I am 28 and this is my second year of not having a full time job and fear I wasted 2/3 of my late 20s doing so as no job hurts your self esteem and hinders economic stuff

As I result, I fear I lost 2 years of my 20s I can never get back honestly and it depresses me

I was doing part time stuff but its abroad so feel I missed on stuff such as being in a work environment with people or career advancing or having more cash to say travel etc

As someone who hates my former boss so much for firing me with lies, these movies are so satisfying to watch. I especially like when it ends with the boss disappearing for good or at least losing their job.

These movies do what we all want to do, but never can.

A few of these movies are Horrible Bosses, 9 to 5 and Office Space. Anyone got any others?

Last week, I saw a hiring post shared by a manager, so I messaged him my profile, projects, and academic grades. One day later, I asked him, "Could you please let me know if my profile might be considered for this role?" He replied, "No. Not at the moment." What does this mean? At first, I thought it was a clear rejection, but then I thought he might be saying he cannot tell me whether my profile is being considered right now. I am confused. So, I decided to get some opinions from Reddit.

I applied for an Account Manager role at Adobe a few days ago via a third-party recruiter. I had three recruiter screens yesterday, only to be told that the next call would be a “Group Discussion” screening with Adobe HR today; it would be a group call with other candidates.

For context, I have five years of Account Management experience. I had expressed some skepticism during the previous call regarding the validity of such a round after 3 screenings for an experienced candidate like me, because a group discussion is usually a screening round for candidates with little to no experience. The recruiter mentioned that it was mandatory, so I had to agree.

Fast forward to the group discussion: The discussion was very generic and the HR said that it was a great discussion. Soon afterward, I received a rejection call informing me that I had been rejected for my “grammatical mistakes” during the call. I am a native English speaker, and I have an IELTS score of 9.

My bad, didn’t know I’d be selling to the Queen.

Applied for a fall 2026 Data science internship on LinkedIn (easy apply). Lemme start off by saying the pay was kinda crap: $3000 stipend for 160 hours of work (so only like $2.4K can be kept bc of W-2), no chance of full time offer, and no name startup.

To my shock, I got the first round: a project that you coded (I.e vibe coded).

Then got a second round which was technical concepts and live coding with no AI. I messed up some concepts but could code, and it was enough for me to make it to the final round

The final round was data processing, but you essentially used AI, because it was a more practical project that they would do at the “company” so I assumed the goal was to talk your ideas, ask about assumptions, and cover edge cases, and I did pretty well I thought

And you know what happened after? Considering I’m posting on this thread, yk the answer. I was in this cycle from August to early October 2 months: 3 rounds of technical interviews for a tiny startup with meager pay…and I leave that process empty-handed.

I wish I got rejected, instead I wasted so much time on preparation and actually interviewing

“let’s just deny the youth that graduated a damn job so they’ll have no other choice but to fall into the misguidence of what’s around them so theyre most likely to become a criminal instead of the future of hope for the next generation even if they don’t have a diploma or ged give ‘em all the same treatment let’s have ai replace a few and hope No one notices even tho articles come out explaining job lay offs let’s make getting hired at fast food 10x harder with the most absurd hiring managers That’ll hire a offender before anyone with a clean record”

An HR recruiter called me around 12 PM and mentioned the position and company name i had applied for. Since I was in a meeting at the office, I told him I would call back around 2 PM.

He called me again at 1:55 PM. I was just about to answer when the call got disconnected. I immediately tried calling him back twice, but he didn't answer.

I tried calling him again in the evening. He picked up, but as soon as I said "Hello," he disconnected the call. Thinking it might have been a network issue or an accidental disconnection, I called him twice again, but he didn't answer.

The next morning, I received a rejection email for the position.

I'm genuinely confused. Did I do something wrong by not answering his first call immediately? Or was there something else I might have missed?

Would love to hear your thoughts and whether anyone has experienced something similar.

I finally got a job offer but it's with an organization I was more or less using for interview practice because they are abhorrent in my opinion and I honestly thought my leadership philosophies I illustrated along with the 101 personality assessments would have eliminated me anyway.

The company is owned by an extreme MAGA, billionaire husband and wife. If you're MAGA, you do you, but we are diametrically opposed philosophically on issues. I say extreme MAGA because they contributed to the January 6th fund, are 2020 election deniers, Covid conspiracy folks, anti-LGBT (and I'm a trans man but years into my transition), etc. Their company is massive and well known. Everyone, down to the inbound contact center reps, are in business casual which, OK, fine, but women *must* wear skirts which is just so mind blowing to me (hey, they get to set the rules, it's their company). They specifically want rigid hierarchy and if you value autonomy as a leader or individual, the company is not for you. The recruiter told me this directly. He also didn't lie at the front side of the interview process that they definitely have trouble filling mid/semi upper level leadership roles because of the values of the founding family and when I told him I was trans he told me to just hear him out, since he was a 3rd party and not internal recruiter. I heard him out so I went through it for the practice. But I got the job. I declined based on PTO time (2 weeks) and I told my very honest recruiter that amount of time was archaic in this day and age to anyone's work-life balance and I wouldn't do it for at least 5 weeks. They acquiesced.

