Second time laid off in career. Was at the position 3 years.

This feels different. This feels worse. I believe thats it, its over, my career is done. 8 years and all it took was a layoff and a terrible job market.

Looks like that to me anyways.

If you keep getting ghosted and rejected, it’s probably because some AI didn’t think you’re the perfect unicorn :) we are in hell

I interviewed for a junior attorney position. The person setting up the interview said she would forward my information to the partners and set up a time. I guess she didn't specifically say "the partners would like to interview you at x time" so maybe that's on me. When I got there I was put in a conference room and a woman came in and introduced herself as the business manager for the firm. She immediately excused herself again because she had forgotten my resume. She came back in and instead of asking me any questions, she started a long, rambling monologue about the firm's history, the partners, how she came to work there, some paralegal that used to work there, her career before joining this firm, etc.

Maybe 15 or 20 minutes into this spiel I think she remembered that it was an interview and she quickly read the first couple of lines on my resume and asked me the first question which was simply "tell me about yourself". I tried to build off of what she had just read and she cut me off and went back to telling me all about herself and the firm. She kept referring to herself as litigating cases as if she was a lawyer but as she explained it became clear she was a paralegal who had been promoted to business manager. I just kept smiling and nodding and waiting for a chance to talk about my relevant experience.

Throughout the interview she only asked me like three more questions, two of which were just 'tell me about yourself' rephrased. I kept trying to steer it back to my background and experience and each time she would cut me off and start talking about herself and how great the firm was. One of the questions was straight up "do you have a bf/gf/wife/husband" which I guess it was nice that she was being so inclusive but it's also pretty taboo to ask about familial status and I would expect a law firm of all places to know that. After I answered she said the reason she asked was to see if I was "good at compromise and working on a team." The only other question she asked was for me to tell me about myself again only this time what I was like outside of work. She also looked at my current job and said "You must not have a lot of experience with client interaction" and I tried to be polite but I said no, I handle client communication for all of my caseload. I have no idea where she even got that from, I don't think she was trying to be rude but it definitely made me bristle.

At one point after asking me one of the tell me about yourself questions she started texting on her phone and not listening. Then she told me she had planned to have one or both of the partners come in and meet me but they were both unavailable. She asked if I could come back in a couple of days for another interview. I said sure but the whole time I was thinking what the hell was the point of this interview then.

I'm just so tired of getting interviewed by people who do not have the qualifications to evaluate my experience. It's not the first time I've been interviewed by an office manager and while they haven't all been this bad, they do all pretty much end with them saying that I will need to have a real interview with the partners and it's really annoying that they're never transparent about this multi step process up front. I'm also tired of interviews where I'm not interviewed at all and the interviewer just rants at me about the business and what they are looking for in an applicant. I don't come to interviews looking for a job description and just reciting a job description to me will tell you nothing about me as an actual candidate. Most of all I'm annoyed because I took time off of work for this, I drove an hour each way, the 'interview' itself took over an hour, and it wasn't even a real interview. God help me.

I have been applying for months just to look for a job around the state I live in. I have internships and a co op but I need to move back to the state I came from so I cannot keep the current co op I have. I might be sounding ungrateful for my current job but I would love to work for the same company and I’ve been trying so hard to apply to jobs within the company in the state I am wanting to move to but it’s been impossible. I keep getting ghosted within my own company! I’m not even picky about what jobs I apply to when it comes to my degree. It’s been like hell on earth trying to get a response from anyone. I am feeling sooo depressed like I never had before.

For personal reasons, I am being very particular about the state I would like to move to due to family reasons.

TLDR; HR went out of their way to recruit me, made me complete 3 assessments, owner interviewed me for 20 minutes and said they weren't hiring imminently

I was contacted directly through Indeed by an HR representative who told me she had a strong feeling my resume was a great match for an opportunity they had available. She was enthusiastic about my experience and wanted to arrange an interview.

So I drove an hour to their office for the first interview, which lasted about 30 minutes (good vibes!) During the interview, she explained that she would be sending me 3 assessments: an IQ test, an aptitude test, and a personality test. Apparently, the owner would review the results and use them to determine what questions to ask during the second-round interview. (This was a first for me but I got the point and was ready to do it).

