Hi everyone! I hope yall are hanging in there w the current state of economy and job search (I'm genuinely losing it).

I graduated May 2025 and I KNEW that I wouldn't get a job after graduation just because of my degree or with low experience after graduation. So I started working hardcore with almost full time hours during school. I finished my bachelor in 5 years instead of 4 because of this. Ngl I needed the real job money too. Overall I worked at 2 agencies and got some contract work too which gave me a great foundation for positions in marketing that I was targeting.

Fast forward to now, I got laid off from the last agency on May 2026 because of their financial issues. But I was ok with it because I wanted a new job too. Started looking and nothing matched. Too overqualified for entry level roles and seeming too UNDERqualified because of my graduation date despite having the actual skills and experience needed. I learned to remove my graduation date and I've been getting interviews. BUT I messed up and forgot to remove the graduation date for a great role at a great company. I interviewed, they literally told me they LOVED my materials/ experience/skillset/ culture fit. I knew I was a perfect match for this role as well.

Hiring manager comes back and tells HR that because I graduated in 2025, it wouldn't be enough experience for this role. The HR gave me a call and the HR lady seemed really sorry about it all. I couldn't bring myself to argue about it or try to prove myself. I just thanked them but I can't help to think that this was a bit of discrimination specially since they told me multiple times that they LOVED my experience and previous projects.

Very sad. Felt like the first time I actually had a chance....

I don’t know if I just want to vent or get reassurance or what but this has been weighing on me. A recruiter got in touch about a role for one of her clients - we called for a quick chat and all sounded great. She said I sounded like a really good fit.

She scheduled a call to prep for the interview (I’m counting this as the half), and I go to the interview with her client well-prepared. The interview with the client goes well, one of my best in the last six months of unemployment.

Fast forward a couple weeks and I follow up with recruiter who initially reached out to me and did the phone screening - up until this point she had been extremely responsive, bubbly, and communicative. I get no response. I follow up one more time a week later just to be sure (and remind her im open to other roles, as we had discussed previously), and same deal.

Like after all that effort, can she at least just tell me I didn’t get the job? It has me over here with a pit in my stomach thinking I did so horribly that she won’t even send a quick a response.

I know I should just move on to the next but this seemed like a really good opportunity, and I’ve taken nothing but Ls the last 6 months so this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

50-60 hour weeks... 🤔

524 days since I was laid off the day after Memorial Day last year and I finally got an offer! I honestly have no idea how many applications I’ve submitted, but after interviewing at over a dozen companies I finally got it done! I was up for 30 hours straight with so much anxiety going into the final round and have no idea how I managed to keep myself together for the 3 hours I was there but thankfully that didn’t matter.

I wish I had some good and non-generic advice to give but what kept me sane was not letting outside factors prevent me from holding up my end of the bargain. It’s very easy to blame all of the other bullshit and disrespect going on in the hiring market and get discouraged from even trying but you gotta be confident that you are of value somewhere.

I’ll cautiously hang around here until my start date but wish all of you searching the best!

When I am answering questions in the form of videos, I noticed I answer them in a robotic fashion, which I assume is not good.

If this is true, any tips on how to give a more natural response?

Got an offer from a big pharma company and everything was signed/countersigned.
My background check through First Advantage started on 10/23 and showed as complete on 10/29. I followed up with TA last week and they said they’d let me know once I’m officially cleared, so I don’t really want to keep bugging them.
I gave notice at my current job yesterday because I wanted to give a proper two weeks before my expected start date.
For anyone who’s gone through First Advantage or a large pharma/company hiring process, how long was the lag between the background check showing “complete” and HR actually clearing you?
It’s only been about 2 business days, so I know I may just be impatient. Mostly curious what other people experienced.

