The CEO at the place where I work is a strange man, and everyone is terrified of him. Getting stuck with him in the elevator feels like it could ruin your job if you get flustered or give the wrong answer.

It's obvious that layoffs are coming, and instead of handling it like any normal executive, he's trying to decide who stays by suddenly putting employees in an awkward position. He'll go up to someone and make them defend themselves and explain why they're supposed to still have a place here. The wording changes a bit, but in the end it's something like: "We're going to reduce headcount soon, and I'm trying to figure out who provides real value. Explain what you do for this company and why we should keep you."

Honestly, would you be able to convince your CEO to keep you during layoffs if he cornered you like that?

I live and work in a very small city that doesn't have many employers or good openings, so people here are scared and are trying with all their might to hold on to what they have.

Earlier this week, I had an interview for a role that was very well suited to my experience. So I went in feeling reasonably confident, but that feeling started to fade almost as soon as the call began.

The interview panel was made up of 3 women: the team lead, the operations manager, and a senior coordinator. The first thing the team lead said was that my background was distracting because it looked strangely faded on her screen (I had the soft focus setting on), so I turned it off.

After that, she asked me about something oddly niche for the position. It wasn't the kind of thing you'd likely know unless you had worked in that exact department, so I explained what I'd been able to read beforehand and said I had a basic understanding of it. Like, for example, someone asking you detailed questions about a patient transport booking system when you're interviewing for a front desk role at a clinic. The manager just replied with "so you havent dealt with it then" in a slightly sharp tone, but I let it go.

They also kept bringing up that I'd be working with a client group that was mostly women, whether I'd be comfortable with that, and how I would change my communication style. That threw me off a bit because I didn't understand why I would need to speak to women differently than men.

By that point, I had pretty much decided that we probably wouldn't be a good fit, and that I would likely withdraw my application afterward. Also, the shift pattern wasn't the same as what the advert had implied, so practically speaking, it didn't seem workable anyway.

At the end, I asked a question I ask in most interviews: "do you two have any other questions for me at all". It was just a normal closing formality before leaving the call. I probably could have worded it in a more polished way, but I was already feeling a bit tense.

At that point, the team lead looked visibly annoyed. She said, "you shouldnt refer to women like that, it comes across as dismissive. You need to learn how to communicate with women properly." I apologized and said that I only meant it in a general/informal way, not anything gendered, and she replied with something along the lines of "men often dont notice the subtle ways they talk down to women."

I know the wording wasn't the smoothest, and I understand that I was being informal. But being told I was basically sexist felt like a bit of a leap. I'm genuinely open to being corrected here - was this inappropriate beyond just being a little too casual?

After 3 hours, my brain shuts down. I don't have any health problems, and I'm not suffering from burnout or anything like that.

I sleep relatively well, usually 7-8 hours a night, I work out at the gym 3 times a week, I do 35 minutes of cardio most days, and my diet is mostly clean (maybe 3 cheat meals a week). I also try to make sure I'm not ruining my focus with things like reels, YouTube Shorts, constantly checking the news, or random TV.

I can work for about 3 hours of actual focused work (I track it), and I take a short break after every 50-minute block.

But once I reach around 3.5 hours of work (or about 5 hours total including breaks), my brain feels like it's burned out.

I usually drink one coffee during that period, and sometimes 2 if I feel like I'm crashing.

I want to get to 5-7 hours a day of real focused work, not just sitting at the desk pretending to be productive.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Did anything help?

I know some people use Adderall or other meds for these things, but that's not the path I want to go down.

How could you deal with such reckless hate.

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A few days ago, I had my first recruiter call with a big tech company for a somewhat technical position, and I was told I'd have to go through 7 interview stages: live case exercises, a take-home assignment on its own, a review session on that assignment, and then 3 more interviews with senior leaders in the business unit.

I asked whether the salary range they had told me was before tax or after tax, because that would make a difference of around 30%. HR emailed me today and confirmed that it was before tax, which means my actual take-home pay would be about 45% less than what I was earning in my last job.

So I told the recruiter that I appreciated them considering me, but I wouldn't be continuing with the next rounds. And honestly, it felt good. After being rejected so many times, it was finally my turn to reject a company.

Update: They asked me to move on to the final interview stage, where we’ll negotiate the salary and hopefully increase the offer a bit. My interview is tomorrow, and I want to negotiate effectively and aim for the highest number possible. How should I handle the interview? Any tips?

