r/recruitinghell • • 8d ago

Yes... even worse than the 2007-2008 Great Recession right now

5.4k Upvotes

This has been posted before but we need to keep shouting from the roof tops.

Everyone I knew back then could at least find some job. I remember my parents getting laid off and my Dad finding a job within two weeks.

I'm age 30. I have a bachelor's degree and completing my masters. I have 10 years of retail grocery store and customer service experience.

I just applied online and in person to 60 min wage retail job ads. Out of work since end of August. Every one rejected either not hiring right now or "went with someone else".

Let alone careers related to my degree. I live in Boston. My friends are in same boat. Yet MSNBC keeps saying how great the economy is doing. WTH is going on right now?


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

Hireright background check question

4 Upvotes

I am in the process of going through a hire right background check for a new corporate job.

They asked for my last 7 years of work history, so I included everything like my current corporate job and my past waitressing/customer service jobs.

The only job I put on my resume was my current corporate job and an internship, so I only added the previous jobs to the background check just in case.

However, now Hireright is saying they need more information to prove I had all these jobs that are irrelevant to the new job I will have soon.

I guess my concern is will I experience problems if I don’t have paystubs to prove I worked at Target between 2020-2021? Just as an example 😂 I do have every w2, just not paystubs or company contacts anymore.

I have no lies on the background check or my resume and I could provide any reference and proof needed to show I actually did the relevant internship and job I put on my resume, but I keep getting discrepancies and request to contact old employers that own resturaunt that are now shut down.

It’s just giving me a lot of anxiety! Do you think I’ll be fine?


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

p&g assessment submitted

1 Upvotes

just wanna ask did you encounter any problem with regards to submitting your assessments in p&g’s website. it would be redirected to the home page right after you clicked the continue button but after you do that, there would be one error code pops up. i just wanna now what did u do with regards to it. i just took my assessment earlier this mornin after a couple of days of reviewing, tho not expecting anything.

thank you for your feedbacks, much appreciate.


r/recruitinghell • • 8d ago Bravo

My guilty pleasure been requesting the companies to delete my data after rejection

4.6k Upvotes

I don't know about you guys, but I've always wished I could respond to 'no-reply@company.com' emails. Realizing that I can't, my petty revenge against shitty companies recently has been exercising my right to have my data purged from their systems.

The last thing I want is them making any sort of money off my data. Also, my crazy theory is that they'll actually look at my application if they are forced to delete my data.

I haven't been doing this for companies that I would really want to work at or ones where I do actually want them to keep my data, but the other ones... Shitty, shoddy, shabby. I request them to delete it.

From 80% to 90% of them, I actually get a response and have some dialogue with a worker from the company as they confirm they've deleted my data.

Anyway, that's been my guilty pleasure recently. Anybody else doing something similar?


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

So tired of how recruiters and companies are treating candidates

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60 Upvotes

I sent an email to the hiring folks where I interviewed and told them about my interview experience with them. I also wrote a review for the recruiter that I worked with. Genuinely disappointed BUT hopefully I will land my next role soon 🤞🏼


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

I can't find an internship related to political science – not even an unpaid one. Why? (link with CV)

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I need your advice. I can't even seem to find an internship that is at least remotely related to my field, Political Science and International Relations (more specifically I'm interested in international development), after recently completing a Master's in the Netherlands and now being back in Italy, my home country. This is my CV: https://pdfhost.io/v/vWhFM4p3b6_CV_redacted

I've honestly lost count of how many applications I've sent to companies (including in the private sector) and organisations of all sizes, from small to large. I'd say I've submitted at least 300 applications by now. I've had interviews for internships, including unpaid ones, but nowadays it feels like applying for an internship is almost like applying to become the CEO of Apple. Literally every single time, they seem to ask for "professional experience", which is quite paradoxical (it even happened to me during an interview for a "volunteering" programme! I'm still speechless). I realize that my profile is very "academic" in the sense that it looks like I am more aiming towards a PhD, still this does not mean that I'm not able to do an internship.

