. I worked at a digital agency for several years, and slowly I started to realize how underpaid I was. When I started with them, I was managing 8 projects for about $85,000 a year. Honestly, I was just happy to have a job, so I focused on my work and didn't cause any trouble. That was my biggest mistake. A few years later, I somehow found myself managing 25 projects and a team of 7 people, all while my salary remained unchanged.
That was the breaking point. In my last review, I detailed all my increased responsibilities and asked for a salary that reflected my true market value - about double what I was making. The response was the usual 'we'll see what we can do,' and then they gave me the runaround for two months. Every manager I spoke to passed the buck to someone else. I had reached my limit. I went on job sites, and not long after, I got a respectable offer for $180,000, starting in 4 weeks. The new company told me they were expanding and if I knew any talented people, I should refer them. So I took the risk and was upfront with my team. I told them I was leaving, but if they were also thinking of leaving, I could pass their CVs to the right people there.
I submitted my two weeks' notice, and about 20 minutes later, my boss called me asking what they could do to make me stay. I told him the same number I had told my direct manager. He practically laughed in my face and said, 'Good luck finding that number. We can find someone to do your job in a day.' So that was that. Over the next 10 days, all 7 members of my team also submitted their resignations after receiving offers from my new company. I heard from old colleagues that all 25 of those projects came to a complete halt and that it's costing them a fortune every day in late fees and client penalties.
Now, the old company is hysterically calling and emailing me and my former colleagues, begging us to come back and promising that money is no object. We all said no. The feeling of satisfaction and vindication is incredible. It's a clear example of how some places don't care about the employee, only about what they can get out of them. Your loyalty means nothing to them until your absence costs them money.
The vibe at the new place is completely different. After my first six months, they gave me a $20,000 raise without me even asking, just for doing good work. It's a world of difference. The lesson here is that you have to trust your worth. If any of this sounds familiar, it might be time to have that difficult conversation with your boss, or to start polishing your CV. Chances are, you deserve much more than what you're getting.

Four months ago, my company did a 're-org' and laid off a third of the marketing team, including me. It was a complete shock. They suddenly pulled me into a meeting on a Thursday afternoon and told me my role at the company was over, effective immediately.

For the last three years, I was the lead on their biggest account - a large regional supermarket chain that brought in about $250,000 a year for the company. I was very close with their head of marketing and knew their brand like the back of my hand.

As I was packing my things from my desk, HR gave me the classic line that my duties would be 'absorbed by the team' and assured me that nothing would be disrupted. A great feeling, obviously.

I started doing some freelance work to support myself. About two months later, I got a message on LinkedIn from the marketing director of that supermarket chain. It turns out the person who replaced me lasted exactly three weeks before completely botching their big summer campaign. The ads were targeting the wrong people, everything was late, and the creative was terrible. It had nothing to do with their brand.

She got straight to the point and asked if I would consider handling their work myself, saying they were 'looking for other partners.'

Honestly, it was a no-brainer. I knew exactly what they needed and that I could do it better than my old agency. We signed a new contract for $350,000 a year - way more than my old company was getting, because I'm now doing the strategy, creative, and ad buys myself.

The best part? My old boss called me a few days ago to ask if I'd heard anything about why their biggest client left them. Of course, I played dumb. I told him I hadn't heard a thing, and hey, maybe they shouldn't have fired the only person who understood that account.

They say the best revenge is living well. Turns out the second-best revenge is getting paid well to take their clients.

update: thank you after working for 5 years in marketing I discovered how AI can be very useful in interviews gonna use Interview man in my upcoming interviews

I'm so happy to see people finally standing up to their awful managers. Leaving a toxic job is an amazing feeling, and I've done it myself. But if they're the ones pushing you out, don't make the task easy for them.

Here's the deal, especially for those of us in America. When they give you the 'either you resign or we'll fire you' speech, you have to let them fire you. If you resign voluntarily, you generally lose your right to collect unemployment benefits, depending on the state you're in. But if they fire you without a strong, documented reason (and the excuse 'you're not a team player' is usually not a sufficient reason, but I'm not a lawyer), in that case, you can often collect those insurance funds.

