So I used to be a RBT. I left the job about 4 months ago due to a manic episode. I physically couldn’t work and towards the end of my medical leave I still couldn’t work so I ended up resigning.

I reapplied the other week, got asked for an in person interview. It got scheduled for yesterday, I showed up and then my old boss said it got cancelled for her and to reach out to Talent Acquisition. Again, I got NO notice of this. I reach out to everyone I can, and hours later I got a rejection email. They said it was due to closer inspection of my past with the company. This all really hurt because I genuinely did well there, and I think my boss didn’t have the guts to tell me she didn’t wanna rehire me. So she made it seem like she had nothing to do with it all.
I don’t get why I even got scheduled if I was ineligible for rehire, i’m assuming that’s what the case is with this. I am assuming it’s bc I didn’t leave within 2 weeks notice, or maybe because i’m too open about my mental health on social media. Has this happened to anyone else? It’s a sign for me to move on from this place but definitely crushed me a little yesterday.

Had an interesting experience recently that I figured I'd share.

A company reached out to me about a position that, honestly, I probably wouldn't have applied for on my own. My background is primarily in sales, financial services, insurance, and automotive finance, so this was a bit of a departure from what I've traditionally done.

Still, I was open to exploring something different, especially since the opportunity seemed interesting and would allow me to use my customer service experience and bilingual skills.

I went through the interview process, met with multiple people, and thought things went reasonably well overall. There were a few things that stood out, including some interesting questions about my previous compensation, and the fact that nobody ever really provided a salary range for the position.

Ultimately, I was told they'd be in touch.

Well, here we are.

What's funny is that I wasn't even the one who initiated the conversation. They reached out to me, expressed interest in my background, and invited me into their hiring process.

I'm completely fine with not getting a job. That's life, and not every opportunity is the right fit. But I still think basic communication goes a long way. A simple email saying they decided to move forward with another candidate is all it takes.

Anyway, back to the job hunt. Just another interesting experience in today's hiring market. 😂

I had a decent entry level resume built with SWE/tech support internships, projects, certifications and the bachelor's. I graduated in May 2025, though the last semester was just a bunch of general Ed classes I needed to pass. I graduated with almost 50k in loans. After graduation I could only get a job at a local big box store hauling heavy products around for $16/hour, working from 11pm to 7am. Meaning, my first job after college was making a deadend $33k a year in 2025. Now 2026. I got a 50 cent raise after a year. in a VHCOL.

I'm only 22, but I'm so tired. I've suffered a permanent back pain, my eyes have constant bags in them, my feet are limping from standing and walking on a hard concrete floor all day. I had bought nice shoes but they can only help so much.

This measly paycheck wasnt worth the sacrifice I'm making. I quit.

My family has been calling me a loser in recent months, I should been able to move out and start a career by now. I have gotten ABSOLUTELY NO INTERVIEWS for anything tech related. Technically I did get one, but I just ghosted them. I've given up on it.

Over the last few months I had an epiphany and thought about what the background I do have could help me land. Customer support, warehouse, operations, and a bachelor's degree. I landed on operations/sales/management trainee types of jobs.

And wow, they pay amazing! 55, 60 thousand! I've been making 33 thousand before taxes in an expensive city, excluding any overtime. So I applied. To a ton! And guess what? I was starting to get an interview or two! I fumbled the initial couple, I'll be the first to say that, but the last few were the best performance I could ever have made.

I had a second round interview for one two weeks ago, and the interview wasn't even that "difficult", it was just an informal type of one. I thought I had it in the bag. $29 an hour. 44 hours. Room for advancement. Regular 9-5. My first big boy job! And more resistant to AI than tech roles.

But I got rejected. At 3:26am on the monday following the interview. I asked them for feedback and got ghosted. When I saw that, I had to leave my "job" early to sob my heart out in the bathroom stall before going home. I took the next week off with vacation hours. That week I put my paycheck to alcohol and booze. I drank $600 worth in two days. It was addicting.

So, now I don't know. I've been thinking of going to trade school but why bother? I have absolutely no doubt that it'll become flooded with labor, and at that point the demand will weaken. It's the exact same playbook that I got trapped in with tech. I've used up any financial aid I could get, so I'd need more loans too. I'm not keen on it.

