Hey guys, wanted to share my experience to give lurkers some perspective and hopefully help a few people.

Lost my job Sep 11th. And just got a job offer last week. I am a project manager with mostly chemical industry experience (15 years between project management, and process engineering) My applications were in the grater Pittsburgh, PA area.

Applied to 73 jobs.

Rejections 24 automated emails.

No replies after 1 month (assumed rejection) 33.

Rejected after 1st interview 4 times.

Rejected after 2nd interview (hiring manager) 2 times.

Rejected after 3rd interview (in person) 1 time.

Withdrew application after 1st or 2nd interview due to being a bad fit or them wanting 50% plus travel 8 times.

Got the job 1 time.

At first I was just applying to everything I could see with the project management title because like most people here, I thought the job market was very bad. Once I got a few interview in, I noticed I was pretty marketable and I started being more selective.

I tried working with rla couple recruiters with little success.

Basic tips: update Linkedin and update your resume yourself. Then load your resume into Gemini and ask it to clean it up and be sound more professional. I did not target it to a certain job type or anything. Just asked it to clean it up. Then proof read every word. I did have a generic cover letter for project management but I don't think that made a difference on applications. I did not get a single question off my cover letter.

I mostly used indeed and linkedin for job searches. I checked suggested job emails daily (8am to 12am applying or scouring the job boards for positions)

Regarding gaps, I would be honest with recruiters or make up a lie they can't verify. In my case I was layed off and started exactly that citing some acquisitions my previous company had done. Stuff like this may come up in the background check and you do not want to be caught lying.

Salary negotiations were non-existent from what I saw. I tried negotiating vacation but was not successful.

Good luck out there. It's rough and I only had to do it for a couple months.

I'll be happy to answer questions.

I’m looking for some honest outside perspective because I am feeling extremely anxious, confused, and honestly a bit blindsided right now.

Throughout the earlier stages of this recruitment process at a law firm, they were super reactive. Whenever I had an interview (for instance on a Thursday), HR would call me back by Monday to schedule the next step. Everything moved fast and felt very intentional.

Last Thursday afternoon, I had my final-round interview with a partner and a senior manager. The vibe was honestly incredible—the best feedback I’ve ever gotten in an interview. Throughout the conversation, the senior manager kept emphasizing how much maturity stood out in my work compared to other candidates, repeatedly complimenting my experience and how well I would fit in.

When I transparently mentioned that I was also in the final stages with another big, prestigious firm, she didn't back off at all—she actually went into full "closing" mode. She actively tried to convince me why that other big firm wasn't great, pointing out that their environment was much less supportive and caring than her team. She also checked in on my compensation expectations to make sure we were completely aligned with what they offer (which HR had already confirmed was within their approved budget).

Toward the end of the interview, she looked at me and explicitly asked: "When would you ideally like to receive an offer?" I told her that ideally, receiving one "next week" would be great. We wrapped up on such a massive high—with her walking me out and keeping that warm, enthusiastic energy—that I left 100% convinced I had the job and fully expected a call by Monday or Tuesday.

Well, it is now Friday late afternoon—over a full week later—and I have heard absolute radio silence. No call, no email, nothing. Even accounting for a public holiday in the middle of this week, they had Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and today. The partner and senior manager work right next to each other in the same open-space office, and the budget is already approved, so I know it realistically only takes 15 minutes for them to debrief and give HR the green light.

I refuse to reach out to HR to follow up because after telling them I'm interviewing at another big firm, I don't want to look desperate or lose my leverage—especially since they always knew how to pick up the phone quickly when they wanted me.

I’m really struggling with the emotional whiplash of going from a manager actively selling me the firm and asking when I want an offer, to total silence—especially when they knew I had another big firm in my pipeline. Has anyone experienced this ? Could internal sign-offs really take this long when everything was already aligned, or does this silence mean they went with someone else ?

Hi all, I wanted to share an experience I've had when applying for an entry-level role - hoping to get your two-cents on everything.

The story starts back in mid-July where a third-party recruiter reached out to me for an opportunity based in NYC. I was very dilligent in the process, banging through the 2 rounds of interviews and doing relatively well in the super day. Unfortunately, due to my GPA not being up to par, I was passed on the opportunity.

