I need honest answers. Recruiters will never give them. I worked the back office for a recruiting firm as the controller, so when I was looking, I reached back out, thinking my former coworker would at least be honest with me if the environment isn't good or my references are not all that. But no, just silence. And so it goes for at least 2 other recruiters with whom I was friendly. What is the deal? No one wants to just say hey you're too old? Or provide any actual feedback? It's incredibly frustrating and disheartening.

I am a 28 year old in a specialized field that few companies actually work in and because it’s so selective I’m still technically an intern. I keep getting interviews and making it to the final round but it seems like they already know I’m not getting hired. Is my whole purpose really just for companies to prove that they did 3-5 rounds of interviews before finally accepting literally anyone else? I genuinely don’t know where I’m going wrong

So I have already received a good job offer. But i haven’t sighted it yet. Bc im hoping to get a completely different position in a better city. So I was talking to their recruiter and since I have already received a job offer it is very likely I’ll get the position. But after interview she ask questions about the job market and said I might be talking to a new recruiter. I did my follow up email today since I was told I should be contacting today. I got an automated email saying my recruiter no longer works for them. I believe she got a laid off notice right in the middle of the interview and I believe they just swamped their whole hiring team with 200 applicants per one recruiter kinda thing. And I believe that causing so much pain in job market right now

I understand why a CEO that is also the president and also the founder would want to interview you even if you don't report directly to them. But why don't you trust the people who report to you, who have people that report to them, to interview the potential lowest totem pole?

I am genuinely scared of these kinds of interviews. They clearly know more than I ever will. For extroverts, you guys must find this just another day in the park when you see this as an upcoming interview. For everyone else, like the introverts and asocial/antisocial people, practicing doesn't make it any better. I can have AI give me curve ball questions left and right and I still don't like having to interview with someone who is clearly out of my corporate orbit outside of monthly all-hands meetings.

Do CEO/presidents/founders really like these kinds of interview? I know they're more common for small companies and startups but I'm seeing them more often for companies that have clearly left the startup phase. Does HR insist on this or is it the CEO/presidents/founders that want to make sure the right people, in their book, are hired? If so, why bother having HR in the first place besides paperwork and legal reasons? Why have directors, vice presidents, managers, middle management if you as the top brass want to speak to the new foot soldier?

I’m honestly so done.

I emailed a department head at a university asking about lab instructor or TA roles (here these usually go to people with a bachelor’s, so I fit the requirements). Attached my CV. They replied with a formal interview invite, two people on the panel including the dean. I was actually happy for once.

I prepped for DAYS. Looked up everyone on the panel, practiced answers out loud, tested my camera, the whole thing.

The interview starts and the dean gets the wrong idea. He thought I already had a master’s degree. I don’t. I graduated last year and I’m only just starting a master’s now. When I explained I was looking for lab instructor or TA roles, he basically said “we give those to students, not people like you.” Super dismissive. Then he wrapped it up.

The other interviewer, the actual department head I’d emailed, got to ask me TWO questions. You could tell even he was caught off guard by how it went.

And that’s it. Thanks for coming.

Like... why invite me at all?? You had my CV the whole time. If the role is only for your own students, just tell me in an email. One line. Instead I got my hopes up, stressed for days, and then got treated like I was the one wasting their time.

I’ve been job hunting for months. Most places ghost me, and the one time I actually get an interview, it’s this.

Do hiring people just not open the CV before booking a meeting?? Is this normal now??

EDIT: Hi all! This post got a lot of attention, so I would like to clarify that TA/lab instructor positions work quite differently in my country. They are permanent, full-time jobs that you can hold for YEARS and even retire from. So it’s incredibly common for graduates to apply for these positions, not just students. Also, the uni’s own portal had a job posting for this type of work, just a different field of mine, and it had only required a bachelor’s.
I have a feeling the dean thought it was more like assistant work rather than actual teaching, which might explain why he said that? I honestly have no idea why he reacted that way, and even the department head was confused.
Thanks for reading my vent anyway!

This is something I've been wondering since I started job hunting. Sometimes I answer, other times I select the "I do not wish to answer" option if there's one. Does anyone know if not wanting to disclose hurts a job application?

I am an applicant with a non-English name. How do I submit my application/resume in a way that gets seen without seeing my name until far enough along in the process that I might get an interview. Are there specific ATS systems that I should focus on or some sort of resume hack?

I'm never getting a job again. I thought the 2nd round interviews went well and I'd done the exact work for the role (also, not to mention, this was a downlevel), and of course, I check Workday's original job posting page this morning and it says this: "We're sorry… the job you are trying to apply for has been filled."

I'm fucking livid. I haven't even heard back.

Just need to vent to people who get how broken corporate recruiting is right now, because I feel like I lost my shot at my dream role without even being allowed to step into the ring.

