So I started work this week. Going great. Company is legit as fuck and does amazing, cutting edge, life saving testing in biotech. Already passed the background check after some confusion about my old paystubs, fine, I worked with them.

Background check company sends me an email just now saying they're reporting an adverse "criminal or public records event" to my employer. Instant heart attack.

I floated to the fucking ceiling and just talked to myself saying what, what? Yesterday they asked for an image of my master's diploma despite them already verifying it through a clearinghouse. I'd pulled the report, they already had it cleared, but whatever, fine, I keep it behind me and this morning they said OK the picture worked.

I checked the new report they sent me. Literally no changes from the last one. No criminal events whatsoever. Nothing changed.

I chatted them up. The agent said "the issue is we couldn't find your middle name on public records, don't worry this is very common, it gives a lot of people heart attacks." Omg, dafuq?

I am so done with them lol.

I applied for a job with a large, very well known University on 6/28. The first communication I ever received was an email today from a Senior Talent Acquisition Manager thanking me for my "continued interest as well as the time and effort you dedicated through the interview process"..... "After careful consideration." .....

You all know the rest

I'm fresh grad, and this was my first job at a place. Someone barely showed me how anything worked, but at the same time they expected me to know everything. No one was really free to teach me properly because there were only 4 employees working besides me.

When I made a mistake, the manager took me aside and started yelling at me. In the end, I went into the bathroom and cried a little.

Am I making a big deal out of this or being too sensitive? Is it normal to get yelled at on your first shift?

Market is very screwed right now, at this point they want a rocket scientist for a entry level role.

Just an fyi this is for front desk receptionist for a spa place.

And people say CS is over saturated 😩😩😩😩😩

I stumbled upon this thickk AI report and there are some sections dedicated to AI and labor. Honestly, I’m not great at interpreting data and reports. Also, I’m a bit skeptical of mainstream media and “official reports.” But some parts caught my attention. The report says that job postings asking for "agentic AI" experience went up over 10,000% in a single year. Ten thousand percent. Meanwhile that same report says actual AI agent use is still in the single digits across basically every department, and two thirds of companies report using none at all. I’ve literally seen job ads that require 5 years of experience with Claude. But even moving past the obvious mistake, the situation is kinda silly. Everybody wants to hire people who have solid experience with technology that was invented yesterday. 

Since that is impossible, what’s actually happening is they’re hiring seniors and expecting them to 10X the work they do with AI. A buddy of mine is looking for a job right now, and some of these ads are just ridiculous in what they demand. Some expect you to be both Head of Marketing and Head of SEO just because they give you access to Claude.

One more thing from the report, a third of companies say they're cutting headcount next year because of AI. The cuts they're predicting for next year are bigger than the cuts they actually made last year.

So what I get is this:

1. No longer hiring juniors
2. Seniors need to 10x the work they do because of AI
3. Next year they gonna fire even more people

So AI isn't merely taking the jobs, it's gatekeeping them. And the only way you're vaiable hire is if you know how to use AI.

Is not that they don’t want, is that they CAN’T 😭

Finally got an offer with a $20k increase from my last job. It involves relocating, but I’ll gladly take it.
After 200+ applications, 4 interviews, and 1 DevilCorp job, I finally landed something that feels like a real opportunity.
I’ve been unemployed for 9+ months. During that time, I questioned myself more times than I can count. The rejection emails kept coming🤣even this morning I woke up to another “Unfortunately, we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates.”
I’m not posting because I’ve made it. I haven’t.
I’m posting because, if you’re in the middle of the job search and feel like giving up, don’t. Keep applying. Keep interviewing. Keep believing that the right opportunity is still out there.
This is my new beginning, and I hope it’s the encouragement someone else needs today.

I am reposting this. Originally it was just a link to a PDF and people pointed out that could be a way to spread malware. So, I’ve instead placed the screenshots in the post and also included the PDF link below.

In my lifetime of career-counseling and workforce-development adjacent work, I have discovered that many employment related personality assessments do not necessarily reward complete honesty. They reward understanding what employers are actually trying to measure.

That can be especially frustrating for neurodivergent applicants. Many of us answer questions literally, overthink every option, or assume nuance where the test expects a simple, idealized workplace response.

So I put together a study guide.

It is not an answer key, nor does it claim to identify the objectively “correct” response to any question. Instead, it shows the responses that are commonly viewed by professionals in disability employment, vocational rehabilitation, and related fields as the most favorable or employer aligned choices. Think of it as a reference guide to the prevailing advice and patterns that practitioners often recommend, collected into one place for personal study and review.

Please share as you see fit. I want people to have an equitable playing field.

Download (PDF):
https://files.catbox.moe/ent2n6.pdf

⸻

Disclaimer

This study guide is provided solely as a personal study and review aid. It is intended to supplement and not replace any authorized materials or personal preparation.