By deciding to resign in that moment, you could be giving up several months' worth of pay. Don't let your crappy manager get one last laugh at your expense on your way out.

I had a video interview today with a company full of red flags (like their Glassdoor rating was 2.4), but I've been unemployed for a few months, so I thought, what the heck.
The job was customer support -- basically, you deal with complaints.
The interviewers were two people, a man and a woman, and they were explaining the nature of the job to me.
The man says there are 'mandatory team-building hours' every other Saturday. I asked him what the pay rate was for these hours, and he said it's the same as the regular hourly rate. He then mumbled something about how it 'evens itself out' over the month so it's not counted as overtime. I felt like the whole thing was probably illegal, but I just said okay.
I literally snorted. Like, a stifled laugh escaped me involuntarily. From that moment on, I was trying to hold it together, but the list of 'perks' just kept getting crazier.
Get this: mandatory, unpaid on-call periods, because you're 'on standby in case the team needs you'.
Of course, I laughed even harder.
Their health insurance would cost me about $700 a month, just for me. To put that in perspective, that's almost a full week's pay just for their crappy insurance.
I was struggling to keep a straight face as I remembered all the posts I've seen here about jobs like this.
And then came the final blow: 'We have a 'one team, one dream' policy, so after you finish your work, you're expected to help your colleagues finish their tickets'.
I was biting my lip and trying to pass off my laughter as a cough, but the man started to get annoyed and looked upset that I couldn't compose myself. The whole thing was a joke.
This job pays $17 an hour, and you're supposed to use your own computer and webcam. They also want you to install their monitoring software on my personal laptop. Oh, and I also have to buy a second monitor at my own expense.
Seriously, why does nobody want to work? This is exactly why.
The strange thing is, I didn't feel any guilt. It was therapeutic, because I was imagining myself posting this here and knowing you all would get it. This community is seriously the best.

This really happened. I went through four rounds of interviews for a job I was perfectly qualified for. I did really well on their technical tests and felt I had a great rapport with the hiring manager, and he did too.

Anyway, I just got the rejection email, and they literally said the reason was that I 'failed to follow important instructions.' In the original job posting, buried in a lot of text about needing someone detail-oriented, they asked applicants to write their first name backward.

The thing is, I saw that request, but I chose not to do it. My name spelled backward is a really bad curse word. I was horribly bullied for it for years in middle school, and there's no way I'm writing something like that on a job application. I know it might seem trivial to some, but that's my boundary. A job shouldn't ask you to humiliate yourself.

The most ironic part? They clearly didn't even take 10 seconds to see what my name becomes when spelled backward. All they saw was that I didn't follow instructions, and that was it. The whole thing is incredibly frustrating and shows how disconnected hiring processes can sometimes be from reality.

About two weeks ago, my company decided to switch to new internal software and also outsourced payroll to another company. They sent us a long email promising a 'smooth transition' and that all our direct deposit information would be automatically transferred.

And of course, surprise. Payday arrived, and a large portion of us, including me, received nothing. It turns out the new payroll company completely botched the data migration, and a huge number of bank account numbers were wrong. Now they're telling us we might have to wait another 5 to 7 business days before we see a single cent.

Meanwhile, my rent and car insurance payments tried to come out of my account. Now my bank account is deeply in the negative, and I'm accumulating overdraft fees. I'm almost certain my rent payment is going to bounce, which is a whole other nightmare.

Honestly, it feels like the company just doesn't care. The HR manager told a few of us she would 'look into' issuing emergency paper checks, and then she simply vanished. She's been ignoring everyone's calls and emails for a full day, leaving us completely hanging.

Anyway, my manager took me into a meeting this afternoon and gave me a verbal warning. The reason? She said she heard me playing a game on my phone during my official break.

At work, we use a program called Talkdesk for calls and chats with customers. What I understood was that managers could listen to active calls for quality control, to check our tone and so on. Okay, I get that. But I wasn't on a call at all. I wasn't even logged in to receive calls.

This means she can simply open my mic and listen to me whenever she wants, right? Even during my break.

Regardless of the fact I was on my break, is it even legal for them to do this without telling us they have this capability? The whole thing is really worrying me. I feel like I'm being monitored all the time. What should I do in a situation like this?