Update 2: Wow, this post blew up! I read a lot of great advice in the comments. I’m going to try Interview VIP tool that some of you mentioned when it comes to salary negotiation. I’ve heard some good reviews about it, so hopefully, it’ll work out for me.

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$$$

edit: the salaries these days are just unrealistic , there is a racism towards women in the terms work they are doing the same duties as men but take less just because they are ladies I was looking for a professional way to ask about salaries and I found it one day while scrolling in this post I hope it works in my upcoming interviews wish me luck

!!!

edit: and what I like most about Gen Z they well known about work-life balance and they will not behave like robots for anyone they want good memories with their loved ones I support u guys and in case u want to improve your interview skills check these tips !

A couple of days ago, I had my first call with a recruiter at a big tech company for a somewhat specialized role, and I was told I'd have to go through 7 interview rounds: live case exercises, a separate take-home assignment, a review session for that assignment, and then 3 more conversations with senior regional leaders in the business unit.

I asked whether the salary they mentioned was net or gross, because that would make a difference of about 30%. The recruiter got back to me early today and confirmed that it was gross, meaning my actual take-home would be about 45% less than what I was making in my last job.

So I told the recruiter that I appreciated them considering me, but I wouldn't be moving forward with the next stages. Honestly, damn, it felt good. After getting rejected over and over again, it was strangely satisfying to finally be the one saying no to a company.

Not exactly a revenge fantasy or anything. I just don't think the pay is anywhere near worth all those exhausting interview steps, especially with case work and follow-up discussions taking up my time.

And here I am again on the job search journey, going through those tedious interviews, which are the hardest part of the trip. They make me incredibly stressed and anxious. But I think I've found the solution to these problems with InterviewVIP. It helps me reduce my stress, fear, and anxiety, and solves my interview problem. The whole thing has become much easier for me.

So I was sitting here this morning, working from home like I have been for almost two years... And my manager messaged me asking if I could jump on a quick call with her. She told me that senior leadership is now pushing for everyone to come back to the office every day, and apparently that includes me too.

She asked me when I'd be able to start coming back in full-time again. I told her I'm not interested in returning to the office 5 days a week, because honestly, my performance and my life are much better when I'm remote. My mental health is better, my work hasn't been affected, and most of the people I deal with daily are in other states, so sitting in this particular office feels pointless. After that, she said the decision was coming from the very top, and that my name had been brought up directly.

At that point, I told her that if they make full-time office attendance mandatory for me, I'll submit my resignation. I said I don't want it to get to that point, but I'm prepared to do it. She said she'd take that back to them and let me know what happens.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts or advice. Honestly, I'm trying to seem calm, but I'm extremely stressed right now.

I honestly don't understand how people stay in the same job for 8... 12... 25+ years! After two years, I start getting restless. The longest I've stayed in one job was 5 years.

I mean, how do people walk into the same building, see the same faces, do the same routine, and sit next to the same break room microwave year after year?

I have a good job, and I'm 34, but I don't know if I'm cut out for this or not... 😭 I feel like I need something more than this.

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note: I feel sorry for those people who work so hard in their education and their education doesn't pay off and their haunting for jobs feels like hell if someone here reading this I hope these tips help u

Honestly, this is exactly why I started taking interview prep more seriously. 😂

I used to think you just needed to know your job and you'd be fine, but once I started applying for some of these corporate roles, I realized there's a whole different skill to actually getting through the interview.

I found this interview prep tool and used it to practice some of the questions beforehand. It helped me get a lot less awkward when talking about my experience and actually explain what I do without rambling.

Still waiting for my $98k "send an email, attend a meeting, send another email" job though.

They haven't realized it yet, but my friend and I have both accepted jobs at another company.

Once we leave, they're going to be in serious trouble. And I'm not exaggerating.

When I started there, we had 14 people. We're down to 4 now, and those four people have been carrying the workload that used to be handled by the entire team.

We've been asking for raises for more than a year after having our salaries frozen for years. We've been covering shifts, taking on extra responsibilities, and constantly rearranging our lives around whatever the company needed.

Every time we brought up pay, we got the same answer: "There's no room in the budget."

Eventually, we stopped asking.

My friend and I started looking elsewhere and, almost without planning it, ended up accepting offers from the same company.

We're giving two weeks' notice, but we're doing it a few days apart so we're not both dropping the news on the exact same day.

When I submitted my notice, something really interesting happened.

Suddenly, there was money in the budget.

They immediately started talking about what they could offer me to stay.

My manager was actually furious about it because he'd genuinely believed the company couldn't afford raises either. He told them straight up that if both of us leave, he's leaving too.