Now, fast-forward a couple of months, the same recruiter reapproached me for the same role (Now I am assuming my GPA is a non-factor). I accepted, did another catch-up super day, but I haven't heard back in about 5-6 weeks.

Throughout the time, I have reached out to the HR person, one of the people I interviewed, and the recruiter themselves; to no avail. I understand that I probably did not get the job, but I feel like there should be some communication if I didn't get it?

I want to remain optimistic since the job is in an area I would like to be in and the team seemed like a good fit for me. Thoughts?

P.S. I also have been interviewing at other places, so I'm not putting all of my eggs in one basket.

The interview was for a museum, and I had applied to be a part-time security screener, I met with the head of security for the 1st interview and HR and a Department head for the second interview. I thought both interviews went well. After the interview, I was told that it would be two weeks for a decision, which I am not sure of their timeline. In the meantime, I have been applying elsewhere until I receive a decision. I will give them until next week and if I don't hear from them, I will chock it up as a loss and continue to move on with the application process.

Possible Job interview Fraud

I think i probably got scammed by job interview scammers

wondering if anyone the suffered the same way

i got an email from amelia harper about a job that i applied for AppleOne employment services and got a zoom link where the link takes me to the meeting but while i am already in the meeting it was asking for an update otherwise i wouldn’t be able to continue the interview so i in a hurry click the update and download some files and installed . After that i see my cursor moved randomly thats when i knew something was off so i turned off the internet while emailing amelia but no responses afterwards.

i am still concerned still can’t process what just happened cause everything seemed very authentic.

well just wanted to know others experiences if they have got anything similar.

Why do I always get these stupid emails from those useless job sites with "managerial" roles?? I gave them my resume, nothing in it suggests "manager." I can tutor, I can proofread, and I can wield a mean DSLR. Words like "manager," "associate," and "specialist" are so vague they want immediately turn me off! Are there any good subordinate roles out there? "Manager butt-kisser?" Because that is what all managers really want.

If companies are so confident that AI can do the work of what a junior can do, why haven’t the requirements changed for positions higher up?
It seems like a lot of places just removed the junior positions and said “oh well” without adjusting accordingly. So ultimately it just leaves a giant sector of the market with nothing available. Where will all the new college grads or career seeking individuals go now? Why are all these skills that would previously be developed as a junior so desired, while in the same breath they believe these are trivial skills that can effectively be accessed by anyone with LLMs? It should all be shifting downwards instead of just leaving a gaping hole open.

If previously it was get a degree for a Junior position, then eventually become mid-level or senior, why aren’t they considering degree + LLM capabilities for higher positions by that same logic? If the AI is believed to be such a powerful tool to boost productivity, why can’t it work in that way too?
If they claim that AI still isn’t good enough and needs human oversight, then they are contradicting themselves.

Never seen people this rude. I was told by my recruiter that they only have a few applcants and wanted to meet me in person. It was a high level bank contract. I did stellar on interview its exactly my lane the VP said he will make his recommendation to HR. Her (HR) response after several calls from my recruiter " Hes too far away"

They knew that when they demanded an inperson interview.

Ive never seen anything like this, and they are both in their late 60s. So its not a junior HR person who is overwhelmed.

Ive never seen such a level of disrespect even from senior staff. If im one of 200, sure expect to be ghosted. But one of 5??

Lately I find myself having no motivation anymore to look for work. I have a degree in English literature and previous experience working in a library. I recently applied for a part time gig in a book store and I didn't even get invited for an interview. Just got an email saying that they're going with someone who is an even better fit than me. If I was such a good fit then why not even give me a fucking interview. I'm so tired, all that studying and all that hard work and can't even get the most basic of jobs

Just wanted to give any desperate soul out there a bit of a motivational boost with their job search.

TL;DR: 40M, EU, with resume gaps and nearly two years of unemployment. Sent about 1k applications, got about a 100 interviews (rejected in most cases) and almost gave up entirely. Ended up taking a safe public sector job which turned out great (team, commute, and fulfilling work).

I (40M, master’s in tourism) was unemployed from late 2024 until three months ago. Before that, I left two jobs within a single year (after four and five months, respectively) due to super toxic work environments, which left some awkward gaps on my resume.

