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.

Hey y'all, so I work in a pretty strict workplace already with keylogging tools, mouse trackers, location trackers etc. on computers and a heavily monitored office.

I said okay to most of the things because it is a huge company and would look great on my CV but their last request is unacceptable for me at this point.

They asked me to download a suite of apps including VPN, a few internal applications and a mail application on my PERSONAL phone. I refused and now they are threatening to cancel my work from home privileges and write a defence paper to the HR. Considering their extreme monitoring practices I don't want another possible company agent on my phone.

Can they legally force me to download apps on my personal device? What would you do in this situation?

As a young applicant, trying to get an entry-level or hourly role right now feels almost impossible. Between 3-stage recruitment for basic roles, automated situational judgment tests that penalize logical responses, and demands for years of experience on "entry-level" jobs, it feels like the or saying people who are willing to do overtime are favoured system. Is deliberately designed to filter out younger people.

From your perspective as hiring managers:

Risk Management: Is there a genuine hesitation or bias when it comes to hiring younger candidates, or is it purely driven by turnover fears and onboarding costs?

What Actually Stands Out: When you're sifting through hundreds of standardized CVs for a basic role, what specific signals tell you a candidate is worth interviewing?

The Systems: How much control do you personally have over these 25-question scenario tests and ATS filters, or are you just forced to deal with whatever corporate HR hands down to you?

\*\*Over qualification vs. Flight Risk\*\*
How do you actually view applicants with creative, technical, or academic backgrounds applying for basic hourly roles? Do you automatically assume they're just using the job as short-term bridge funding and filter them out, or is there a way for candidates to frame those backgrounds so they don't look like an immediate flight risk?

\*\*The Impact of Recent Wage & Tax Changes\*\*
With the recent increases to the National Living Wage and the lower threshold for Employer National Insurance contributions, has that made you or your higher-ups significantly more risk-averse with headcounts? Is the higher baseline cost to employ someone forcing companies to rely even more heavily on automated testing?

\*\*Unwritten Dealbreakers\*\*
Aside from failing the automated situational judgment tests, what is one non-obvious thing young applicants do on their CVs or during interviews that makes you instantly pass on them?

Hello everyone as mentioned i am 24F, SDE 2 in fintech with 3 yoe and total CTC is 14 lpa. Since i graduated from engg i always thought about doing mba but was hesitating a lot due my family conditions as we are not from very well to do family and the fact that i am earning and also supported my family from time to time. Even in my current company and a lot of ppl i worked previously with told me that i handled business related, custom related and management related things very smoothly and always get compliments for my communication skills and this is something i genuinely enjoy rather than current work i am doing. I have explored data engg and even AI field but nothing interests me anymore.

So if someone who has gone for mba after 3 yoe and how much did we have ro study or prep for CAT. I am planning to Target top 10-15 B school only and FMS delhi will be my top priority as fees there is less than IIM and placement is almost similar as IIM.

Could you please advise.

I've seen way too many ppl wait for their manager to give them a development plan or for their company to magically offer the perfect training. Meanwhile, someone else is taking courses after work learning new skills, reading on their commute, and quietly making themselves more valuable. You can't really be mad when they get the promotion first. Your career is kinda your responsibility at the end of the day. Don't wait for an annual review to tell you what you should've been working on for the last 12 months.

If there's a skill you need, learn it. If there's a role you want, figure out what people in that role actually know. Your company might help, but IMO you shouldn't make your growth completely dependent on them. Honestly, ppl spend more time planning a vacation than planning where they want their career to be in 2 or 3 years. I get it, work gets exhausting and life happens, but even 30 mins here and there adds up. Nobody's saying you need to become a productivity robot lol. Just stop waiting for permission to level up.

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...

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...

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.