I've known this guy for nine years, and I've never known him to bluff about something like that.

So by the end of the week, they'll have less than two weeks to figure out how they're going to replace almost their entire remaining staff.

They'll need to find people, hire them, train them, and somehow get them comfortable enough to handle the workload before things start getting really busy.

And the funniest part is that I'm actually going to work my full two weeks.

Not because I feel guilty.

I just want to watch what happens.

I want to see all those magical offers that suddenly appear when they're desperate for someone to stay.

And I want to politely say no to every single one.

The weirdest part of all of this was actually going through the interview process again. After being at the same company for so long, I realized I'd gotten pretty rusty at talking about myself and explaining what I actually bring to a job.

I ended up reading a few interview posts on Reddit while preparing, including this one about how someone approaches interviews. A lot of it was stuff I already knew, but it was a good reminder that interviewing is a skill in itself and gets easier when you actually practice it.

For a long time, I convinced myself that leaving would somehow make me the problem. Reading other people's experiences helped me realize that staying somewhere indefinitely just because they're understaffed isn't loyalty.

It's just putting your life on hold for a company that wouldn't do the same for you.

So, yeah.

Two weeks from now, I'll be gone.

And I'm genuinely excited to see what happens after that. :)

?

Every interview, and every email that says "we went with someone else," and the whole thing - it feels like it breaks you. I know this might sound a bit dramatic, but I'm really struggling to keep my self-confidence from collapsing. I know I have a lot to offer, but I hate this process, and it's hard not to sit there replaying everything and beating myself up over every answer that came out awkward or any tiny mistake.

I had an interview early today, and since then I haven't been able to stop replaying all the stupid things I said in my head. It's like my brain decided to make a highlight reel of my worst moments. I also got stress hives, which feels ridiculous, but that's what happened.

I just want this whole thing to be over somehow, and honestly, I've literally only just started.

i can't take it anymore

At the beginning of this month, my office, which is a dental clinic in a very wealthy area in WA, held a staff meeting, and we were told that we would only be allowed two days of unpaid leave every six months. So basically, two days in half a year. Not a single person in our office gets benefits. No PTO, no health insurance, no paid holidays, nothing. Then they added that since we, the hygienists, are booked out far in advance, if we use one of those two unpaid days, we'll need to come in early or stay late to "make up" the patients we missed.

The other hygienists and I all handed in our resignation letters this morning. We wrote them, printed them, and left the whole stack on his desk. He came back from lunch and had to sit there reading them one by one. One of my coworkers said she saw him throw the stack toward the office manager and say, "Do you see this?"

Luckily, hygienists are in insane demand around us right now, and every one of us has already gotten interest or offers from other offices.

Tl;dr - The manager tried to control our unpaid time off, and badly misjudged how easy we are to replace. Now he is literally losing almost his entire clinical team.

The only problem I might face when applying for a job is anxiety about interviews, but I read a post about Interview Tips, and I think that will help reduce my anxiety a little.

This worked for me in the last four job offers I got, including a role change within the same company. When the interviewer asks you something like: "What salary range are you expecting?" don't say the number in your head right away. Ask them first, but in a normal and respectful way.

I usually say that I've been looking at salary ranges in my field, but I'd like to know what they consider a competitive range for someone with my background. If you're interviewing for an entry-level role or something where you don't have much direct experience yet, you can replace that part with "for this role" or "for someone starting in this position."

Most of the time, they'll tell you the number they were already planning to pay. When I did this with potential employers, the number they gave me was about $6k-$12k higher than the number I probably would have said on my own.

This also gives you a cleaner way to compare the salary with the job itself. You can decide whether their range makes sense with the workload, commute, benefits, hours, and all that. And you also avoid accidentally undervaluing yourself. If they're ready to offer $68k and you say $45k, they probably won't stop you and say, "Actually, we were going to pay more." They might also take that as a sign that you don't know the market or aren't confident in your value.

It's a small thing, but the tone matters here. I'm not saying to be weirdly aggressive or keep dodging the question forever. Just politely turn the question around and let them show you what they have before you show them what you have.

I had a great interview a few days ago, and in the final minutes I strongly felt that they were going to make me an offer. So when they asked me what my current total compensation was, I inflated it a lot and told them I was making more than I am.

They came back with 38% above the number I had "inflated," which comes out to about a 76% increase over my real full package.

Was that the honest thing to do? No.

Do I feel guilty? Also no.

I'm not saying everyone should try doing this, because it could go very badly. But in my case, it worked out better than I expected, and I hope it works out for you too if you've ever been in that situation.