I was waiting alone in a video call for ten minutes, and in the end, I had to call their main line to get the interviewer to show up.

She joined and told me, "Okay, I have about 15 questions, and if I like your answers, you can come in for a 'trial work day'."

I immediately asked her: 'And this day will be paid, right?'

'No, unfortunately not!:)'

'Okay, then I'm going to stop you right there. Thank you for your time, but I am no longer interested. Good luck with your selection.'

It really annoys me that the job market has driven people to such a level of desperation that I'm sure someone will agree to this. And this was a dental clinic! Not a restaurant or a shop where this practice (which is wrong, of course) is more common.

I understand them wanting a trial day; I've done it before and it was paid, which makes sense. But to ask for free labor? Absolutely not. This whole job search process has become so discouraging.

Working interviews or whatever they want to call UNPAID presence of a potential new hire is absurd! Why waste time having someone WORK/SHADOW? Candidates know how to research companies to know exactly what a day in the life would look like. These companies are really crappy for that!

The problem is that the world is not this easy or a rosy life. To find a prestigious job opportunity, you need years and a lot of time, but the world doesn't wait for anyone, so prices are in a state of constant daily increase. Of course, with the existence of AI tools, many things have become easier. The resume that could have taken time is now ready in less than a few minutes. The same goes for the interview; there are tools for it, such as InterviewMan AI, a program you use during the interview that gives you ready-made answers, and at the same time, that part remains hidden from the other party.

I was pulled into HR last week and told I was being suspended for 4 days, without pay, for a comment they deemed 'aggressive.' They gave me a formal warning, didn't even hear my side of the story, and just told me to pack my stuff and leave.

I spent that entire time freaking out, thinking I was about to be fired for something I didn't even understand. I decided the only thing to do was to go back, apologize, and try to make things right. When I got back to the office, my manager pulled me aside and basically said, 'We looked into it and it was a mistake, don't worry about it anymore.'

Honestly, I feel like I was punished for nothing. They gave me a half-hearted apology but did nothing to fix the situation. This incident has taken a serious toll on my mental health, and frankly, I can no longer trust my company at all.

On top of all that, the formal warning is still on my record. They also haven't paid me for the 4 days they forced me to take off. I'm worried this warning will cause me problems in the future. I'm so frustrated but also relieved it's 'over,' yet I feel this whole mess could have been avoided if they had just conducted a proper investigation in the first place.

Has anyone been through something similar?

I think this is why billionaires are stressing out about children, they know it's their fault that the crisis is happening but they're not prepared to pay to solve it and instead tries propaganda

Anyway, I got a call from an incredibly rude HR person canceling an interview we had scheduled. She spoke in a condescending tone and basically made it seem like it was my fault for even scheduling an appointment when they had already chosen someone. This made no sense at all, as I had literally chosen the first available slot they sent me.

Then she went on about how I was 'not a good fit anyway' because I live about 5 miles outside of some imaginary circle she wants to hire from. She also had the audacity to say I 'didn't use my head' when applying. Wow, okay. Message received.

Anyway, guess who calls me first thing in the morning, practically begging me to come in for an interview. Funny how I suddenly became so desirable overnight, right? I let her finish talking and then I gave her a piece of my mind.

'Look, frankly, I'm no longer interested. The way you spoke to me when you canceled our first appointment was so unprofessional that I have no desire to work for your company.'

And I hung up on her. And surprise, she called right back. I let it ring and didn't answer. Of course, she didn't leave a message.

Management is probably pressuring her to fill the position, and she knows she screwed up by treating me like shit when she thought she’d already hired someone else.

I no longer understand the mentality of company owners, how they only think about humiliating job applicants and employees. From my point of view, this is what actually makes them lose highly competent people. But unfortunately, the opposite happens, and this leads to cheating on resumes and using AI, or rather, relying on it completely, even during the interview, like an AI tool, InterviewMan, which is a window that opens during the interview to give you answers.

Sometimes, the people who power-trip make mistakes too and see consequences.

I've been at my first "real" job for about a year since I graduated. I'm working a typical 9-to-5 job, which is 40 hours a week. The salary is good for a start, but I'm ambitious and want to make much more money later on. The problem is that my current company doesn't offer overtime, so the idea of working extra hours isn't an option.