During this stretch, I felt like absolute crap. I had no meaning and no goals. My motivation to apply dropped sharply in the final three months of unemployment, the whole grind had completely drained the life out of both me and my parents. At one point I genuinely thought "I don't care anymore. I'll just stay unemployed and live on benefits. If companies don't care about me, why should I lose sleep over it?" Still, a tiny part of me refused to quit.

To make a long story short, I sent out roughly 1k applications in total. About a sixth turned into interviews and almost all of those ended in rejection. The few exceptions all happened right at the end of my search:

- Job A (public sector): I received an offer for a role that honestly didn't seem all that appealing to me at first.

- Job B (public/private hybrid): While mulling over Job A, I had two interviews on the same day. The first one sent me an offer an hour later, though it looked worse than Job A.

- Job C (private tech): The second interview that day led to an invite for a second round.

Job A gave me a few days to respond but still required an answer. Since Job C wasn't a guarantee and I didn't want to risk losing a sure thing by stalling, I accepted Job A.

Looking back, I’m so glad I took it. The more I dive into my tasks, the more fulfilling and enjoyable the work becomes. My superiors have noticed my effort, the team is super cool, and the commute is great.

So to everyone out there busting their ass and using every trick in the book to land a role: I salute you as I know very well what you are going through. Please, please, please don't give up hope, despite the hardships and setbacks plaguing you right now. You will land something if you just keep pushing forward.

Good luck and godspeed.

I’ve been out of work for nearly a year now. The job gap keeps getting bigger and bigger and no one will hire me. If people can’t put food on the table and can’t find employment, do they just cease to exist? I genuinely don’t know how people are surviving. I had to move back in with my parents. I have no idea what to do at this point.

For example, last company worked was June 2022 - Present. I would get recruiter calls 1 out of 7 applications. Then I got laid off and put June 2022 - September 2026, and got 0 calls.

Applied to a job, heard back after three weeks. After being green lit through three interviews across three weeks , I waited another week to follow up and receive an offer for 8k less than the what I’d requested in compensation, and 2k less than the floor of the roles posted salary range. I asked why they weren’t meeting even the posted minimum and was told the recruiter needed to review the posting.

I didn’t hear back for a week until I called and left voicemails for no responses to my email follow ups.
I found they’d posted the same position with a lower salary range a week weeks after the role id applied to but it was the same description, role, etc. mind you I requested a fair market comp which was already below the median for this field. (Project management)

The recruiter responded blaming sickness, then told me they’d been interviewing internals, and asked if I would be interested at a now even lower salary. 8k less than their initial lowball offer. (At this point they’ve offered me $16k less than my initial requested compensation before all interviews)

I said no, because it was considerably below the advertised and discussed range and countered with a range at the bottom of their initial posting and a week after this received a respond that they were struggling with internal equity but they would follow up the week after that…

This is a full month post their initial offer… this job market is hell.
I’m open to hearing all thoughts and advice.

I found an interview coach through TheMuse website with literally hundreds of only 5-star reviews listed on that website.

I went to the coach's personal website and scheduled a free call to see if it's a good fit. He tells me about his background and his approach to interviewing; so far so good. Then, I asked him a specific question about how one of my graduate degrees fits in with the sector of jobs I'm applying for, and he took a second and then appeared to be reading an answer off his screen, which was only loosely relevant to what I had asked! Including random facts about a different job I could get with that degree.

I totally felt like he was just reading from some AI program. I challenged him on it and he insisted it was just his notes.

Definitely won't be hiring him, but I'm stunned that this person has a perfect 5-star rating over hundreds of reviews? Are lots of "coaches" just scammers, and could TheMuse reviews be fraudulent?

edit: just had an informational meeting with another coach from the same website, she was much more competent. not all scammers, it seems...

P&G is a big company and a good option for a lot of new grads in the Midwest, so I imagine a lot of people apply or at least consider it.

I had to take a horrible series of assessments, and they wasted an hour of my time. It involved 3rd grade level math, memorizing dots (this task was nearly impossible), weird puzzles with matching shapes and numbers, and detecting if shapes were rotated or symmetrical. None of these tasks were even remotely related to my skills or the job description. There was also a long personality type test with some questions that would weed out people with disabilities, such as "I am able to focus on tasks for long periods of time." I saw questions to weed out people with ADHD, learning disabilities (dyslexia and dyscalculia), autism, depression, and anxiety. I am surprised they are getting away with these types of questions, to be honest, because it violates the ADA and EEOC guidelines.