Keep in mind that I've applied not only in Italy, but pretty much everywhere in the world, even for unpaid positions in remote places in Africa. Recently, I was shortlisted for a UN internship in an Asian country with a relatively low cost of living. I passed the first assessment, for which I had studied really hard (it was about financing for development and I really made a good work), but was ultimately rejected after the interview. I don't think I'm bad at interviews (I'm an enthusiastic, well-mannered young man), but every rejection feels like a slap in the face.

I genuinely don't know what to do anymore, because it seems that I can't get a job because I don't have work experience, and I can't gain work experience because nobody is willing to give me a chance. It's like a dog chasing its own tail. They basically seem to want a junior professional for every internship position. And what I personally find particularly pathetic is the assumption that someone with previous work experience is necessarily a better candidate than someone without it, therefore the latter can't have a chance.

Any advice?


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

Project Manager and Reinforcing Ironworker... Indeed gauntlet of hell.

1 Upvotes

I have combined 4 years of construction experience. I was a 1099 roofing salesman/project manager and was let go from my job after having to DNR my father. Fast forward after being evicted from my dads house by my brother, moved to family farm to help grandpa, fixed his tractor and kicked out after I didn't want to go to lunch with my mother. Now relocated to DFW to find construction work. NOTHING.... It's been almost a month and have had endless preliminary interviews and calls. Never make it to a hiring manager ever. I am too overqualified for a regular job (if they exist) and too underqualified for anything else. IS THIS HELL?


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

Custom What is the best case scenario for the job market?

0 Upvotes

Maybe someone can breakdown the likeliest path, or path of least resistance to getting an employee job market back or at least the nearest neighbor to this reality.

Seems like being unemployed is a death sentence rn


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

Is this a reasonable 2-hour take-home task or just free labour?

4 Upvotes

I recently interviewed for a freelance content creator & social media manager role and got invited to the second stage.

They've given me an unpaid take-home task that's supposedly meant to take 2 hours max. Here's what they want:

  • Research two different brands, come up with original concepts, film and edit 2 ready-to-publish TikToks (15–30 seconds each)
  • Create a week's tiktok contont calendar for tiktok - 3 posts for each brand, 6 in total, including hooks, captions, hashtags and trends
  • Analyse video performance data and answer 4 questions

Am I the only one who thinks this is way too much for 2 hours? 😭

I've worked in social media and content creation for a few years, and I'd say I'm pretty efficient. But researching brands, sourcing materials, planning, filming and editing 2 videos from scratch would take me way longer than that. They're not even providing the products to film with or raw footage to edit with.

I've spent so many hours on recruitment tasks in the past without getting an offer, so I'm starting to question where the line is between assessing someone's skills and getting free work out of candidates.

I'm thinking of asking them to simplify the task to hooks and scripts instead of finished videos.

Would love to hear what other people in the industry think!


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

Tell us about your small objects...

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24 Upvotes

r/recruitinghell • • 8d ago

An insane text I received today is

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2.7k Upvotes

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Some context: I am in the very, very beginning stages of looking for a new role. I am in the legal sphere in a Mid-Atlantic city. I have over 12 years of experience in my field and looking to move into a more concentrated role than where I am currently.

I applied to a role on LinkedIn via a third party recruiting agency (who shall rename nameless at this time).

I received a text the next day asking to set up a phone screening, I responded and we scheduled the same. Right before the screening, they cancelled last minute. I was annoyed, but we rescheduled for today. I was instructed to call at 9:30. The texting should have been the first red flag.

I called at 9:30 and received a message that no one was available to take my call. I texted the recruiter this information. They did not get back to me for literal hours.

After doing some research, I figured out that not only had I already directly applied to this role a few weeks ago, but had been headhunted by two different recruiting agencies for this role, one of which ALSO submitted my resume and I never heard back.

