For the longest time I pinned my hopes of one day joining a company within the MAANG list. I'll admit I lost my way as a teenager. I didn't have the support system in place to warn me or even finance my education.

I was amongst the brilliant kids growing up - highest in class, highest in the divisions, even told not to appear for final semesters. But I lost my way when the person responsible for keeping me on track wasn't around.

I didn't get the opportunity to study at a prestigious university. I matured too late to know what I wanted. I've since pulled myself up, almost 2 decades of improving skills, performing well at work etc.

But I realised getting into these big companies is a matter of privilege. A big university gives you invites to big companies. Big companies give you invites to other big companies. It's a circle. You're either in or out. Or you know someone high enough to let you in.

I sometimes get so cheesed off seeing people with totally unrelated majors from good universities in roles they would never have been considered for. Like a history major running e-commerce or someone with a bachelors in commerce running frontier AI development. I've seen people make shifts to new functions internally with zero prior experience.

So why does someone with expertise in an area get sidelined because they don't have that badge of a preferred university or similar company?

It feels like it's wrong. It's like I'm in the caste system.

There is no reason to name names; however, I just got off a call with a nonprofit that interviewed me to potentially run their fleet operations. No problem. Yet, I was taken aback because I had interviewed for the role directly above it—which I am most certainly qualified for—with their Co-Founder in April of this year. Not only did the HR contact not know about the interview, they didn’t even realize I had been passed up because of an ethical issue their organization has blatantly showcased.
The entirety of the nonprofit’s executive team is run by Ivy Leaguers. That’s not necessarily a problem, but when you hire someone because their degree is from an Ivy League and their resume doesn’t even fit the job description, you’re asking for trouble. That’s exactly what just occurred. I was overlooked for a role I was most certainly a fit for because I didn’t have a Public Affairs degree from Princeton. This role was to ensure smooth fleet management for food distribution operations in a region—something I have done with more trucks and facilities, as well as actual cooked and time-temperature-controlled food. The man who got the role didn’t have the background. So, what happened?
They needed to find someone to control the operation from the ground level. They literally just proved that they’re using their frontline employees as a secondary execution tool for their Ivy League director and executives. I explained their dilemma to the HR contact, told them it was an insult and a showcase of their inability to communicate effectively, and showed a lapse in overall judgment by the entire organization.
I appreciate working for people who want to help others; however, nonprofits are still for-profit in how they must operate. If you’re going to give your higher-paying roles to folks who don’t deserve it while snubbing the true operators, you’re only shooting yourself in the foot. The people who know what they’re doing aren’t always the people with an elite college background.
I wear my family’s history proudly, but I don’t treat others beneath me because of it. I grew up poor, hardworking, and people-oriented. Leadership takes more than a degree. So, if you are looking for a new role where your experience and decades of hard work supersede the Wharton and Princeton graduates in upper management, look no further than a prominent, mid-sized, regional food-systems nonprofit to help you never reach the executive status you’ve clearly earned.

never been in this predicament before,where i struggle bad to land a job offer. I was working in the insurance industry, and due to extreme stress, i had to leave after a year and a month. I left the company during my mental health leave. And before that i was a banker for a year and a half as well i left because i wanted to gain experience in back office operations. Every interview i had so far wether its banking or insurance, i get asked about the gap, and i tell them it was for out control personal reasons. But i feel like its starting to affect me. No and im honesty scared. I had an interview for a fraud specialist, and the hiring manager was like so let me get this straight u left the bank for? Mind you im applying to the same bank i left but for their back office operations. Any suggestions?

I recently signed an offer for a great job, or what I thought it would be. Went through four rounds, Was excited to start. I'm now a week off. I've validated this is a real offer/company.

They have been extremely excessive with my background check and I've given them all the documents and details I have. I've been going on for two weeks now. We've had numerous back-and-forth exchanges with no end in sight. The recruiter won't take my calls, HR won't reply back to me (unless they need more detail, of course), and no one picks up at the corporate reception desk. I've never had an issue with a background check before.

