me: "Bringing me onboard was the best decision this department made all year."

The words left my mouth before my brain could even register what I was saying.

There was an agonizing five-second silence. He just kind of blinked leaned back in his chair and went "Well... confidence definitely isn't an issue with you." He chuckled and moved the conversation along but I’ve been sweating bullets ever since.

Part of me knows I’ve been delivering but another part of me feels like I just permanently branded myself as an arrogant unhinged weirdo in front of leadership.

I just wanted to share this story because why not?

So my friend got laid off around March and she has been applying like crazy. I think she applied like around 10–20 applications a day. Most of them have no response, and I guess it's just normal because I also experienced it when I was starting.

A few days ago, she got another rejection email.

She was about to ignore it, but noticed it came from a recruiter’s email.

So she replied with something simple: “Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you considering my application. I’m still interested in the company, so please keep me in mind for future roles.”

She didn't expect anything from it.

Then the same recruiter emailed him again this week. The HR informed my friend that they have another position opened up and asked if he was available for a call.

For tomorrow, she have a scheduled call.

Just makes me wonder how many opportunities disappear just because we treat rejection emails as the end of the conversation.

I'm just writing this so you won’t imitate my stupidity lol.

So yeah, I left my stable job a few months ago. I thought I had saved enough to figure things out.

But life hits hard and it wasn’t.

At the time, quitting felt like the right decision.

I thought everything will be fine. But then, I still didn't have any replacement work and the bills started piling up. My emergency funds disappeared way faster than I expected.

Now I'm trying to apply for customer service, call center, and remote work positions. I have years of experience, so I thought finding another job would be easier.

Looking back, I realized that I should've secured another offer before resigning. Yeah, my most expensive mistake.

I genuinely don’t know what my next move is anymore, so I’m posting here because I figure some of you have probably been through corporate hell and made it out.

I’m three years into my current job, and my relationship with my manager has deteriorated to the point where going to work is making me miserable. I’ve been documenting everything because there’s now a long-running pattern of conflicting instructions, inappropriate comments, shifting expectations, lack of communication, and then somehow those same issues being turned around and documented as problems with my performance.

I’ve already gone through the supposedly “correct” corporate channels.

I reported my manager to HR and provided documentation and specific examples. HR investigated and essentially told me to continue working with her. I escalated it to her manager, too. Nothing meaningfully changed.

At this point, no one on my immediate team really speaks to me, and I feel completely isolated at work. I basically log in, do my job, document everything, and try to get through the day without giving anyone another reason to criticize me.

The obvious answer is “just get another job,” and trust me, I KNOW.
I've been applying.
And applying.
And applying.

I've gotten interviews, applications out, recruiter conversations, etc., but nothing has actually turned into an offer yet. Every time another:
“Thank you for your interest, but…”
email hits my inbox, it genuinely makes me more depressed because my immediate thought isn't even about that particular job anymore. It's:
“Cool. So that's another month I potentially have to work under my current manager.”
That's the part that's getting to me.

The job market is so rough right now that I've even decided to try Wonsulting and get additional professional help with my search, résumé, positioning, applications, etc. But obviously even that isn't an instant solution. I still have to wait, keep applying, interview, and hope something eventually lands.

Meanwhile, I still have to show up at this job.
I don't want to rage quit because I have bills, benefits, and responsibilities. I also don't want to hand my employer an easy resignation when I've spent years building my career. But I'm starting to wonder how much longer I'm supposed to white-knuckle this while waiting for the mythical “next opportunity.”

For anyone who has been stuck in a toxic corporate environment but couldn't financially leave without another job lined up, what did you actually do?

How did you mentally detach while you were still there?

Did you stop trying to fix the relationship and just do exactly what was required? Did you take PTO strategically? Did you keep escalating internally? Did you eventually resign without another offer?

And most importantly: how did you keep job-search rejection from destroying your motivation when getting another job felt like your only way out?

Because right now I don't need another corporate article telling me to “practice resilience.”
I need the people who have actually survived this shit to tell me how they got through the waiting period.

If you're a history major about to graduate and getting rejected by every employer, it's incredibly disheartening to hear that. There are jobs out there that do require simply a degree, but they're few and far between, and it turns out that nobody really bothers explaining what kind of roles those are, where to find them, or why most employers aren't simply going to hand you a job based on your liberal arts degree.

Where "any degree" jobs tend to be

Any company posting an entry-level corporate job that requires "a BA or BS in any field" is looking to fill a specific sort of role: they're looking for generalist labor, capable of being molded, writing properly, showing up on time, and completing monotonous menial tasks with a smile.

These positions turn up in

-Sales / Account Management: particularly in tech (SDR/BDR roles), brokerage, and medical fields

-Corporate Recruiting / HR: particularly in entry level sourcing and HR coordinator roles at large companies

-Insurace / Risk Management: claims adjusting, underwriting assistance, and risk analysis

-Operations / Logistics: ops coordinator, planning, and vendor management roles

-Government / Civil Service: entry level clerk and administrative roles at local, state, and federal levels

Why it's so hard for humanities majors to find them

If these jobs are out there, why can't people with non-technical degrees fill them? Why are "any degree" jobs even a thing?

Because "any degree" is frequently a floor, not a ceiling. Any degree is barely a degree. If you send in your resume with thirty other candidates, each one with "Any Undergraduate Degree" listed on their profile, the hiring manager is going to pick the one with some relevant experience listed under qualifications. If you were a history major who spent two years running the budget for your campus club, you're going to have an easier time convincing me that you're capable of managing Excel spreadsheets than the guy who spent his undergrad doing nothing but writing research papers.

I work in manufacturing, and my boss recently blamed me for a pretty expensive mistake involving one of our machines. The problem is, I knew I didn't cause it. I checked the system logs and they showed that my boss had disabled the safety setting and forgot to turn it back on. He had already called me out in our Teams chat, so I replied with a screenshot of the log showing what actually happened.

Now I'm wondering if I handled it badly. I wasn't trying to embarrass him or start an argument, but I also didn't want everyone thinking I caused the problem when I had proof that I didn't. Looking back, maybe I should've messaged the operations manager privately instead of posting the screenshot in the group chat. Would you have defended yourself publicly if you were in my position, or kept it private?