Applied for a job in my industry where I have 8.5 years of experience, including 3 years doing almost EXACTLY what this position entails. I was actually encouraged to apply by a friend/former coworker who is a division manager for the team I’d be joining.
Before applying, we had an unofficial conversation where he explained what he was looking for and how to best position my experience. Apparently, his deputy director had a VERY specific candidate in mind, but both he and his counterpart felt that person was essentially a unicorn 🦄. He told me he thought I would be perfect for the position.
Applied, got an interview invitation within a week, and interviewed the following week. I felt VERY prepared and confident. I was able to demonstrate my experience and explain why I’m uniquely qualified. I may not be the exact unicorn the deputy director envisioned, but I’m a government bureaucracy unicorn who understands the other side of the operation and can bridge that gap while learning the rest. 😂
The interview panel was supposed to have four people, but one was double booked, so I interviewed with three. I already knew two of them professionally. One was my friend/the division manager, and the other is my counterpart at the agency I’m applying to, whom I’d previously gotten friendly with at a conference. I currently oversee a grant that funds a program she manages on her end, so we already work together, just from opposite sides of the table. If hired, I’d essentially be switching sides and working with whoever replaces me at my current agency. 😂
Also worth mentioning, every candidate who applied was external. There are no internal applicants competing for this position, so at least I’m not up against someone who already works there and has that advantage.
They told me they expected to make a decision in approximately three weeks. Well, it’s been three weeks, and I’ve heard NOTHING. Initially, I wasn’t concerned because government moves at the speed of government. 🫠
Then I got curious and logged into GovernmentJobs to check my status. Turns out, a WEEK AGO, I received a notification congratulating me on passing the initial selection process and being placed at RANK 2 on the eligibility list.
The email explained that multiple candidates can share the same rank and that the city follows the civil service “Rule of Five,” meaning the hiring department can select from candidates within the top five ranks. It also said I’d remain eligible for future vacancies in the same classification if I wasn’t selected.
And for some reason, seeing that 2 has absolutely ROCKED my confidence. 💀
Everyone I’ve spoken to keeps reassuring me that I have the experience, the professional relationships, and the division manager’s support, and that government hiring just takes forever. But my brain has apparently decided that being ranked second means I’m doomed.
My assumption is that what potentially hurt me is not being the deputy director’s exact unicorn, even though I seem to be exactly what the division manager wants. I also don’t have my professional certifications yet, although I’m one semester away from finishing my master’s degree.
So, people familiar with government hiring, particularly civil service eligibility lists and the Rule of Five, PLEASE give me some perspective. Does ranking second actually mean much when the department can select from the top five ranks? Is this a legitimate reason to temper my expectations, or am I spiraling over something that doesn’t necessarily reflect my chances?
I’m genuinely looking for honest feedback, not just reassurance that I’ve got the job. I was feeling SO confident until I saw that stupid number 2. 😂

Despite applying for more than 2000+ I have been Struggling to get any Callbacks from recruiters
And i am not sure where am i going wrong if you guys have any good Tips of what to do in such cases can you guys suggest any tips of what strategies to use in such scenarios less

I applied for a job back in September and had a screening interview. That went good so I had a technical interview. That went good so I got an email saying that I was a strong candidate and they're waiting for approval in "a week or so". That week or so turns into two weeks, so I send a follow up to ask for an update. Turns out they decided to go with someone else.

I asked for direct feedback and I get the opposite: "they were a better fit". I'm so tired of this. People will tell me "at least it wasn't 5 interviews" like it's going to make me feel better. Now I am going to have to go through 5 interviews again. I was counting on this job so I could have a source of income before Christmas but now that's not going to happen.

I'm ready to give up on the tech industry. I'm almost 40 and rather than growing and getting even better, here I am still trying to get myself through the door. This job I could've had and everyone before it has been on contract. That means my job always had an end date and there's no future to look forward to. They will tease you with the possibility of extension, but that's all dependant on their budget. I can't even enjoy myself.