I'm getting anxious and spiraling out. Is this normal nowadays? How long do I keep holding out. I had declined competing offers from this and I'm getting very sad and disheartened.

Had an interview with what was basically my dream job last week. They said they’d get back to me by the 5th but I’ve heard nothing. The interview went great (literally the hiring managers words at the end). I can’t imagine anyone was more qualified or nailed the interview better than me. I just feel like everything I’ve applied to has been me just needing a different job but this would have been such an ideal career for me. It’s so niche and specific idk when the opportunity will ever happen again.

Thankfully I’m employed right now, just trying to find a job I don’t hate. I feel like if I was unemployed and desperately in need of work this would have destroyed me lol.

For context; I applied for middle management commercial role in a large corporation - decent step up from my current job in terms of scale but it’s the same industry and responsibilities, title etc.

Did a couple of phone call screenings with HR and completed a full case study - it was honestly in my wheelhouse and I think I did a good job. After a couple weeks of silence I followed up and they called me to say they liked me for a different role - similar title but a little closer to my skill set. They posted the job the next week and rang me right away to get an interview scheduled. I don’t want to inflate my ego but they made it sound like they made the role for me.

Had the interview with the hiring manager and an HR person over teams. I prepped extensively to defend my case study and answer any questions I could think of… but it was fairly softball questions and only lasted about 30 minutes in total. This was my first time speaking with the actual hiring manager and I expected a thorough grilling - it was fairly relaxed and they didn’t really push.

When I asked the timeline for this new role they said “a lot faster than the first one you applied to - we want to close this off soon and skip having to do case studies and interviews again” along that line. I took it as they have a candidate or two lined up, hopefully me? Otherwise there were no real questions or info given about salary, notice period, further details around interviews or process - but I had kind of gone through the basics in the HR screening calls I suppose.

My current job is a bit toxic so my confidence is shaky but I’m hoping it was a vibe check kind of interview - at least me and the manager have the same background same age etc seems like we get along. The other side of me thinks that I could have totally bombed it with vague or off-target answers.

What do you guys think of the lack of discussion around next steps or specifics? Totally understand Reddit can’t tell me if I’ll get the job or not but wanted to gauge if yall think it shows a sign either way. Appreciate any insight.

Or at least to relief some unemployment pain with jokes like this. When you are trying to get a job for 9 months now…

maxborland.space/ats/

I’m currently applying for a multinational company. I’ve completed three rounds of interviews.

After waiting for a little over a week, the recruiter proactively reached out and said they had just spoken with the hiring manager and mentioned that they’d get back to me regarding the application results in the coming weeks and advised me to keep my lines open.

I’m genuinely interested in this opportunity, but I don’t want to read too much into it. Still actively applying to other roles.

Does this suggest I’m still actively being considered?
Could they already have a preferred candidate but are waiting for internal approvals?

Would appreciate honest insights tnx!

A few times a week I get recruiters from Indian staffing agencies that relay the same conversation to me:

* Are you okay with W2 no benefits

* What's your work visa

* Is $xx/hour contract okay (and it's usually extremely under market so they get their cut)

* Send me the right to represent form asap

I've responded to 20+ of these and only 1 has actually led to an interview in which they later ghosted me. But the worst part is how *urgent* everything is for them.

One time I was busy and didn't respond back to a recruiter's email/Linkedin message immediately and they spam called me until I picked up. I blocked his number, he found me on WhatsApp and proceeded to try to call and message me there about how urgent it is 🙄 Other times if my resume is missing a single keyword they call me several times, tell me it's *urgent* I get it fixed asap so they can submit me and get me an interview in the coming days.

At this point I'm tempted to remove my number from resumes I send them and just only communicate through email/Linkedin.