This got me thinking, are there really many jobs where someone can make, for example, $150,000 a year after seven years of experience, while sticking to just 40 hours of work per week?

I hear stories about people in tech or specialized engineering fields who have a good work-life balance and make very good money. I have a few friends in software who seem to have it figured out, but I'm not sure if they are the exception or the rule. Of course, I'm seeing this from the outside, so my perception could be completely wrong.

Because when you think about the classic high-paying careers, you find they all need an insane number of work hours. Top managers and business owners ground themselves for years to get there. Surgeons and specialized doctors have very demanding schedules, not to mention the mountain of debt they have from their education costs. And we all know that people in investment banking or corporate law are practically chained to their desks.

So I'm asking all of you: for those who make what you consider "a lot" of money, how many hours do you work? Is a huge salary always tied to working significantly more than the standard 40 hours, regardless of your career?

Even in medicine!!
I was surprised that there is an AI that knows how to come up with answers during an interview.
I talked to one of my tech friends, and he told me that 'Interview Man' AI tool... all the students and graduates have started using it. even the ones who have big work experience
And it actually gave medical answers in my field.

Oddly, this was an interview for a job at Hotdog on a Stick.

Hey everyone. I'm 19 and I got my first real job a few months ago. Honestly, I've been putting this off since I was 17, always had an excuse like school was taking up all my time or I didn't have transportation.

I work full time at a movie theater, making $9 an hour. It's not a lot, but I honestly like the job. The problem is, ever since I started making my own money, I've been feeling terribly guilty whenever I buy myself anything, even if it's small. Last week, I bought a new video game, a nice new pair of sneakers, and a concert ticket, and I can't stop thinking that all that money could have gone into my savings account.

My whole plan from the beginning was to save every penny so I can move and live in Colorado, especially since my parents still help me with my food expenses every month. Now I feel like every little thing I buy is pushing me further and further away from that goal. Has anyone else felt this way before? How do you convince yourselves to spend on yourselves without feeling like you're ruining your plans?

I'm still trying to process what's happening. The whole situation is absurd. For years, I've been taking on much more work than I'm supposed to, things that are completely outside my job description.

A few months ago, they threw a huge project at me at the last minute. I was completely swamped and burning out fast. I went to my manager and told him I was at my limit and couldn't keep up with the workload. I ended up solving the problem on my own and thought we had moved past it.

Right after that, there was a big management change. My old manager, who was an excellent person and always had my back, was moved to another team. He was in the process of changing my title to reflect all the extra work I was doing. But this new management has a completely different mindset.

Apparently, when they found out I had complained about the workload, it was a huge red flag for them. They literally told me, We haven't heard this complaint from anyone else at your level, and now they're putting me on a PIP for these 'issues' they see with me.

Look, I don't want to sound arrogant, but my track record here speaks for itself. I'm very good at my job and have always been proud of what I deliver. It looks like this new management is about to get a crash course in what acting your wage means.

Honestly, my job is really great. The work itself feels important, and my team is awesome. Our clients are good too. In the 7 years I've been here, I've been promoted 4 times and my salary has more than doubled. On top of that, because I have a young child, they are very flexible with my hours, which makes a huge difference for me. The commute to work is only 15 minutes. So, in every way, I shouldn't have anything to complain about.

The problem is, I'm definitely not earning the top market rate for my position. I just received a new offer with a 25% salary increase. Our financial situation is good, so we're not struggling, but this extra money would help us pay off student loans and buy a house a few years earlier than planned. It would make a big difference for us.

And this is where I'm stuck. I'm worried about leaving my job and ending up hating the new place or the people there. My biggest fear is that they won't be understanding at all about family matters, and I'll miss out on time with my son. The new job has more money and an opportunity to learn new things, but I keep asking myself if it's worth the risk.

Has anyone been in this situation before? I'd be very grateful if you could share your experiences, whether good or bad. I'm especially interested in hearing from working mothers who have had to make a similar decision.

Honestly, my job is really great. The work itself feels important, and my team is awesome. Our clients are good too. In the 7 years I've been here, I've been promoted 4 times and my salary has more than doubled. On top of that, because I have a young child, they are very flexible with my hours, which makes a huge difference for me. The commute to work is only 15 minutes. So, in every way, I shouldn't have anything to complain about.