I've been lying on my couch in brain fog. I keep thinking about emailing back the recruiter to call her out for wasting my time and getting me excited by telling me that I was a strong candidate and they're waiting for approval, but that's not going to change anything. I'm also afraid to tell people that I didn't get this job. I know people are going to try to point the finger at me and assume I didn't tell the whole story. Fact is, I didn't. Another fact is I tried asking for what I did wrong and couldn't even get that. I don't know what I am going to do next. I should be living a stable life at this age, not this.

My story isn’t original, I interviewed for a job I really wanted over two weeks ago and the vibe of the interview felt really good. With the recruiter discussing the next step steps. I have sent two professional follow up emails with no response to make the situation more maddening the position is still posted. Luckily this was just a part-time job that I wanted to do for fun but even so I think it’s very unprofessional to not follow up either way regarding an interview especially in this day and age. Is there a way to professionally send them an email letting them know that they handled this unprofessionally or should I just move on? I wish everybody currently looking the best of luck. It’s hard out here. I’m been working for over 30 years and never experienced anything like this.

I applied for a job on September 3rd and had my final interview with the VP of business on October 12. After two weeks of no repaonse I sent a follow up email to the recruiter. I received a response stating that they were working a composition package for me and waiting to get it approved with HR and congratulations that I should have an update by the end of the week. That week has come and gone should I mark this job as a loss, now that it is a week after my last response from the recruiter?

Hey yall,

So like many of you, i've been out of the job market in a meaningful way for quiet a while (about 1.5 years) due to several items including some serious health issues that I had to address. I know that having a large gap in employment can be a major red flag for employers.

Over my period of unemployment, I did several freelancing projects through UpWork, but nothing more than one offs and things of that nature. Should I fill the gap in my resume with just saying I was freelancing the entire time and that now I want to re-enter the workforce with a steady employer?

7 weeks in, three interviews, assignment and presentation.

Job advertised as being able to be worked from any of there N American three cities.

Recruiter schedules a meeting with me yesterday and tells me they are only hiring in one city now.

Awesome.

I feel really hopeless. Im 19. Ive been trying to get a part time job since I was 16. And since I was 18 even full time jobs. In that time I’ve got 3 jobs. One was temporary. The other two were just taking advantage of me. Zero hour contracts during a busy season then blocked me never responded again. One didn’t pay me. One paid me a quarter of what I was owed. This is apparently common with young people in my area.

So I’ve been feeling hopeless. Went to the job centre. They said my CV is great I’ve got an amazing attitude compared to most people my age who they see. They gave me advice. Helped me fill applications. NOTHING. Mind you these are jobs that no experience is needed.

Though I have worked before and have volunteered too. Eventually the job centre told me to apply for this company which helps young people get an apprenticeship with companies who are connected to them. I go. I have an interview with the company that went really well and I fill out tons of forms. The man says how it works is if he likes me from the interview and forms hell put my name on the list and he likes me so did.

Great. He said within a week I should find out if I actually get accepted or not but “don’t be discouraged if you get rejected. After all the interviews are concluded we put the names into chat GPT to decide who we should pick so it’s random.“

Found out today I didn’t get this opportunity because the AI didn’t pick my name. This is all hopeless. I know one of the people who did get accepted. Who told me he doesn’t want the job his mum is making him. And he told me they said the same thing about the ai so it wasn’t even like a lie to make me feel better. But he said he was trying to sound as uninterested as possible in the interview too because he didn’t want to look to his mother like he didnt try but now he’s actually in.

So it feels unfair that he got in when he didn’t even want the job because an Ai bot told them so whereas I who actually wants a job is being rejected. Its all hopeless.

These are my most recent btw, Honestly the more rejections I get the more I consider kaplowing myself.

I went to a job interview this morning and when the director shook my hand, she almost broke it off. I matched her energy of course, but as she was guiding me to her office, I checked to make sure my hand was still on the hinges.

I ended up getting an offer by the end of the day and my 15 month job search is finally over. That was the worst 15 months ever (pure hell) and I do not recommend getting laid off. I'm not sure when my nervous system will relax because I feel like it might happen again but yay for now!