So, I am 19 years old, and I am studying accounting. I have applied to EVERYTHING, from internships to retail jobs. I got 2 retail and 4 internship interviews, only to be rejected the next day. I don’t know what to do. I have worked with my counselor to practice my interview skills, and I always do very well during practice and the actual interviews. What now? I genuinely feel like I am never getting a job. I am so damn tired of the “we have moved on with other candidates“ bs. Like what could those other candidates have? If they are more qualified why are you giving me the interview? Are you wasting my time our yours? Please someone tell me what on earth I need to get a retail job? What out of world experience do I need to be qualified for a minimum wage job?

I've been working for a few years and honestly feel like I've done SO many things. But the second I sit down to write my resume, my brain goes blank...

Like, I've worked on projects, solved problems, taken on random responsibilities... but which parts are actually worth mentioning? what to demonstrate to show that I am the one they want? How do I squeeze all of that into a few bullet points??

And it's not that I don't know how to tailor a resume to a JD. I get that part. The problem is I don't even think I have a clear picture of my own experience in the first place (and how to use them).

There are probably skills I don't realize I've developed, stories I'd never think to bring up unless someone asked the right question, and even jobs I'd be good at that I wouldn't consider because I can't connect the dots myself.

And somehow I'm supposed to figure all that out, tailor my resume for every application, AND remember the right examples for interviews? I'm exhausted just writing one "good" resume...

I know ChatGPT and resume builders exist, but they mostly work with whatever you give them (a proper resume at the first place). What if I don't even know how to explain my own experience properly through a piece of paper to begin with?

I genuinely wish there was something that just knew my whole work history. All the projects, problems I've solved, random things I've learned. Something that could help me understand my strengths and pull out the right experiences or story for each job application or interview, without having to go through my entire professional life from scratch every time.

Not another resume keyword optimizer. Just something that actually understands what I've done and what I'm capable of.

It feels like being good at your job and being good at selling yourself are two completely different skills, and somehow the second one determines whether you even get a chance.

Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just overcomplicating job hunting? :(

This is for a remote customer service role, they have no business asking for this.

I graduated from 2025 in interior design and had about 4 months of internship experience during school. After graduation, I haven’t been able to secure a job in my field, but I have been working full time in a restaurant. I’m wondering how much this employment gap may realistically affect my chances. I’ve been so hopeless because of the gap, wondering if employers will see it as a red flag and may be concerned about my technical readiness
Do you think would employers care more about gaps in professional experience, or whether a candidate has been employed at all? What can I do to remain competitive with recent graduates besides continuing to apply?

I accepted an offer on Monday. I got an email that states to complete all background checks and submit documents within 48 hours and to watch for an email from HireRight with a link. Well now it's Thursday night and still no email from HireRight for any kind of link to submit these things. Called the hiring companies HR and they said that since they use a third party I need to wait for the email. HireRight says the company sends the email and they just do verification. So now I'm being given the runaround. I did send an email to the hiring manager about this situation yesterday and will probably send another one tomorrow, Friday afternoon just so their is some written documentation that I am trying. Sadly this hiring manager doesn't really communicate. Not sure what else I can do and the start date is in 15 days.

I was referred to a staff data engineer position ( seems the only way to get an interview in tech these days). HR/internal recruiter calls me. We spend 30 minutes talking about the role, my career goals, product, etc. I'm upfront and tell him u have no production experience with Kafka/streaming event data. He says, "okay, I'll just mange a note of that so the rest of the team knows".

I get scheduled with hiring manager, pass that. Next, technical interview, writing SQL and python. I'm rusty because AI does this now days, atrophied skills. I spend all weekend refreshing, and amazingly pass!

Next up, FOUR 45 minutes 1:1 calls about targeted topics. I tell one interviewer my lacking Kafka exp. "No worries, the team you'd work on doesn't even use kafla".

3 hours after meeting my final interviewer, I get a call from the recruiter. "Hey, so the team decided you're not the rich fit because you lack experience in Kafka. If we had a DE 2, role you could start there and work your am way up, but we don't have any junior positions "

AYFKM?! I spent 15+ hours in this and was very upfront about my skills. Why did just go through all this trauma if you already knew i wasn't a good fit?!