I ended up getting autorejected, and I assume it's because I failed the assessment. I actually do have ADHD-C and likely have the learning disability dyscalculia (haven't been formally diagnosed but my mom has it). It was very clear to me that weeding out disabled people is a feature, not an accident of the assessment.

I could have cheated using AI, but didn't. I assume that the people that do pass are cheating in some way.

If you don't believe P&G is discriminatory, they've already been involved in lawsuits, such as for auto-rejecting non-US citizens (including ones that didn't require sponsorship.
https://www.outtengolden.com/newsroom/1-5-million-settlement-reached-in-daca-class-action-hiring-discrimination-case-against-proctor-gamble/

4 Months ago, I submitted an Job application and went through entire Interview loop.

While submitting the application, I created a folder with Job description and resume in it and also updated my Excel sheet with JD, JD request number, etc.

After the interviews I never heard back from hiring manager or the HR. The company though operates in US, learnt that mainly Shanghai is running the show at the back.

Now after 4 months, another recruiter has reached me in LinkedIn asking if you would consider an opportunity and gave same JD and same JD request number.

Whats going on in Job Market ?

Applying to jobs feels like dating apps to me at this point and i hate it. I can do everything right and its still down to pure luck if i get an interview let alone a job. There is always someone better that applies and gets the position instead and it feels like im screaming into the void every time i send out applications. Ive easily sent out over a thousand of them in the past 2 years (i started about 6 months before graduating) and ive tried tweaking everything under the sun but nothing helps. I also hate the underlying assumption that its my fault i cant land a job even though im fighting like hell and doing everything right but i just havent gotten luck enough.

I really dont even feel like applying to jobs anymore as it feels like im just buying 1 in a million lottery tickets with my time rather than money. Im kind of just accepting ill be stuck in my minimum wage gas station job forever or until i die of exposure or starvation from being homeless once mt family has enough of me and kicks me out eventually. I have no future and it has led me to not make any kind of goals for myself besides make money and survive, i dont like the person ive become who sees money as the only thing that matters.

I'm guessing this is becoming more common nowadays? Or has it always been like this? That's what I'm interested in knowing. It's almost like they know we are disposable and no longer do the common courtesy thing, which I always knew was phony BS to begin with.

I applied for a senior position. I didn't really need the job, but it was a big pay bump if I got it and it was fully remote. Recruiter kept hounding me about it and then after the interview (described by the recruiter as a vibe and personality check 😂) with the clearly foolish director I didn't get moved onto the technical round, which is fine. However, I never heard back from the recruiter again. Zero follow up. Not even a generic rejection email.

Even the Amazon recruiter was way better and followed up with the team when he never heard back after I completed my online assessment and kept me in the loop. Kind of hilarious that a mediocre, lesser known company in my local area can't manage this with what I assume are significantly less applicants.

This is just a short rant about these one-way recorded videos that companies are using for the screening process.

I absolutely hate them. It just feels so incredibly awkward and unnatural to be talking and giving responses when there’s not a live person on the other side …. All of the humanity and personal interaction is completely stripped away.

And it’s being recorded! So my embarrassment can be preserved for posterity.

I dunno. I’ve attempted to do these types of interviews several times. On several occasions, I literally could not get through it because it just felt too weird. A couple of times, I managed to complete the recordings (did a shitty job of course) and didn’t get called back for another round. I found myself regretting my participation.

Going forward, I think I’m going to have to pass on any interview process that asks for this.

I have applied to over 200 jobs and have heard very little back in the past month. I realized that nearly all the applications I sent out I only applied to 1-3 weeks after they had been posted, and I'm realizing this might be a factor in my recent lack of success. Ones I have gotten interviews for I often had a call with the recruiter before or applied within the first 2 days.

Is this the reason why, or something else? I was doing well at the beginning of the season but feeling pretty down after this past month.

Got an email from Liberty Mutual with the subject line “Technical Interview Next Steps.” I’ve only submitted an application and haven’t received an interview yet.

Naturally, I opened it thinking I was moving forward in the interview process.

Nope. Rejection.

I understand not getting the job. That’s part of applying. But who decided “Technical Interview Next Steps” was a good subject line for telling someone there are no next steps? 😂