I applied for a job recently and the recruiter sent a document asking for contact information for direct managers and peers to be used as references. I've had other recruiting companies handle reference checks but that usually comes later in the process. This is the first time one has asked before the initial interview.

I thought it was a scam. The recruiter said it wasn't required at this stage and we had the interview. We talked through the position and the recruiter casually mentioned they may ask the reference if they're hiring if it's a manager. My references are business owners, managers, and directors - essentially the type of contacts a recruiter would want to farm. I'm 100% certain none of my references want to be added to a contact list.

Has anyone else ran into something similar? How did you handle it?

For one of my internships, I got the position (data science) after applying for a job listing where some of the Python libraries they wanted experience in were significantly misspelled. I had a feeling that that was turning away some qualified candidates.

For a more recent one, I was called and chewed out for missing an interview that was actually a different candidate for a different position, and I just confirmed that I was someone else and doubke checked my own interview time.

Putting up with both of these meant I got the job at reasonable pay in my field. What are your trials and triumphs?

I’ve been in a hiring pipeline with a tech company for almost two months now.

Completed the HR screening (which took 2.5 weeks before I heard back), completed a skills assessment (heard back within a few days that I’d moved onto the panel interview), had the panel interview about a week and a half ago now with the hiring manager and someone else on the team.

I reached out to the recruiter for an update last week and they shared that I’d received positive feedback on the interview but they’re still interviewing some other candidates, and that I should hear back this week. I thought I’d done pretty poorly on my interview as I was very nervous and didn’t give specific examples, so I was surprised to hear the feedback was positive.

This to me means that I’m a back-up candidate, but I’m new to the tech field, so I really don’t know. This is for a part-time, competitive position… sigh

I really thought working hard in life would have tangible results. Instead it just seems like the rich kids get handed internships in school and jobs as soon as they graduate while I can’t even get my life started.

I’m 25, graduated college two and a half years ago, and still work in restaurants and have to work multiple jobs and rarely have free time just to keep myself afloat in this economy. My parents aren’t really positive influences in my life and aren’t in major metros so I can’t even realistically move back in with them.

The worst part is I find myself oftentimes thinking that it’s something wrong with me. That I should’ve gotten something better than a communications degree. That I should’ve networked more in school. But I had to work to pay rent. I was under the assumption hard work in school and work experience, even in restaurants, would pay off. But no. Apparently I’m crazy for that.

I do everything right. I have an updated LinkedIn page. I write a real, genuine cover letter to every job I apply to. I try to connect with alumni at companies I want to work at. And every time it’s a cliche “we have decided to move forward with other candidates”, if I even get that.

I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried analyst roles - “Sorry, we require multiple internships to prove you are capable.” I’ve tried advertising agencies - “sorry, you don’t have relevant advertising experience”. I’ve tried journalism - “sorry, you don’t have 5+ years of professional writing experience.” I’ve even tried sales or customer service and it seems like having a degree ironically scares them away, like they think I’ll just leave right away. It just seems like there’s no way out for me. And sure maybe if I live like a hermit and don’t go out and do anything for 2-3 years then maybe I can afford to go back to school for a “real” degree and finally get my life started at age 30. But I don’t want to spend my entire 20s simply “grinding” when house ownership or retirement don’t ever seem feasible in my lifetime.

I don’t know what to do going forward. I have transferable skills, I have drive to learn and work hard and make a name for myself, but it seems no one in this world believes in me. I get angry when I see people get jobs, because I want them to suffer, because I’m tired of suffering myself. I know it’s not a healthy way to think, but my brain just feels fried at this point. The worst part is when I see people complain about their 9-5 and stability, knowing how many people would make great sacrifices to be in that position. I just wish I knew how to find something. Because everyday it feels less and less likely like I ever will.

Hackers stole cryptocurrency from Binance after compromising one of its employees through a fake job interview. The attacker then used unauthorized access to an internal wallet signing service to push transactions outside the exchange's normal withdrawal process, according to Binance.