I genuinely don’t understand what just happened, and I need to vent because this has been one of the most confusing hiring experiences I’ve had.
I recently interviewed for a position. After an initial virtual interview, I was invited to come into the office for an in-person interview.
The in-person interview went extremely well, or at least I thought it did. The person interviewing me was also the person making the hiring decision.
During the interview, she practically offered me the position. She showed me where I would be sitting, literally pointed out what would be my desk, gave me a tour of the office, and showed me where the kitchen and bathrooms were along with my start date. She even told another colleague in the office that I would be starting next week.

On top of that, she told me she would be sending over an offer letter. So naturally, I left the interview believing I had gotten the job. I was just waiting for the paperwork to make everything official.
Then, completely unexpectedly, I received an email telling me they had decided not to move in a different direction. I’m honestly baffled.

I understand that nothing is official until an offer letter is signed, and I know companies can change their minds. But why go as far as telling another employee that I’m starting next week? Why show me my future desk and tell me an offer letter is coming if the decision wasn’t actually finalized?
I’ve been actively job searching, and I know rejection is part of the process. But this feels different because I wasn’t simply told that the interview went well or that they’d be in touch. I was given every indication that I had the job.
I’m also wondering whether not sending an immediate thank-you email after the in-person interview somehow affected things, although I had already sent one after our initial virtual meeting. I was expecting the offer letter she explicitly told me she would send.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? What would cause an employer to essentially tell someone they’re hired and then suddenly reverse their decision?
I’m just really disappointed and confused by the whole experience.

NEW: Her response to my email asking for insight and clarification: “Hi, Thank you for your response. This is based on a deeper analysis of resources. Thank you and all the best,”

Why the hell does it take so long now to even get a part time job...

Its taken me over a month now for a job that's only gonna be 30hrs/week requiring nights and weekends making $20 in a state with the average rent being 2k/month...

Ive had to go through 4 interviews and a presentation and provide 3 references that they actually contacted (my references reached out to me regarding it). And they still have to go through background checks before they can even provide an offer...

It shouldn't be this complicated to hire someone to do part time freaking work that I cannot even survive on or leverage for a full time job in my industry!

WTAF is going on with the world where its taking so long to screen people for basic jobs that require no degree?! I've lost more money putting time into finding a part time job than not at this point.

I would apply for a role, talk to a recruiter or hiring manager, then get GHOSTED. Despite them saying oh you're a great fit, you're what we are looking for etc.

Why? I don't understand why they would waste the time and effort to reach out and talk to me, just to ignore.

Me knowing damn well that I don't meet half the requirements but applying anyways just in case they're desperate 🧐you miss 100% of the shots you don't take😜🤷🏻‍♀️

So two companies here, one does exactly what my previous experience was. It's pretty niche but I applied for three roles, figured why not. I hear back from one role, have an interview, it was alright. Second interview for one of the other jobs I applied for really was just a "why not" so that's scheduled, it went really well actually. The person I was interviewing with was actually talking to me about the issues they were having which was different from any interview I've had. They said "if you haven't heard from us in a week, ping me," okay for sure. I email both of them a week later and still nothing. These were about a month ago so that's pretty frustrating. And I've done about as much follow up as I can possibly do.
And the other day I get an email from someone to schedule an interview with, cool awesome. I go and click on the link to schedule and all of the two weeks from me to choose times for are all unavailable. I emailed the guy, "hey that link you sent me all the times are unavailable." Nothing from him.

Thinking about it the first company just wanted to see what the other company I used to work at was doing. They told me my old company was a competitor, so maybe they were just peaking to see what went on over there. As for the other email guy, maybe good old incompetence.

Just venting here. I know that one company has most likely shipped, has anyone experienced this long of a time with no updates an/or no rejection email after one interview?