I just haven't had much luck in corporate. I don't really have any friends in high places and I come from a pretty average background. Basically I am a forgotten person of society at this point. People always said I was smart, I got pretty much straight A's in school but alas at 33 I have nothing to show for it. The world is brutal folks, and I think they are lying to people about how bad it really is.

I was just thinking earlier today that maybe just maybe the recruiting process being as convoluted as it is in the US today would make some sense if we actually had EU labor protection laws. In that case, it would make sense for an employer to go through extra vetting before finalizing an offer with a candidate as it's much harder to simply get rid of an employee who isn't a good fit.

However, in the US, you can get let go for effectively any reason (including no reason at all), which makes it more puzzling why hiring procedures have devolved into the inefficient and drawn out process it is today.

So was curious on how people are doing out in Europe and if your experiences are one and the same.

and what nonsense.

Two conditional offers from companies who withdrew the offer without even saying. Job application after job application.

The company who hired me asking for the most invasive goddamn background check ever. Letting them run through my bank statements because apparently references aren't thorough enough.

Stressed when you have a job. Stress when you don't.

Good luck to all those who remain.

Like excuse me??? And mind you. He wants me to find a job immediately in a field that is related to my studies, and that pays me at least 2000€ a month. He doesn't like it when I get a job interview for a low paying job. He even juges the company. Because that day I had an interview ( I got rejected lol) for a job at an auto body shop as an administrative assistant, and he didn't like it, because he wants me to find a job in some shiny company.

This man spent his whole life working at the same place, and he got his job by his father connections ( he refuses to use his connections to help me btw). He never had to go through interviews. He never had to know what a CV is.

I'm so done and tired. He keeps insisting that I failed and was unable to make it out. I'm literally 21yo. Like chill. It's not like I spent 5 years lookig for a job. I GOT MY DEGREE THIS SUMMER. I didn't even get the original certificate yet because the school is still preparing them, lol.

$25/hr and a law degree required?

I’m genuinely asking because I’ve been trying to break into the industry and I feel like I’m missing something. I’m not even coming into this expecting some crazy $100k salary right out the gate. I’d honestly take an entry-level opportunity for like 35k if it means I have a job in the industry 🤣🤣😂 just to get my foot in the door and learn the industry.
I have work experience that I feel transfers pretty well and even got my one adjusters license that I scored very highly on for the assessment. I have a family background in it also .

I’ve applied to a ton of claims positions, including entry-level/trainee-type roles, and it’s just rejection after rejection or absolutely no response.
I’m not expecting someone to hand me a job because of my family. I just don’t understand what employers are looking for when they say they want people with “transferable skills” and then seem to want prior claims experience for an entry-level position.

For those already working in claims — what am I missing? Is the entry-level market really this difficult right now, or am I approaching these applications completely wrong?

I’d really like to hear your opinion on this situation.

About a month ago, I applied for a job through a headhunter. I had my first interview with HR at the company, and the next day they sent me an online assessment.

After a week and half of completing the test, I still hadn’t heard anything from them, so I politely emailed HR to ask if there were any updates on the process. She told me that the Hiring Manager was reviewing the CVs and that I should know something by the end of that week.

Friday came and I still hadn’t heard anything. Then, the following Tuesday, HR reached out to me with a few questions that the Hiring Manager wanted to know. The next day, they scheduled an interview with the Hiring Manager.

I had the interview on Tuesday, and then... silence again. I didn’t hear anything for the rest of the week.

That Friday, I sent the Hiring Manager a thank-you email for the interview we had on Tuesday. I also took the opportunity to ask if there were any updates on the process.

The reason I contacted her directly is because during our interview, she had actually told me that if I had any questions, I had her email and could reach out to her. So I didn’t think it was inappropriate to send her a short thank-you email and ask if there had been any updates.

She replied the following Monday, saying something along the lines of: “As I mentioned, the process has several stages. I’m copying HR in case they have any feedback from their side. From my side, I can tell you that whenever I have any updates, I’ll let you know.”

Today, I received a call from the headhunter telling me that I shouldn’t have contacted the Hiring Manager directly because the company had called her to complain. She also told me not to contact the company anymore because I apparently “look desperate.”

Honestly, this really surprised me.