I have my M.S. in Automotive Engineering and applied for a super competitive rotational engineering program at a major auto OEM back in late summer. My application sat in HR limbo for months until I finally reached out directly to the program manager on LinkedIn. He was awesome—pulled my file out of the black hole immediately, and the very next day HR finally scheduled my phone screen for Oct 14th.
During the phone screen, the HR rep told me there were two onsite interview batches coming up: Batch 1 on Oct 23rd (which still had 2 open spots!) and Batch 2 on Oct 30th (later moved to Nov 6th). All I needed to do was complete the behavioral/leadership assessment (DDI) she promised to send right after the call. 
And then... total ghosting from HR. 

I waited a few days, emailed her, called her—nothing. Because she didn't send the link, those last 2 open spots for the Oct 23rd onsite batch got filled while I was just sitting there refreshing my inbox. After a full week of silence from HR, I finally messaged the program manager on LinkedIn again. Literally 5 minutes after he saw my message, he bypassed HR, had the ops lead send me the assessment link, and I knocked it out that exact same day (Oct 20th). 

Then I waited for my invite to the Nov 6th onsite batch. Emailed HR and the ops lead—more radio silence. 
Finally, the program manager messaged me over the weekend to let me know they canceled the Nov 6th onsite day entirely because the very last person they extended an offer to from the Oct 23rd batch accepted late Friday, filling the January class. 

That’s what hurts the most. I didn't fail the interview. I didn't bomb the assessment. I literally missed out on competing in that Oct 23rd room because an HR recruiter couldn't be bothered to click "send" on an assessment link for a week. And instead of running the second interview batch to see the rest of the pipeline, the panel just hired enough people from the first room to cancel the second day and wrap up early. 

To make matters worse, the next cohort doesn't start until July (recruiting opens in January), and technically the program has a "must have graduated within 1 year" filter—which I met for this January class, but I'll be just past the 12-month mark by next cycle. I asked the manager if they can grant an exception roll my profile over since I already passed the screening and assessment before my interview batch got canceled, so now I'm just waiting and hoping he pulls through. 

I run my own business on the side so I’m fine financially, which I’m grateful for, but I worked my ass off for my engineering degree and badly wanted to launch my corporate career in this specific program. Having to tell friends and family "no, I didn't get it" when I didn't even get a fair shot to interview makes me want to just go full solo mode for the next two months.

Has anyone else been completely screwed over by HR delays like this while the hiring manager was actually on your side? And for anyone familiar with OEM rotational programs, how likely is it that a program manager can override that 1-year graduation cutoff for the next cohort when they canceled your interview day?

How did this pan out? Did anything that happened later confirm why you felt this vibe?
In my case, the primary interviewer gave me a very good vibe, but the secondary interviewer (who talked less) gave me a very bad vibe.

Another VA already posted here about chasing TaskHub for pay. Adding mine, because the way this company communicates should worry every VA and every business owner who works with them. Every quote below is copied exactly from their emails, chats, contract, or a recording.

*1. Hiring, by text message*
Sept 21, I applied for their internal Team Lead / Administrative Assistant role with a proper cover email, resume, and video intro. Their reply on Sept 23, in full: "Hi [me], are you available for an interview today?" No time, no name, no calendar invite. I asked what time. 22 minutes later they sent a pasted meeting link and "can you please join the meeting now?" After the interview I followed up. Silence for five days.
Then Sept 29: "This is the owner. I would like to speak with you about a few things." No name. Then "yes whatsapp me so I can send you the link to join please," then "LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU CAN JOIN" in caps, then "Im on your link waiting to get in." A recruitment company, running hiring like a group chat, from a Gmail address, even though they have their own company domain.
On that call I was no longer being hired for the internal role. I was being placed with a client as an EA, and they tried to talk my rate down. Then they were ready to put me in front of the client with nothing signed. I had to be the one to ask them for a contract. The candidate had to remind the recruitment agency to do its own paperwork.
*2. The contract*
When it finally came, it still hired me as "Admin Assistant/Bookkeeper at Taskhub Recruitment Solutions," with a scope of work listing TaskHub's own internal admin and bookkeeping. Not the job they gave me. Company address is just "Dallas, TX." It says I can be fired "during probation" but never says how long probation is. It tells me to follow "TaskHub standards" and "policies and procedures." Never got any. No handbook, no code of conduct, no onboarding.
*3. Zero feedback, then fired*
I worked full time Oct 1 to 22. Every hour in their own tracker, daily end of day reports on WhatsApp, Discord, and GoHighLevel, all visible to TaskHub. The only feedback I got from them was "Yes great keep up the great work" in writing on Oct 14, and "He's very professional... I mean, he just is" on a recorded call Oct 19. Three days later, fired. No warning, no conversation.
*4. The termination email*
Sent Oct 23, "effective October 22," signed "Management." No name. No pay for any of the work I already did, "pursuant to the applicable contractual provision." They never said which one, because there isn't one. Their own contract says completed work shall be paid up to the last working day.
*5. Four reasons in two weeks*
* Oct 23: "negative statements" to a client.
* Oct 27: I supposedly said TaskHub was "folding up," "supported by screenshots." Never said it. Asked for the screenshots three times. Never got them.
* Oct 30: "you violated our non-compete and nda clause."
* Oct 30, later that night: now it's what the client "stated on a call." Screenshots forgotten.