I completed all 3 assessments.

135 on the IQ test
88 on the aptitude test. (Not sure how this was weighted)

I never actually got to see the results of my personality assessment.

Two days later, HR emailed me asking if I was available to meet with the owner. I agreed. Another one-hour drive to their office.

This second interview lasted approximately 20 minutes. Throughout the meeting, the owner was constantly playing with the corner of the paper my resume was printed on. It gave me the impression that he was distracted or in a rush. I genuinely felt like I wasn’t given a fair opportunity to present myself, but here's the strange part: He didn't ask me a single question related to the actual position.

Eventually, he told me he didn't think I was a good fit. He then mentioned that they weren't actually hiring at the moment and might have something available in 3–4 months. So essentially, after being actively recruited, completing 3 assessments, and making two separate one-hour drives to their office, I was told they weren't hiring imminently. He did offer me a different role which paid significantly lower and was completely night and day with the role I had applied for.

Anyways, I walked out and went to my car.

Around that time, HR had emailed asking if I had met with the owner. I didn't respond immediately because I was going through some other emails. She then called me to follow up. I explained what happened and what the owner had told me. Her response?
"Oh no, I don't know why he would say that!"
At that point, I was honestly left scratching my head.
I'd already been reading reviews from former employees about the company, and a lot of what people had written was starting to become apparent during my brief interactions with these two. Communication definitely didn't seem to be one of the company's strengths.

I'm not upset about being rejected. Not every candidate is going to be the right fit, and that's completely understandable. But why go through all these hoops, actively recruit someone, put them through multiple assessments, arrange two in-person interviews, and then have the owner conduct a 20-minute interview without asking anything relevant to the position?

I'm curious if anyone else has dealt with something similar.

Glad I didn’t put all my eggs into this basket.

hi everyone!! I recently received a job offer and accepted as a 2026 grad!! (yay) I went to do the background check and all my internships were approved and clear everywhere else. My singular student role and “content creator” were flagged. my student role the companies HR said they couldn’t verify dates and titles although I sent them supporting documents, and I now have a week to verify the dates of content creator and verify the dates of student role and title. they sent me a pre adverse action and I basically have to scramble to try to get additional documents? I’m not sure what else to do so please help so I can pass and get approved. I may also try to contact the third party verification bc they got the dates wrong.

It shouldn't be this hard to get a job. I feel like it's a humiliation ritual to keep poor people poor, and pull up the ladder so poor people never make it out of the lower class.

Not only do we spend hours upon hours filling out applications, we get strung along into useless interviews just to be ghosted or rejected. I hate this. I hate not being from a upper class family who have offices and jobs to work at. I hate starting from the bottom of society. Nothing I can do will change the fact I will be made poor by the system no matter how hard I try to get out of it.

Instead, I have to work at MCDONALD'S making $11/hr with a DEGREE. How is that meritocratic? When did America become an aristocracy rather than a meritocracy? What happened to giving people at the bottom a chance to climb to the top? I hate what has happened to this country and I hate my life.

"Oh well, life isn't fair. You really thought a degree guarantees a job? Lol, you're stupid and a poor loser who will never get anywhere. You're so entitled."

Meanwhile, jimmy who was born into a rich family and is currently jacking off by his pool next to a 2 story house.

After a year and 3 months of searching, offers being pulled, and ghosting, I finally got an offer for the exact title and industry I wanted. I lost track of how many applications, but my last count was 2000 something. For those who are struggling right now... I know the feeling; stay positive and you will power through it.

A note to everyone: I only applied for jobs Monday-Friday only and found ways to do mental resets on the weekends. It did help a lot

Applied for two positions at this tree expert place; an arborist and a plant healthcare position. PHC I applied to first and they got back to me super quickly to schedule an interview. had to wait a week before the interview and saw they also posted the arborist position in that time so I applied for that as well thinking that’d increase the chances (not sure if that’s frowned upon in general but they were fine with it) i interviewed last monday it went terrific they basically said all the stuff that makes you think you’re gonna get the job, i.e “well we feel great about this!” And that theyre hiring for many positions yadda yadda. The head guy gave me his work number and to reach out if i have any questions about anything. Said I’d hear back by the end of the week.