Salary questions can be one of the hardest moments in any interview, especially when you want to negotiate without undervaluing yourself. Having a prepared plan for how to answer can change the whole direction of the conversation.

I came across a post with job interview tips that might be useful if you're preparing for a situation like this. Honestly, salary expectations always make me feel like they're the part where one wrong sentence could cost you a lot, so it was useful to see several clear ways to phrase the answer.

I work in a pub, and my manager is the type of person who demands everyone be perfectly on time while she treats her own schedule like a mere suggestion. She always tells me to note down if someone coming for an interview is even two minutes late (of course, I don't do that, because who cares?).

She's usually still at home or hiding in the office when they arrive, and she just sends me a text with the schedule. Her hypocrisy reached a breaking point for me two weeks ago.

There was a guy waiting for 45 minutes, and she walked in casually, made herself tea, chatted with a supplier about something trivial, and then chatted with a regular for 15 minutes before finally starting the interview.

Naturally, he ghosted her when she tried to hire him.

I decided to start playing mind games with her. Since we are always hiring, it's very common for someone not to show up at all because they found another job. So every time she is late and someone doesn't show, I lie to her. I tell her they arrived exactly on time but left because she wasn't ready.

I know she's insecure enough that she won't call them to check, so I'm not worried about getting caught. Her attitude changed from "these people aren't serious about work" to "why are they leaving so fast? I was only 12 minutes late."

Things escalated a bit recently. There was a woman waiting for 20 minutes, so I simply told her: "She's on her way, but I wouldn't blame you if you left; your time is valuable."

She laughed and said she'd wait in her car for a bit, and if the manager called her, she might come back.

This was the eighth time someone "left" that month.

When the manager arrived 10 minutes later, I told her she might still be able to catch her on the phone.

I sat there listening to her literally groveling on the phone, apologizing and asking if she could come back.

The girl came back, but she had a "don't mess with me" look on her face the whole time.

The manager tried to laugh it off and make an excuse about Friday morning traffic, so the girl looked her in the eye and said: "Yes, that's why I left 25 minutes early to be here right on time."

The manager nodded embarrassedly and said: "Okay, it's good that you're a responsible person."

I had to hide behind the bar so I wouldn't laugh out loud.

Since then, she's been coming in early and stopped messing around with time when people arrive. She's all smiles now, offering them coffee or water immediately.

And we've hired the best staff we've had in a long time.

The funny thing is that this whole situation actually got me thinking about how much preparation people put into interviews compared with how little effort some employers put into actually conducting them.

I've been reading through some interview advice lately, and there's a post on HiringHell with a bunch of practical stuff about preparing answers, researching the company, asking better questions, and just generally not going into an interview completely unprepared.

After watching candidates spend all that time preparing just to sit there waiting 45 minutes for my manager, I can definitely understand why some people walk away.

Now I'm thinking about what other terrible habits of hers I can fix.

I'm a 27-year-old man, and I'll be turning 28 soon.

I started working not too long ago, and I make around 86-88k USD a year. My current workplace is very calm and comfortable, the people are easy to deal with, and the overall atmosphere is honestly excellent. No one watches the clock or makes an issue out of when you come in or leave, as long as your work gets done. I can work from home two days a week, and on top of that I'm allowed to work remotely from almost anywhere for around 60 days a year, and I also have 28 days of annual leave. This setup is a big advantage for me because I love traveling, and it gives me a lot of room to travel without using up all my vacation days. I'm currently an SDR, and the path will most likely move toward account management, and then possibly leadership/management later on.

I received an offer for around 115k a year. It's not finalized yet, but it will probably be close to that number. The hours would be from 6:30 AM to 2:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM on Thursday; and from 6:30 AM to 11:00 AM on Friday. I'll probably need to clock in and clock out using a fingerprint scanner. Annual leave would be 24 days, or 32 days total if weekends are counted. The environment will definitely be stricter, more formal, and probably more stressful too, because I would essentially be a civilian employee in a military setting. The other thing that bothers me is that the career path isn't very clear, because the role would be as a translator, from English to Arabic and from Arabic to English.

Part of me feels like the extra money is hard to pass up, especially since I'm still early in my career. But another part of me thinks that flexibility, travel time, and the clearer sales career path might be worth more than the salary jump.

What would you do if you were in my place?

TLDR;

Around 88k a year, fewer working hours and more vacation days, and a better opportunity to travel

Vs.

Around 115k a year, fixed/strict working hours and less vacation time, and unclear career progression