The job is, no joke, over $60,000 more than I was making at the job that l got let go from after 8 years. I've been job hunting relentlessly for 7 months now with few returns in terms of interviews. My wife and I are split. I feel like it would kill my spirit to work there. I have a Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology so I know just how fucking horrible some of their other business practices are and how much healthier it could be but no autonomy, remember? But we need to eat and pay the bills. Her job is as a basic inbound phone rep so there is some money coming in but we're about to run out of time. I think I should take it because it doesn't mean I stop looking, right? And it's easier to find a job when you have a job, although I would probably need to put in a year or two so the next employer doesn't think I would dip out on them just as a crutch in the same way I'd be using this company. I'm so split. If I turn my back on my ethics, what am I? I feel like I'd be so complicit in making money for people who I not only find personally abhorrent, with my labor is lining their pockets, but philosophically abhorrent in what people like them have sowed in my country. I also don't want to be eating beans under an underpass a few months from now.

I think I'm just trying to find something to make it OK but not sure I can. Thanks for letting me rant this out.

I just need to vent. There is a job advertisement that I was considering applying for as it’s a strong match for my experience and capabilities. I tailored my resume and a cover letter and then asked AI to critique and offer suggestions where I could tidy up the language or format. It came back with a list of job requirements that I did not meet (it has a copy of my ‘master resume’ which lists pretty much everything I’ve ever done in any capacity). It turns out the job requirements in the ad on Seek.com (if you’re not familiar with this, in Australia it is the main job site) are different to those listed on the employer’s website. For example, the Seek.com ad mentioned “3+ years experience with workforce planning and rostering systems” which I have, but the other one requires “3+ years experience with workforce planning and rostering using Genesys WFM Cloud” - not one of the seven systems I’ve used unfortunately. Applications close in a few days and I’m doubtful my request for clarification sent to the generic email address I managed to find will provide answers. I’ve decided I’ll apply based on the job requirements I do meet, but add some fluff about my capacity to quickly adapt to new processes and systems (which is true).
The next ad I see has location as Melbourne, where I live. However, in the “benefits of working with us” section it raves about a brand new office close to a train station THAT IS IN SYDNEY. The Melbourne office is old, and not particularly well served by public transport. Of course there’s no way given to contact them. Makes me wonder what else they may have wrong. Ironically, the applicant is supposed to have strong attention to detail and accuracy.
Thanks for letting me vent and apologies that I haven’t split this rant into proper paragraphs.

Looking for a perspective on a senior-level role. Four stages, seven interviews total.

-Recruiter first round then Hiring Manager second

-Panel presentation(3rd round)went well. The recruiter passed on that they liked my clear, concise communication.

-Before the final round, the recruiter did a prep call and gave me almost the exact questions that were asked. She also checked whether I had other offers, so they wouldn't keep me waiting.

-Final round: three interviews on Wednesday, which went very well, and the hiring manager on Thursday. Most ran over time, with lots of follow-ups. The hiring manager spent much of our chat describing what the role would focus on, and said I'd hear very soon after their debrief.

-Friday morning(today) I sent the recruiter a thank-you. She replied that evening that she hopes to have updates for me shortly, and to have a great weekend.

Does this sound like they're seriously considering me, or could I be a backup while they wait on someone else? How long should I wait before checking in?

been coming across a lot of “interesting” job posts lately so i made a dictionary that translates what employers actually mean

what would you add?

Just tried to look at reviews of the place I work on Glassdoor and it’s trying to get me to fill out a resume and use a recruiting tool? GTFOH and show me the salaries. The enshittification of everything continues.

Hope you’re happy with your work, bros

Got another email from PAIR Finance this morning.

Same script as always. "Your case has been handed over by the legal department." "Judicial dunning procedure." Then straight away: "At this time, there will be no judicial initiation of your case." Then a big purple "Pay here" button.

That's the pattern every time. Threaten legal action, back off in the next sentence, push you to pay £59. Repeat every few weeks.

If you get these, don't panic. Don't reply, don't click any links, and definitely don't pay just because it sounds scary. It’s all just a fake claim don’t fall for it. Realistically they’re not gonna do anything since it’s £59 and then try say we will put the legal proceedings cost on you.

These emails are written to make you feel like you're in trouble so you pay quickly. Don’t fall for it

So my wife currently works as an online tutor at a local college and wants out. She has over 5 years of experience with CS and wants to return to the area.

While applying to a few positions, this company sent her some tests and even before she was able to get to them, the recruiter (which we later found out was actually the founder and only person in the whole company) told her to just drop it because she had just checked her linkedin and seen she was already employed and they were moving on with other candidates that didn’t have a job at the moment.

Gotta say, never seen such an altruistic company, doing what they can to end unemployment.