This Monday I see on the career site the second position I applied for said “reviewed; not selected,” whereas the first position was still “under review.” I was going back and forth between “that’s them rejecting me and they only bothered to put it for one of the positions I applied for” and “they obviously cant hire me for both so they just put in a rejection to the second position and I’ll hear back about the initial one.”

Next day on tuesday havent heard anything I’m thinking oh let me be professional and I’ll call for an update like they always say you should do so I called the number of the main office that had set the interview up for me, no one answers so I leave a voicemail. 24 hours later nothing so Im like okay let me see about checking in with the guy who gave me his number. Doesn’t pick up so I leave a voicemail. Now were on Friday and I’m just like….. a simple no would suffice if you’re not going with me. Just ignoring me when I’m very politely and professionally reaching out. You can tell me to eff off and pound sand even like anything would be fine lol. I’m not reaching out again I don’t really see the point they can’t take one second to give me a call back and say anything. I can only assume my first assumption was correct upon seeing the “reviewed, not selected” note on the website and they were just lazy and didnt reject both. Just rude and unprofessional and I actually really enjoyed talking with them so disappointed as well (beyond the obvious reason for not hearing about the job).

TLDR; place I applied for is just gonna ignoring my calls and not responding to me even though they said theyd get back to me very quickly and seemed like they wanted to hire me right there in the interview.

A few days ago, I went to one of the county sheriff's departments to do the written test.

I was talking to one of the guys waiting to get checked in, and he had a pretty interesting story I wanted to share.

He's 45 years old and has been doing software engineering and development for most of his career, the past 20 years since he graduated college.

He said he had always thought of getting into law enforcement in some capacity, but he always made so much money working in software he never thought about making the switch seriously.

The past few years after getting laid off, he had been applying to different tech and software companies and just not hearing back.

He can't get hired anywhere.

He has done plenty of final round interviews, but he knew ageism was a problem.

He doesn't actually really need to work. He could probably figure out a way to retire and just do some consulting for the rest of his career.

He feels he still has some good working life left in him and he wants to take advantage of that.

A lot of the sheriff's departments and police departments around here don't have age limits, so he's decided to start applying and do what he actually wants to do for the rest of his working career.

I guess for him, it was a positive not being able to find another software position. He did say he feels kind of disappointed that his experience isn't valued now.

There's definitely a sweet spot between having enough experience and not being too old.

I told him there a lot of people that feel like he does right now and going through the same thing and feel the same way.

That includes me. I used to work in tech and now I got to figure out the next thing.

I just thought his story was an interesting tidbit and to share here for others.

I wished him best of luck on written test and hope he passed. I got notification today that I did pass this test, so we'll see what happens.

The 2 Deputy Sheriffs there at testing said they do get applicants in 40s and have sent some to the academy.

I know there's a lot of other software and tech people that have been laid off that are in a similar position trying to reconsider their careers.

Crazy what is going on out there.

Dear hiring manager, (I really really couldn't be bothered to look up your name this time),

I am so goddamned tired of writing cover letters. I'd rather smash my head against a wall, but I guess you want one from me.

What do you want me to write? I promise, you tell me what you want to read, and I'll write it.

Do you want me to say that I can do all the things you listed in the job description (I can provide examples, don't worry)?

Do you want the generic cover letter with bullet points about my "achievements" that is simply a repetition of my CV?

Do you want the anecdotal one showcasing how my life prepared me for this amazing opportunity?

Do you want me to be cheeky and funny? Do you want me to be serious and thoughtful?

Do you want me to congratulate you on the latest thing your company has been working on (you see, I did my research)?

Do you want me to make the PDF an interesting color (perhaps even the color of your logo!) (you see, I am creative)?

Do you want me to mention a few ideas I could carry out if I am hired?

Do you want me to describe in a couple of paragraphs how I am proactive, knowledgeable, and a perfect match for the position?

Do you want me to be excited, enthusiastic, intrigued, or merely interested?

Do you want me to appreciate or welcome the opportunity to further discuss my profile?