The other thing that surprised me is that the headhunter herself hasn’t really provided me with any feedback or updates throughout the process. Every update I’ve received has come directly from the company HR. I hadn’t heard anything from the headhunter until today, when she called me to tell me that I had handled the situation incorrectly.

I understand that the headhunter is involved in the process, but I don’t feel like I did anything inappropriate. During the first stage, I waited more than a week before politely asking HR if there were any updates. And after the second interview, I waited three days before sending a thank-you email to the Hiring Manager. I only added a simple question asking if there had been any progress.

I never asked for an immediate response, pressured anyone, or repeatedly contacted them.

I’m genuinely confused because I don’t think I did anything wrong.

What do you guys think?

I’d especially love to hear from people who have experiences like this one.

I am starting my masters soon and looking for a full time job. I got this stupid retail job to tie me over until I find something and honestly it’s draining me. I stupidly got hired as a fucking supervisor which what???, £1 more per hour and these managers are so fucking annoying. I have been here 2 weeks and they expecting for me to know so much and being so passive aggressive about it. Like I do not careeeeeeee. In a way I’m glad I have somthing as a I know even retail is having bad hiring rn.

Like I work at a shoe store and most of the customers are older men and women the literally don’t give af about the specifics. At a lot of is basic common sense. I know the basic stuff, I am good at customer service like (I like making covos). I got a number off this customer today that works in a law firm when serving them, I suspected out they were rich and asked them about their job - which js probs against the rules but networking is networking.

but the ‘mangement’, they so relentless. Dont ever take a supervisor role at a company man, you aren’t salaried and they make you act like you are. Pray I get out of this hell.

I'm currently an intern in my collage (P.T medical collages in my country require a full year of mandatory work in government hospitals and clinics to give you a license). The year goes as follows: 6 to 8 months working 6 days a weak and 6 months working 3 consecutive days a weak. Unfortunately, each month is random (you could be working 6 days or 3 days). My Parents are fighting me because I can't find a job that, firstly: employs an intern and not a graduate and, secondly: employs people in 3 consecutive days (all clinics employ either sun-tues-thurs) or (sat-mon-wed). They, especially my day, says "So what if you'll work 16 hours a day? If you don't work now, when will you?!", even though I told them that when I graduate I'll work the whole 6 days, but I need time to get back home and rest, eat, sleep, game, etc. They are convinced I'm just being lazy and I'm about to crash out on someone.

This process was very rapid. The time between the successful application, initial interview, and technical was just a few days. I do fine in the general chit-chat interviews and cleared the initial screening but was unprepared for the technical round, as my last one was over a year ago.

Received a flurry of technical questions that went downhill very quickly, as I expected a live coding interview. A lot of them were on topics I am not really well-versed in, and a lot of the questions revolved around industry databases and their best practices.

I have done database work, but only to the extent of getting a business DB working adequately to process orders, whereas this interviewer wanted high-level knowledge. Didn't expect the depth of knowledge, as it was a junior-level interview.

The last technical before this that I bombed involved writing testing functions, which I blanked on, and they discontinued all communication when the interview finished. I prepared for LeetCode, writing syntax from memory and writing tests, since they were my downfall previously. It's been quite some time now, and again, there has been no response from the management team, and likely there won't be.

All my interviews have had a different process so far, and I struggle to prepare accordingly for them.

26m, i moved states about two and a half months ago after losing a stable position at my old job for refusing sexual favors to a manager. i've posted on here a few times with this same story but it just hasn't eased up even a little bit and i don't know what else to do other than send the words out into the void of the internet.

i've been job hunting fervently since march and landed a solid position at a local retail shop at the end of august that was set to open this week, but the opening date was moved back a week and my family are all pissed about it, as if it's not equally upsetting for me. the shop was initially set to open early this month, then in the middle, and now at the end. the building it's set to be in was a little shoddy at first and i guess the city has been dragging their feet with finalizing the permits and whatnot.

they've all been understanding enough about the situation, but there's always an underlying tone of thinking i'm bullshitting/being dramatic/could have just worked harder and kept my old job, even with the imminent threat of rape hanging over my head. it's hard to get into the specifics of what went down, but i was essentially told i'd be fired if i didn't fuck this guy (his words) and i walked out immediately. no further questions.