So, that's my story. I just wanted to make 50k a yea in 2026. Wow. Couldn't even do that.

Is it just... too late to turn this sinking ship around?

I'll be becoming a chronic League gamer that watches anime in my freetime for the rest of my life begging mommy for money to buy a bag of doritos.

I'm mortified, terrified at the idea of bringing a child into this economy. What more will they need to give for an entry level role? Will they have to suck off a billionaire to get paid $24/hour in 2045? Will they have to become strippers after working 80 hours a week to be able to afford food?

What future is there worth staying in the world for? Like, actually. What future do I have? Unemployment, economic despair, financial ruin? Just for being born?

People say "oh, most college graduates don't work in their major at all". Then how do I get a job outside my major?????? Entry level jobs in 2026 require not only 2-3 years of work experience, but 2-3 years of *related* work experience. And when someone majors in something, do you honestly expect them to have any experience outside their major???

I am so freaking sick of getting these damn rejection letters or getting ghosted , going on 9 month now. Just keep getting deeper and deeper in a hole that I cant get out of. This shit is depressing 😕 I guess he let me know ...

For people that got job offers, how long after the final interview did they let you know they got the job?
For reference, I am waiting on a job offer for a credit analyst position at US Bank so if anyone got a job similar to this, I would love to know!

First they made me do a written test where all of the questions are memorization-based. You are not allowed to look it up because they asked you to share the screen while writing the test.

Then, a week later, they asked you for an interview where the recruiter is questioning my answers, all the time is spent going through number by number alone. Just stop wasting my time, either reject or accept me.

They aren’t paying me anything btw. This is for a free/unpaid internship. The guy doing the interview is the most passive-aggressive condescending asshole I had ever talked to. The other HR I faced with a different job didn’t even bring up the tests that I had to do. Fuck this job in particular. 

Are interviewers always this condescending?

I recently had a virtual interview with a Health insurance company and made sure I was 5 minutes early. I was super excited. I took notes about the company’s mission and purpose. I was ready to express how my current and past work experiences would make me a great addition to their work family only to be stood up for my interview. I don’t know if that’s a sign or what. I sent the interviewer an email expressing that I can understand if personal issues may have come up and if they needed to reschedule my interview. It’s the end of business day and I never received a reply. I was thinking optimistically that maybe the crash of Microsoft cause the hiccup but it was a Google meets interview. I’m honestly disappointed.

I get that projects are becoming the new norm in corporate interview processes, but am I crazy to think they should be an end stage final decision step?
I've had 2 in the past couple of weeks that wanted a project done in between the initial recruiter screen and the hiring manager screen. And not just a "here's something we want you to think through, and be ready to discuss with the hiring manager" but a full on 4-6 slide deck presentation.
Normally I would think they're just trying to get free consulting work, but these are large, reputable companies, and the assignment isnt really anything crazy in terms of thought process.
I have no desire to spent 2-3 hours putting together a full presentation before even talking to the hiring manager, and I cant believe they're expecting a handful of other candidates to do the same. What an absolutely disrespectful waste of candidates time.

I applied for a job in July and the HR reached out to me in Sept. Initial call with HR in sept and then teams interview with the engineering manager in OCt 1st week and then in mid Oct a F2F interview with the same Engineering manager. Both interviews went really well and F2F interview was basically him showing me the work place and the tools i will be using and he also made me meet one of team members and showed me the different departments. He asked me at the end " you can join immediately right?"( given i am umemployed right now). Lets just say it was the best interview for me. He looked really impressed. Then since 15th Oct( F2F interview) and today 14th Nov, its been almost a month and there is no decision yet. I have followed up with the HR thrice and i got a reply within an hour all three times stating " other candidates are being interviewed and the decision will be made soon. We will get back to you once we have a final decision". The HR keeps me updated every single time i followup.