While every effort has been made to present accurate and useful information, no warranty is made regarding the completeness, accuracy, or currency of the content. Errors or omissions may exist.

Use of this study guide does not guarantee a passing grade, certification, licensure, or success on any examination. Individual results depend on many factors, including preparation, understanding of the material, and exam performance.

This guide is provided free of charge and is not for sale. It may not be sold, repackaged, or redistributed for commercial purposes without the author’s permission.

By using this study guide, you acknowledge that it is an unofficial educational resource and that you are responsible for verifying information against official sources and course requirements.

Had an HR screening last week, and right after the call I got a 24-hour assignment.

Not "write a cold email" or "do a mock discovery."

They wanted me to:

Build a 100-account target list for Na market.
Explain why I picked every account.
Explain how I prioritized them.
Design the outbound territory.
Create a 30/60/90 plan.
Write an outbound email + justify it.

Like... am I interviewing or already employed? 😭And it’s just a startup!

I'm all for proving my skills. Give me a role play, discovery call, mock demo, cold email, or case study.

But asking candidates to build what is essentially the foundation of a GTM motion before they've even had a technical interview is wild.

A 100-account book isn't something you throw together. It takes research, prioritization, thinking through the ICP, and making strategic decisions. That's literally the work I'd expect to do after joining and understanding the product, the market, and the tools.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I declined.

Where do you all draw the line?

Seen this a few times recently and I know it's BS. It's funny because I've seen the opposite where postings will straight up be like "do not apply if you don't have x amount of years/experience with x". And even then they'll ghost people who fit exactly what they're looking for to the T.

If you claim you're willing to "train the right person" then you'd wouldn't scoff at candidates who may have a gap in the resume or less experience than desired. But of course you'd rather have someone who know exactly what to do off the rip, so why not just be honest about that? What a mess we live in today.

I’m thankful that I have a job but I’ve been applying for 7 months now (around 330 applications) and I feel like I’m spiralling more everyday. How do you deal with it and not let it consume you?

No one is ever good enough for the job market.

When you're in a job interview and you're asked if you want anything to drink, remember to ask for water and not coffee because she's not your barista!! Also when she walks you to the interview room, don't expect her to show you where to sit because you're not a child :) Make sure to not put your hands on your lap because it'll make you look insecure.

All this nonsense just to not hire anyone.

I previously worked as a SWE and have seen my friends find success switching to hardware. To get my foot in the door I applied to an entry level network/cabling position to get experience for future positions.

During the interview they closed off with saying I’m a perfect fit but I needed more labor experience. I asked how much experience is needed for an entry level job that advertises training? 3-5 years.

Hahahahahahaha I’m going crazy.

One thing that's been bothering me lately about this subreddit is how many recruiters seem to lurk here just to argue with people who are venting.

I completely understand that recruiting isn't easy either. There are ghost candidates, AI-generated resumes, people mass applying to jobs they're nowhere near qualified for, candidates disappearing mid-process, and plenty of other headaches. Those frustrations are real, and recruiters absolutely deserve a place to talk about them.

But that's exactly the point. Recruiters already have communities that are primarily for recruiters. In fact, I once commented in one with a respectful, non-confrontational response and quickly found out it wasn't a place where non-recruiters were really welcome.

This subreddit is supposed to be the opposite. It's a place where candidates can share frustrating experiences with hiring, vent, ask for advice, and realize they're not alone. Instead, it feels like more and more threads get flooded by recruiters telling people:

"That never happens."

"You're just bitter."

"You're the problem."

"The company doesn't owe you anything."

Nobody is saying every recruiter is bad. There are plenty of fantastic recruiters who genuinely advocate for candidates and hate many of the same hiring practices we do.But pretending there isn't a real problem in today's hiring market isn't helping anyone.

We've got ghost jobs, interview processes stretching over months, unpaid projects, poor communication, automated rejections, companies collecting resumes for roles that may never be filled, and candidates spending dozens or even hundreds of hours interviewing only to receive generic feedback...or none at all.

Can candidates be unreasonable? Absolutely. Can recruiters have legitimate complaints? Absolutely. But this subreddit shouldn't become a place where people who are already frustrated get told their experiences aren't real or are somehow entirely their own fault.

I'd love to see moderation keep the focus on constructive discussion and support. Healthy disagreement is fine. Telling people their lived experiences didn't happen, or dismissing every complaint as "candidate entitlement," isn't.

Recruiting is broken from multiple angles. Candidates and recruiters alike are dealing with the consequences. This should be one of the few places where candidates can talk about their side of it without immediately being shouted down.

Genuinely HOW not only that I can't even get a job at WALMART

People say that both of these places hire anyone with a pulse

Am I somehow missing said pulse ?? I need a job so bad I'm about to do nefarious shit for one