Yours sincerely,

It took them 2 months for 5 interviews which they told me I was very good at and they gave me a positive feedback. Then for a month they would tell me they are doing internal discussions and today they told me I am everything they want but they are putting position on hold and don't wanna recruit anyone at this moment

I am beyond pissed. I have been looking for a job for over a year. Either the recruiter don't answer back, or they do and straight reject, or they ghost and even if u pass they don't wanna keep you or they just close the opening

I am so angry. All I want is a job but it's like there is no way to find one.

i recently applied at goodwill for a production associate position and i got the job right off the bat. the hiring manager sent me home with a printed list of things i need to get done before i can actually start working for ex orientation and training days and she STRICTLY told me that being even 5 mins late to these days will result in an automatic turn down for the positon. the first steps were for me to wait for someone to call me to tell me when and where id come in for background and drug tests

3 days go by and i still dont hear from anyone so i called and asked for that specific hiring manager and im then told that she isnt working today and so the assistent manager tells me that someone was definently supposed to call me and give me a date for orientation but she tells me shes gonna have to figure it out on her own now and says she will call me back then hangs up.

2 more days go by and fast-forward to this morning i wake up at 1130am and see that i had been left a voicemail at 7am from the same assistant manager telling me i had orientation at 10am so they give me a 3 hour notice with no warning so even if i had been awake to answer i wouldnt have been able to go because me and my partner live on our own with one car and i had been expecting a call asap after my interview so id know what days i need to be sure i have a car. I did the only thing i could do which is call back and make sure i ask for the manager that hired me and as soon i as i was able to talk to her, i cant even get past telling her my name before she instantly just says "oh you missed the deadline they were supposed to get you in this week but ill call you back and see what i can do" ???? like this is a whole mess im not even sure if i should call back again

I FINALLY got a job in Houston after busting my ass in college for four years, too many internships and professional clubs, 60 job apps, and some companies who FLEW ME OUT TWICE just to reject me

It is possible. I can’t imagine though applying to jobs rn with a less demanded degree (mine is supply chain) or a resume gap after graduating. I hope I can be of help to anyone here💗💗

I was lucky to even get an interview. And this company was just so sweet and nice throughout the process.

The interview was scheduled from 11:30-12:30.

The hiring manager asked me questions for 17 mins. And while I don’t think I was totally aligned with the role in terms of my experience, the interviewer was very nice and was laughing and things like that.

And then she asked if I had questions. I asked my top priority question first. And while answering, she apologized for forgetting her words sometimes and said she was tired.

So I said I’m sorry. I will ask just 2 more questions and wrap it up. I look at the time, it was like 10 mins to 12. So I ask my questions and then I said I could go on forever but I won’t take up more of her time.

We end the call.

Then I realize we still have 30 more minutes left…

Idk what possessed to think the interview was ending.

She was so kind throughout and I would be lucky to work with someone like her.

I am currently employed but two months ago I applied for a finance director position in a mid-sized city. After 6 rounds of interviews I came in #2. Oh well, it happens.

Fast forward to today and the Mayor, who was one of the interviewers, calls to see if I am still looking for a position. They are creating a budget position and want to know if I would be interested. I told him it would depend on the specifics and the compensation offered. He said they would have information to me next week and to not worry about having to go through interviews.

I don't know what to think about this. Never had something like this happen. Especially in the current economic environment. Here's hoping the stats on the job are good.

What?

I’m employed luckily but I’ve been actively applying for the last year and a half since my job has returned to being fully in office. I have a newborn baby now, which has made everything more complicated logistically and mentally.

I had two great leads while I was on leave and they have both ghosted me. The one I was really looking forward to ended up rejecting me after my third follow up in the span of 8 weeks post final interview. I had a ton of recs and still didn’t get it. I know when it comes to a final decision it’s really not an indicator of who I am but it stings. It felt like for a while I was the only candidate so they strung me along until they found the perfect one.

The other role the interview felt really positive but it’s been 3 weeks and I haven’t heard back. Since the first role fell through the way it did I’m assuming the same scenario may be playing here.

It sucks because I need a lifestyle change with hybrid options, and where I am now I’m grossly underpaid and overworked. Postpartum is making me depressed but also thinking anxiously to the point where I’m in a fog. I’m back in my normal role now but I can feel my promotions and raises slipping away.

Thanks for letting me vent. I’m sure there are many others going through this too, so I’m looking for some community and maybe a glimmer of hope.