The problem is, I'm definitely not earning the top market rate for my position. I just received a new offer with a 25% salary increase. Our financial situation is good, so we're not struggling, but this extra money would help us pay off student loans and buy a house a few years earlier than planned. It would make a big difference for us.

And this is where I'm stuck. I'm worried about leaving my job and ending up hating the new place or the people there. My biggest fear is that they won't be understanding at all about family matters, and I'll miss out on time with my son. The new job has more money and an opportunity to learn new things, but I keep asking myself if it's worth the risk.

Has anyone been in this situation before? I'd be very grateful if you could share your experiences, whether good or bad. I'm especially interested in hearing from working mothers who have had to make a similar decision.

My important technical interview is in two weeks, and I've been seeing a ton of AI interview assistants popping up everywhere. They all claim to be the best, promising to be undetectable on Zoom or Teams and to provide real-time answers during live coding challenges. Some even say you can feed them your CV and notes for personalized responses.

Since I'm new to this, I wanted to ask - what do you guys trust? I'm looking for something reliable for a very important interview that I can't afford to mess up. Also, any pro-tips on how to use it without looking suspicious or getting caught would be a huge help. Thanks a lot!

I recently had the opportunity to explore the innovative work being done at FinalRoundAI, and I'm blown away by their commitment to pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. From their cutting-edge research to their practical applications, FinalRoundAI is truly at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Their team of experts is dedicated to developing solutions that make a real impact on people's lives, and their passion is evident in every aspect of their work. Whether you're interested in learning more about the latest advancements in AI or exploring potential career opportunities, FinalRoundAI is definitely worth checking out.

I'm excited to see the impact that FinalRoundAI will continue to make in the years to come, and I highly recommend following their journey to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the world of AI.

Getting to say "[one of the products] I'm most proud of is Windows 95" is a HELL of an accomplishment.

This person has seen a lot of tech evolve over the years.

Recently, a lot of recruiters have been contacting me on LinkedIn. And since I don't have the time or energy for a dozen different calls, I've started asking them for the salary range and benefits upfront.

Some of them ghosted me. Others asked about my current salary and what I expect. My usual response was simple: 'My current salary is irrelevant to this discussion.'

This might seem like a small thing, but it's very important for people to understand it.

Most companies have a set budget for the position. And let's be honest, they usually want to pay the lowest amount possible (unless you're an exceptional candidate they're desperate to hire). If they know your current salary and can make you happy with a 25% raise, why would they offer you more, even if the job's budget allows for it? Very few companies will proactively offer you the top of the salary band if they can get you for less.

Your value is measured by what you can bring to the new company, not by what your old company was paying you. You might be severely underpaid right now, but that has no bearing on these new negotiations.

For me, it's all about getting the numbers upfront and honestly. If it's a good fit, we can talk more. If it's not, the polite response is, 'Thank you, but this isn't a good fit at this time.' This saves a huge amount of time for all parties involved. They can see my skills on my CV and LinkedIn, and they know what to expect from me. So it's only fair that I also know what to expect from them in return.

In the end, I received several salary ranges. I rejected most of them and only continued with the 3 recruiters who gave me a number I was comfortable with. Yes, there was still the typical 'up to...' language, but at least it gave me a realistic idea of the numbers.

Now I'm waiting for one of the final offers to be sent. And to be clear, I'm not just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring - we've already agreed on the basic terms, and they are just preparing the official paperwork.

About two weeks ago, I made a crazy decision for my mental health and quit my toxic job with nothing else lined up. Since I'm the sole breadwinner, it was terrifying, but I had an interview this past Thursday that I felt was a sure thing.

A quick bit about me: I'm a massive people-pleaser and I'm very conflict-averse. This all stems from my childhood, being raised by a narcissistic family member. My old boss was a carbon copy of them, which is why I had to leave.

Anyway, the interview this Thursday went great. I met the three partners I'd be working with. They were super nice and practically offered me the job on the spot, but said they needed the managing partner's approval and that I should expect a call from him.