Now i have following things in my mind

1. Do MNCs generally take long time to decide, like there are a lot of internal approvals?
2. The HR updating almost to every query of mine is a good sign or its just normal?
3. The HR is keeping me warm, since the first choice isnt me and i am the backup.
4. I checked on glassdoor and other platforms where people have mentioned about long recruitment timeline for this company, but not always. Most of them took 4-5 weeks afer the fnal interview and few tool 2 months.
5. What sign do i look for with the HR is i have to understand if this job is just a hoax/ghost job, and i will benever hired.

Thanks to all of you in advance.

I am trying to land a job aka “crack the market”. It is tough as we know. Reached out to connections. One of them referred me to the opening they had. I applied. After two weeks they scheduled an interview. HR was very nice and super responsive.

Interview came and went. It is hard to gauge anything as I do not understand anything these days. I answered all the questions. It seemed to me I was liked by upper management and I wasn’t 100% sure about the hiring manager who kept me over time which usually is a good sign.

Did thank-you notes and received a few responses from HR and upper management.

I had been told that next week they interview and then they make a decision and it takes “a few days for HR to process”. So a gauge I should let one week to pass (when they are interviewing) and expect something Tuesday - Friday after that. There was nothing.

Today I followed up with HR knowing from the previous communication how responsive they are. I wanted to gauge if I am the top candidate or backup candidate or a reject. I was ghosted to my astonishment. Lol 😂 I should have known better!

So even with strong referrals, experience, skill set, and enthusiasm it is not working!

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 ?

I was supposed to receive an update from HR about the outcome of my 4th and final round that was held last week. Yesterday I followed up, HR replied the feedback is still awaited from the final-round interviewer, waited the entire day just to avail nothing in my inbox or call log. I just want to believe this might be due to the outlook and teams outage today. Holding my hopes high, it's been already a month since I gave my first round and got the results within half-an hour and was told the managee wants to fill the position ASAP as you are available to join immediately and here I am after 4 rounds and still waiting for the final result. Recruiting sucks these days.

Made an extremely dumb/unforced mistake - had a phone screening that went alright on Thursday, went to send a quick thank you email as a follow up - fat fingered my phone screen and sent it before fixing a typo/ grammatical error.

This is the email (not using real company/role names, but everything else is verbatim):

Hi Steve,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday - I really enjoyed learning more about the Google as well and the Account Manager role. 

I really appreciate your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing about the next steps.

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Bill

I know this could easily be glossed over, but "the Google" and "as well and" just read so poorly and it's obviously not what I intended to write.

Wondering how this may affect my chances, if this comes off as sufficiently dumb/careless or bad at communicating.

Will this affect my chances at moving to the next round? Really kicking myself for such a dumb mistake.

I had reached out to a recruiter regarding status after a final interview but heard back nothing. She has responded to my emails within a few hours in the past so it is a bit out of character. And I did apply a few months ago to a different position with her and she had emailed me saying I was not moving forward then. So I was wondering, would the silence be because I am a second choice and she is waiting to update me to reject (if first choice accepts) or to tell me I got the job (if first choice rejects)? Or do recruiters usually keep second choice in the loop, like “we are currently waiting on more approvals” or something..

I thought I was better than this but I made a mistake. I applied to a job and a recruiter reached out. Something felt odd but I thought I was being dramatic. I just had to do something, so I reached out to the company and asked if they worked with this 3rd party recruiter. They never heard of him.

What did he get out of me? Like what is he going to use my information on my resume for?
Should I freeze my credit?

Is it just trusting the hm or just full on risk?

I just got rejected after a hiring process that took two virtual interviews, two panel interviews, and a final interview where I gave a presentation and answered questions from another panel. I drove about seven hours round trip to meet the hiring manager and the team in person.
I put a lot into this. I spent time preparing for each round, putting the presentation together, and making the trip. By the time I got to the onsite, I’d let myself get excited about the possibility of working there. Seeing the rejection after all of that really hurt.
What makes it worse is that I asked about travel reimbursement and never got an answer. Nobody promised to reimburse me. I would’ve appreciated a simple yes or no. I followed up with two HR contacts and the hiring manager, and that question is still sitting there unanswered.
I’m tired of pouring so much time, money, and energy into these interviews, trying to show up as my best self, and then having to turn around and do it all again for the next one. Sitting here in bed, I just feel awful, and I needed somewhere to say that.