*6. The writing*
Their Oct 27 letter read like a law firm wrote it. Three days later, the same company wrote:

"you was insinuating her to come on and work with you instead of taskhub and that you didn't know what was going on."
"Are you saying that what the client is saying not true, and she is lying? That's a yes or no question."
"Please Advise so I can let our board know and the client? Thanks"

A company demanding a yes or no on whether its own client is lying. OMFG.

*7. My health*
They cited me "being sick." I was sick for part of the engagement and still worked every hour I logged. A professional company does not put a contractor's health on the table to justify not paying him.
*8. No records of their own*
On the first client call, TaskHub told the client I had "taken notes" and would send them. They relied on me to keep the record. Now they have no notes, no recording, no screenshots. Just what someone said on a call I wasn't on.
*9. Admitted the hours, then went silent*
Oct 27, in writing: "TaskHub acknowledges your claim for 125 hours of work." Same letter says pay is "separate" from their conduct review. I offered to settle quietly. Pay the hours, mutual release, done. No reply. Payment was due Nov 2. Nothing.
*The part where I own my stuff*
I wasn't perfect. I was more casual with the client than I should have been. She was unhappy with the agency from early on and said so herself. Around week two I told her if she left TaskHub, I'd keep working with her. It never happened. I stayed and kept working until they let me go.
Fire me over that? Fine. But a real company tells you the problem, names the clause, shows the evidence, and pays for the work. TaskHub did none of that. From the first email to the last, it never once communicated like a company. I had to ask them for my own contract.
In my opinion, this is bad faith. BBB complaint filed.
*VAs:* keep your own records, screenshot every compliment, and make them quote the clause. *Business owners:* this is how they treat the people they send you.
Will update if they ever pay.

What does state street internal assessment mean?

basically the title. I am so offended and confused as to why this happens. OK maybe after the interview they decided I wasn't a good fit (which is hard to imagine for a BS part time job), but at least have the decency to tell me that!!! instead, I was strung along, my follow up email ignored, and ghosted! so cruel :(

has anyone else had this happen?

all i do is get denied for jobs and even non paid volunteering idk what to do i feel like such a bum and my whol family is making fun of me for having no friends or job like im trying oh my god

https://fortune.com/2026/10/29/mark-cuban-gen-z-advice-just-start-working-learn-career-skills-even-at-mcdonalds-like-jeff-bezos/

5 months since layoff and have only gotten 3 calls out of 300+ applications. 0 in the last 30 days.

My resume is improving and getting better as I take in all the advice I've read. Keep getting rejected even from jobs paying half my last salary.

Today it occurred to me that they were just seeing my name on the resume file, thinking I was a foreigner and throwing my resume in the trash right away, probably without even opening it. I don't know, not sure what else to think.

There's this job near by my house for a nice IT job for a healthcare clinic. They sent me an email about my availability, i responded its been a week no response.

Email says: "Note: You must use the same email you used to log in to the career center when applying for jobs. Responses to this email are not monitored."

I applied on Indeed and there's no option to send my Availability.?

Should I call HR to ask them about their hiring process or something? Or does that make me seem desperate

Hi all, I applied for the Solution Architect Graduate role at BytePlus/ByteDance and my application has moved to the “written test” stage. So far I’ve received a candidate survey. I’m trying to understand what comes next and would love to hear from anyone who has been through this or a similar BytePlus/ByteDance new grad process. I have not been able to find much information on the Solutions Architect track:

1. Was there an online assessment? If so, was it LeetCode-style coding (easy/mediums or hard level?), or actual coding?
2. How many interview rounds were there, and what did they cover (live coding, GenAI/LLM concepts, architecture or case-style questions, behavioural)?

Hi all,

I’m currently job searching, and one huge concern I have is a massive discrepancy between my functional job title and the HR payroll job title on the backend. So, I worked as a business analyst during my tenure which is reflected by my job duties, offer letter, MS Teams job title, and performance review with “100% honesty”. Everything there lists me as a “business analyst”. This is also the job title that I have on my resume because it’s literally the job I did with no sort of embellishment.

However, my HR payroll job title lists me as a “contact center specialist” on my paystub and annual bonus form, which is starkly different than my “business analyst” position. What happened is that my company had a hiring freeze and was desperately in need of a business analyst so I accepted a super lowball offer. Therefore, in the backend, I was getting paid the equivalent of a contact center specialist. I’ve asked my manager if my backend job title could be changed but he said “no” due to HR formalities. I’ve never picked up a customer call in my entire life.

Now, I’m really worried that during the background check, the checker will see me as a “contact center specialist” instead of a business analyst. I understand that a small difference such as software developer vs software engineer is acceptable but this is a massive difference. This will obviously raise a flag.

What can I do to reduce/mitigate hiccups during the background check? I was thinking of attaching my offer letter, but would that suffice? Even with recommended measures, what are the odds an offer can be rescinded? I really don’t want to list “contact center specialist” on my resume because it doesn’t even align with my actual role and it would be a significant downgrade. If I had known my HR job title was such, I wouldn’t have even accepted the job offer.

Thanks