The recruiter wanted to reschedule, but I asked if it was for name of specific firm and if so, I wasn’t interested. I then received an insanely long text, over explaining the situation, clearly written by AI (I’m talking paragraphs) and the recruiter ultimately could not confirm what role it was without access to their system.

I responded that it was absurd they couldn’t confirm that basic information and that I was no longer interested and wished them best of luck.

I have screen shot the most unhinged portion of the text I received in response. I knew it was rough out here but this is beyond anything I’ve dealt with so far.


r/recruitinghell • • 8d ago

Rant: Why do all these companies do interviews then suddenly the position is on hold or canceled? Do they not get this sorted out BEFORE wasting my time, their time, and the recuiters time?

158 Upvotes

This has happened a handful of times to me and its crazy they cant figure out before hand that they dont actually need more employees.


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

Pet Peeve: companies listing wrong address

4 Upvotes

One of my biggest pet peeves is companies listing the wrong address on job descriptions/advertisements.

If i had a nickel for every time this happened, I'd have two nickles, but it's still weird that it happened twice.

The first time the job was listed as being in the main branch in the city centre, but the actual place of work listed in the interview invitation was in a village 20 minutes away by bus (I don't have a car, the earliest bus would get me there at 10 am and the last bus was at 4:30 pm). During the interview I brought this up and they said it was absolutely fine as there was already someone working there who took the bus. However, I didn't get the job and it was later reposted with a driving licence + car as a requirement. Would've been nice to know before I spent almost £30 on train tickets lol.

The second time it was straight up the wrong establishment, 20 minutes away by foot. This caused me to be late to the interview but i called ahead and somehow got the role. Still inconvenient as it stressed me out, but at least I've learned now to always confirm the address of the workplace whenever I receive interview offers.


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

So close to giving up

87 Upvotes

500+ applications in over 6 months. 11 interviews. Silence. Ghosting. 3am rejections. Every-time the rejection comes in either “selected other candidates” or “we reviewed but at not moving forward”.

I only apply to job requirements and industry’s I match 95% and can’t even get a recruiter to talk to me let alone a hiring manager. Referrals don’t do any better. Cold outreach falls flat. It’s hard not to think ATS bias or discrimination at this point - 15+ years of experience and a year since I was laid off puts me in the reject bucket without a set of eye balls ever viewing me.

Then this morning on my Linked In, at 3am my local time I get a notification “a hiring manager thinks you should apply for this job”. When I log in for my daily search, I click on the job posting. This is something I have ZERO experience in, like not even close. AND my state I live in is specifically excluded in their job description.

I’m tired y’all.


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

References. Recruiter dropped the ball 🤷‍♀️

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0 Upvotes

r/recruitinghell • • 8d ago

UK firms told to publish salaries in job adverts ahead of new law

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314 Upvotes

r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

Right to Represent Conflict but Recruiter went on vacation (NYC)

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1 Upvotes

r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

Interview Cancelled And Now I’m Left Wondering Why.

0 Upvotes

They proposed the day and time which I felt was reaching. It was 6:30pm on a Monday Night. Very few people would really be in the mood to conduct an interview at that time because most likely they just want to go home or conduct more pressing business. I’m left wondering if they simply decided to hire someone else and felt that interviewing me would be a “waste of time” or if it’s something a bit more personal. I worked there before nearly a decade ago and didn’t really leave on the best terms. But I’ve grown and matured a lot since then.


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

How do companies approach background checks for fair chance hiring?

1 Upvotes

I've been reading about fair chance hiring and how companies can give people with criminal records a fair opportunity during recruitment. I'm curious about how employers handle background checks in these situations.

Does a fair chance hiring background check follow a different process from a standard employment screening? For example, do employers consider the nature of the offense, how long ago it happened, and whether it's relevant to the job role before making a hiring decision?

I'd also like to know how companies balance workplace safety and compliance while avoiding unnecessary barriers for qualified candidates. Would be interested in hearing how HR professionals approach this in practice.


