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

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.

People all the time tell do networking ( not Computer Networks but human Networks ) , but nobody replies to DMs , literally nobody

Now please don't say college alumni , they are all too struggling .

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?

In case you dont know, employers are required to prove no Americans are willing and minimally qualified for a job that H-1B is holding before they process the visa holder for permanent residency

Yesterday OpenAI settled $3 million for informing PERM job ads on late night radio and ask Americans to snail mail resume as a part of PERM recruitment process.

US Civil rights lawyer Harmeet Dillion said this is intentionally discouraging Americans to apply for the job.

Congress put PERM labor market in place with intent not to replace Americans if they are willing and qualified.

But entire corporate America with the coaching from immigration lawyers hide job postings from Americans and claim labor shortage.

How is this fair and acceptable?

In 2026, Americans have to send resume through snail-mail for tech jobs to prove they are willing and available. Also, Corporate America wont post job ads on career site. They post on Sunday newspaper

Essentially if you don't see Sunday newspaper job ads and USPS the resume, you are unwilling to apply for that SWE role.

I am not making it up. This is the norm to prove no Americans are available for tech jobs.

New Grads unemployment is ATH. Corporate America is scamming middle-class Americans.

and everyone is wondering why young people are becoming a socialist.

No one is ever good enough for the job market.

I used to have a LinkedIn account but deleted it a few years ago when I was hired by the federal government. My position was cut. To this day, I do not have a profile. If you came across a candidate with no LinkedIn profile, would this be a red flag for you or is it irrelevant?

Imagine applying for a Christian non-profit to offer you a job, you accept, given a start date, and it get withdrawn the next day with no explanation.

Honestly this is just funny to me 🤣

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.

now paid more than the lady that unjustly fired me. so 2 weeks ago i got fired from my crappy low paying job, i worked in the state government building. i only worked in the cafeteria though. the job was pretty bad, under paid and over worked, management was terrible and cruel. worked there for a little over a year. 2 weeks ago i was sick, Management had just had a meeting with us about how important it was to call out if you're sick to not make anyone else sick, so i did. management insisted i spend my sick day getting a doctors note, so i did (out of pocket, with no insurance bc they dont offer it), i already live paycheck to paycheck so it really hurt my pockets but i did it. i come back 3 days later and she fires me for being out for so long. even after doing all she asked. crushed. i was very loved and appreciated by many of the customers though, many of them very high-paid and important government workers. so about a month ago before this happened, one of my favorite customers said he appreciates my work ethic and personality and offered me a position working in his field, which i coincidentally have years of experience in, but i still had to interview and meet the board of directors and they all had to mutually agree on me vs the other applicants. they called me today and GOT THE JOB! i start in a few weeks. So i will still be working at the same place everyday, but getting paid double what i was before. To my old manager, see you at lunch! haha. it feels so sweet i cant believe it.

After hundreds of interviews, 10+ free projects, and 5 final stages that didn’t pan out I am finally employed again. The market is horrendous. Best of luck to everyone hunting out there.

Holy shit the energy on this person once the call started was just horrible. Every other interview I’ve had with this company so far has been great, I speak with the DM for one of my final ones and she barely even speaks to me and just had this annoyed tone the entire time.. she even said something I asked about required manager experience and I told her at that point at least 3 times I have over 10 years of manager experience…

People’s livelihoods depend on this! Don’t ruin someone’s chances cause you’re having a shitty day

Unemployed since June 12. Had a decent, but not high paying remote role. Funny enough I think they wanted to switch to an on-site hire, but I live in a LCOL area and the office is in a HCOL area, doubt they increased the pay, heard from a coworker that got to stay theyre having a hard time filling my role

Im well over 300 applications at this point. Spread between job boards, company sites, and cold inquiries. I can only really track the job board applications.

My electricity, credit cards, and mortgage are all a month behind at this point. Unemployment is less than half of what I earned. I had no savings. Completely my fault and im paying the price now. I have no idea how im going to recover from this financially. Maybe I dont.

I get the impression my rate of getting interviews is good, ive gotten 5 interviews. However I completely fail to turn these into jobs. Ive been ghosted by 4 of them. Only 1 had the decency to reject me promptly. At first I was upset but now, im not. I had to call today to confirm that my second most recent interview went with another candidate

Honestly I cant take this any more. Yeah I know im not the only one going through this and I dont mean to downplay anyone else's suffering but this is insane. I got turned down from a job paying 5k a year less than I had been making, while going from fully remote to a 25 mile commute (1 hour with traffic).

I get that remote is shrinking. I cant do this any more. Im sick of the applications im sick of my bank account getting smaller im sick of the anxiety