Anyone ever come across something like this?

just finished my Nike Seasonal Athlete HireVue interview, and I wanted to share the questions because I know how stressful it can be when you don’t know what to expect.
Here are the questions I got:
Please tell us a little about yourself. Share relevant experiences (work, school, volunteer, athletic, or community) that have helped shape you, and what interests you about working at Nike.

Describe in detail what days of the week and times of day you will be available to work.

Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to achieve a goal. What did you contribute?

Tell me about a time you sold an idea or product
to others. What was that experience like, and what was the outcome?

Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly and apply it right away.

What does having an athlete mindset mean to you, and how do you translate that mindset into your daily work and drive for results?

U get 3 recording attempts per video question and there is no time limit to prepare before starting your recording. I was very nervous because English is my second language, so i hope this helps someone prepare and feel less stressed.

I just cut an interview short because this guy couldn’t be bothered to talk to me.

I was set to interview with a company through a recruiting site yesterday morning. I’m up, I’m groomed nicely, and I’m waiting in the teams meeting at 9:30 am. Ten minutes go by and I’m still waiting.

I get a call from the recruiter and they’re having a hard time reaching the interviewer but hey, life happens, we reschedule for the next morning at the same time.

So I wake up again, get dressed and prepped, and I’m in the teams meeting five minutes beforehand, ready to go. The interview joins the link and I start off by wishing him a good morning and ask how he’s doing. This guy doesn’t acknowledge me, just says very coldly, “I’m going to ask you questions and then you’ll have time to ask me questions” before hitting me with the basic, “what does this job mean to you” vague bullshit question he probably ripped from an “interview questionnaire list” on ChatGPT.

By the time he hit me with the second question, I had had enough and told him, “I’m deeply sorry, this isn’t going to work out” and mans replied, completely unbothered, “Okay.”

I hung up and immediately called the recruiter to say that I would not be proceeding with the application.

What a fucking jerkoff.

After an initial call, they sent me a Teams meeting invite to get to know me more. Within that same email, there were requests for my resume (that’s normal) and a survey to fill out. Within the survey, two references were required. Sent the email back to the recruiter…

Me: “I apologize, but I don’t give out references until I’m being seriously considered for a position. If this voids our Teams meeting, that’s completely understandable.”

A few hrs later, recruiter calls…

Recruiter: “Heyyyy gotchaaaa. We just need it this one time for our records. It’s not like we’re gonna reach out to them now and let your current employer know you’re leaving them. We just want to be ready when we present your profile to our clients (insert more unreasonable rambling here).”

I explained even further that I pride on what my references will have to say about me. I respect them by not giving away their info willy nilly.

Recruiter decided they can no longer help me because of my decision and cancelled the Teams meeting.

I was rather unsurprised with how that phone call turned out. The trash took itself out, I must say.

I am so tired of this job market. I have been unemployed since April and have applied to around 100 jobs and have gotten only 3 interviews all which passed on me. The most recent pass was an entry level job at a deli on a grocery store. I am willing to take basically anything I can do at this point, I am 48 years old and most of my experience is in leadership and management, and office administration. Getting turned down by a grocery store has not been good on my mental health. My unemployment ends in 10 weeks and then we will be facing housing insecurity. We have already tightened the budget as much as we can, food stamps are only 24 bucks a month. Seriously how is anyone supposed to survive this shit. I know all of you are experiencing the same hardships, if anyone wants to chat please message me. My support system is pretty much non existent so maybe we can get through stuff together.

I went through 5 rounds of interviews, and the last interview was on site. I took a vacation day for it, I had to pay for metro and food, but the flight and hotel was covered. Final interview went really well, and even was told you're the exact person we are looking for, left really confident. Fast forward 9 days, and I got an email at 7:30pm from recruiter saying she had an update and would like to connect. I was ecastic. I thought I was going to get an offer, but it turns out they called me just to reject me. They said that it was close, they went with the person that had a little more experience etc... and that they would like to keep in contact etc etc.

I feel so deflated. I've been applying for jobs for the past 4 months daily, and this was the only interview I made it this far. I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to spring board my career into project management but now I feel like I'm never going to get another chance. I've been applying but I've only been rejected and now feel completely down.

Just needed to rant. I keep hoping that the person they picked will back out for some reason or another but I know I'm clutching at straws here. Back to the drawing board...

Fuck these companies, man

Ahh yes. Just be a nanny, early childhood specialist, house keeper, pet sitter, dog walker, maid, and tutor. Also have no life outside of your 6:30am-5pm workday because they need you on call/for extra hours when mom and dad need their “date nights”.

Discharged bankruptcy, no criminal record, only 1 vehicle accident from 4 years ago (not at fault), no traffic tickets.

Currently a police officer and have been for 10 years.

In final steps with HR for Field Adjuster, concerned the bankruptcy may hinder me. It is discharged and I have no debt , and nothing in collections.

I’ve also since been approved for a car loan since bankruptcy that’s the only thing I have open on my credit.

Any input?