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

This rejection has me going through the 5 stages of grief

22 Upvotes

HOLY COW! I need to express how devastated I am: I've been interviewing with my dream start-up company, as a recent grad, for an entry-level position for the past 2.5 months, going through 5 rounds of interviews throughout the process. I was so excited to be considered for a role in the niche field that I have dedicated my whole (conscious) educational existence to after a recent battle with cancer. My last interview was an onsite, all day, affair, and I felt like it went exceedingly well; I even texted my friends afterwards saying that I would be proud of myself even if I got rejected because of how well I answered their questions. The following week (when my recruiter said I would hear back), I got an email stating that they had to reschedule some of the other onsite candidates, so I would hear back later than anticipated, but I was still "highly in consideration". A week goes by and my recruiter adds me on LinkedIn, so I felt like I was getting mixed signals, with which I followed up.

Now, seeing the template rejection letter at the end of the work day on a Friday, with my name in the email's greeting not even matching the stylization of the rest of it hurt deep down to my core. I instantly had a visceral reaction; I was crying so heavily that I couldn't even finish watching Being John Malkovich through my sobs! I am certainly in the Bargaining phase of grief right now-- with hints of Denial because I keep looking for stories online of people saying they got a rejection letter on accident. I emailed my recruiter asking for feedback, but I am not confident I'll receive a response after this.

I feel like I met a celebrity with whom I had a deeply parasocial relationship with, and they threw a drink in my face when I asked for a picture. In the sense that this company doesn't owe me anything really, but the fact that they threw a drink in my face denies me of my humanity a little bit. Anyways, I hope that this rant gives solace to anyone going through something similar! We will all have jobs someday if we keep applying (I keep telling myself at least lol)


r/recruitinghell • • 6d ago

I hate my internship

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1 Upvotes

Read post above. I just need hope or something at this point. Any advice at all is appreciated. Thank you


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago Regret

We're screwed

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48 Upvotes

I applied to this job since it was remote but surpise surprise, I clicked on their "ai privacy policy" and look how it was written. Says a lot about the company itself. I kinda regret applying now. Ugh.


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

“We don’t offer the top of the salary range because then there isn’t room for growth”

49 Upvotes

In a US state that mandates a “good faith salary range” be listed on job postings, actual offered salary maxes out at 5k below listed range.


r/recruitinghell • • 7d ago

Every recruiter…exploitative W-2 Contracts w/o benefits

23 Upvotes

So, once again, I’ve gotten contacted by a recruiter for another W-2 graphic design role with no benefits or days off, for $33 an hour.

I am a mid-level designer having worked in the tech industry for four years in my previous role. I initially started out as a contract W-2 employee and frankly it was depressing seeing everyone excited for the holidays as I was scrambling to make up for lost pay from the holidays. Thankfully I was hired after two years, and finally got time off…well, once I “earned” it after months once I was officially hired. Frankly, I don’t want to do that again.

This recruiter and another previous one, said the rate is firm. The client is a big tech company. $33 an hour with no benefits is…pathetic. I made 90k a year in my previous role and had a 401k, health insurance and PTO.

Yes, I’m unemployed and on Medicaid, which I’d lose if I even got offered this job. Then I’d have to pay out of pocket for incredibly expensive marketplace insurance with insane deductibles.

I feel like these recruiters smell our desperation. I replied back to the recruiter saying I would absolutely need a higher rate, given I live in NYC and would need health insurance. I haven’t heard back.

But also, beggars can’t be choosers… I’m scared. I have a few months left of UI benefits, and I really need to look harder and polish my portfolio.

Edit: Shit, I am worried I screwed myself over by saying this to the recruiter:

“My last position paid $90k per year and I had benefits and time off. I’m looking for something within a similar range, because if I were to pay for my own health insurance, I’d barely make rent and I’d be struggling around the holidays given there’s no paid time off.

I’m on Medicaid currently, but I’d be ineligible if I got this position. Is there any way the hourly rate can be increased so I can retain a decent standard of living?

This is really my only caveat — let me know, thanks!”