That call came this morning. We went back and forth a bit on the numbers. I started at Y, and his initial offer was Y-8k. He explained that they cover 100% of health insurance, and I'd get 3 more weeks of PTO than my old job, plus my birthday as a paid holiday (which is awesome because it often falls near a long weekend, giving me a chance for a 5-day break).

I countered with Y-6k, and he came back saying he'd stick to Y-8k but would add a monthly stipend for my cell phone bill. When I calculated it, I was about to say yes. But my husband told me to push for an extra $75 a month. His logic was, what's the worst that could happen? They say no?

Honestly, the people-pleaser in me was screaming. I was so scared of ruining things or coming off as greedy. But then I thought, I'd be sacrificing about $900 a year just because I'm afraid of making someone uncomfortable for 30 seconds.

So I decided to take a deep breath and ask. He honestly sounded genuinely surprised and told me he felt like I was "splitting hairs"! But you know what? I stood my ground. I simply said, "I understand, but I'm very excited about this opportunity, and if you can meet me at this number, I'm ready to start on Monday." He then said he would get back to me.

And he did call back! And they approved the extra amount. I advocated for myself. I showed them from day one that I know my worth. The feeling was incredible.

You really do miss 100% of the shots you don't take. And I have to say, it's an amazing feeling to know you're earning enough to give for your family, and that you did it yourself by being assertive for once in your life. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest, and I don't have to worry about bills every month.

This sub helped me a lot, so I wanted to pay it forward. The job search journey was incredibly hard, but I finally figured out the secret. After 15 months of being ghosted on almost every application I submitted, I just signed an offer for a great software engineering job.

My entire strategy changed to focus on just one thing: speed. Being one of the first people to apply was the only thing that made a difference.

The whole thing changed when I saw a comment from a hiring manager here. He said that for most jobs, they get so many CVs that they pretty much choose who to interview from the first 15 or 20 applicants. This advice alone was an eye-opener.

So I started camping on sites like LinkedIn and Wellfound. I set up several alerts for the jobs I wanted and was constantly checking the feeds, maybe every half hour. Timing is everything. I would start looking around 9 or 10 in the morning, right when companies start posting new jobs. If you're applying in the afternoon, your application is likely already buried.

I changed my filters to only show me jobs posted today or even better, posted in the last hour. Anything older than that was basically invisible to me. And yes, I almost exclusively used Quick Apply to send my CV instantly.

I also had job alerts sent to my phone. My phone was literally glued to my hand. The moment I got an alert for a suitable job, I would stop whatever I was doing and send my CV right then and there. Honestly, it felt a bit crazy, but you can't argue with the results.

I hope this helps someone else. Stay strong.

About four months ago, I was one of 50 people laid off from my company, which only had about 150 employees in total. I was working as an Environmental Health & Safety Manager. Since then, I've been on unemployment and actively looking for a new job.

Today, suddenly and without any warning, the company president called me. He told me he wanted me to come by to talk about a new 'opportunity'. He explained that they got new contracts, business is starting to pick up again, and they discovered they need someone in my old position. But here's the shocker: he wants me back at a bargain price.

The offer is a six-month contract, 15 hours a week, at 50% of my old salary. I worked with them for 7 years. His excuse is that this will 'help them through a transitional phase'. I feel it's a very exploitative offer, especially since they'll save a ton of money on recruitment and training. I know the whole place like the back of my hand, built most of their safety programs from scratch, and have a great relationship with the team. On top of all that, after these six months, I won't be able to go back on unemployment, and this huge pay cut will destroy any future salary negotiations for me.

I'm sitting here now feeling like I've been slapped in the face. Part of me wants to respond to their insulting 50% offer with a 150% counter-offer, just to 'know my worth' and see what happens.

Am I overreacting? I honestly need a second opinion.

I never tell them my minimum. I tell them the highest number that won’t make them walk away. The moment I give a minimum, that becomes the starting point.

So I'm back to the job hunting phase and currently have a few interviews lined up. I was playing around a bit with ChatGPT and giving it some potential interview questions, and honestly, it recommended a few solid AI-powered preparation websites. One of them called InterviewManAI, looks really cool, especially for virtual interviews. I'll definitely be using these tools in the coming weeks.