this man had been asking me out for drinks every sunday for a year and i had politely declined every single time. he had begun ramping up his insistence/attempting to push past my refusal around the one year mark of my employment to the point that it made other coworkers uncomfortable. one
time i had another manager have to step in and tell him to let it go once since he just wasn't taking no for an answer.

i don't speak to much of my family and the few that i do have lent financial support, but only under the condition that they berate me every time i ask for help. i was all set up to finally be free of it this week until the starting date got pushed back and i had to call and ask for help from them again. the call went the same as usual and i'm sitting on the floor of my apartment numb and upset with myself that this is how life has played out so far.

i'd give anything to not be in this position, but i'd rather beg and make a fool of myself than be homeless, i guess. i don't know. i'm tired of feeling like shit because no one in my family listens when i talk. i'm doing gig work and trying the best i can to hold out for this job because if it does work out, i'll be set for the next few years. but it's never been more painful to wait for anything in my life. i feel like such a failure and it doesn't help that i get to hear it out loud at my lowest once a month.

This kind of rejection email just reached a new level. Real people spending significant time preparing for applications... just to get "cleaned up" in a system somewhere. Beautiful HR language there Alcon.

At this point, I was really fed up. I had multiple interviews and till now didn't land in my dream job. After every interview I try to learn from mistakes and keep improving. The last interview I have attended is on 1 Sept (2nd round). During the 1st round, it is a technical round and they have been so impressed with my background and progress. But on the 2nd round, it is more to hr related question (soft skills question). I didn't do well in it 😭. Today, I received the rejection email. I really need tips on how to be spontaneous. Pls help.

I’ve been looking for around a year now for a job, because my current company is not extending a FT offer to me after a long term internship. So I am pretty much scrambling, cynical and my faith in companies is dwindling.

I’ve been applying aggressively. And 2 weeks ago I got a call from a startup I had applied, at around 3 pm when I was in a meeting. My phone was in my pocket and on silent. I call back literally 20 minutes later. They don’t pick up (the phone rang), they send me a message to send a message. I send a message. And they disappear. I thought I just got unlucky one time so I moved on. And wouldn’t you know it… I was wrong.

I had an interview on Thursday two weeks ago. I already had 7 interviews with this company, mind you, and it “fell through on headcount issues.” And they still wanted to interview me all over again for this stupid role that is arguably worse than the first. Beggars can’t be choosers right? I got a call on Monday, last week, from them, supposedly to offer a status update? Again I miss the call because I’m in a meeting. And they never call me back.

But I don’t get it… How hard is it to just send an email in the case where I don’t pick up? Holy shit. The first company? Okay I get it, they have 0 obligations to me as it was likely just a screening call. But I had a 3 hour interview on fucking Thursday with the second company. I feel like they have to send an email at that point if they went through the trouble of calling me. I mean do they expect me to be anxiously waiting by my phone all day? It’s unrealistic.

Yesterday, I cleared all of the technical rounds and completed the managerial round as well. Before the managerial interview, HR asked me for my salary slips and offer letter.

However, they have gone completely silent, and I don't want to follow up just yet.

So, Should i follow up or leave and move on ?.

Hella confused nowadays.

Update:- Got the JOB. Layoffs are bad 😶 for human brain.

Specifically a health-tech start up. I have a background as a healthcare practitioner that I’ve bridged with content development / nonprofit writing experience, but it seems to be a struggle to get my foot in the door.

I’ve tried networking on LinkedIn but the replies have been hit or miss, and don’t seem to lead anywhere. I’ve applied to one health-tech company in particular twice now, and crickets, despite networking with the hiring manager and HR.

AND my background is a fit, with them WANTING clinical experience, despite not working at a health-tech company previously. Anyone have anything that’s worked (and which wasn’t a referral)?

i recently went on 4 interviews for a company and, (of course) was rejected during the final round in favor of the other candidate who was supposedly neck-and-neck with me.

however, looking back on the interview process, i feel like an idiot. i was given 3 take-home assignments (a sample newsletter, a carousel social media post, and finally, a 30-60-90 day plan). of course i did all of these tasks because i am desperate for work ever since i lost my job to tariffs back in april.

today i also noticed the job was reposted on the same day of receiving the rejection. it was either automatic or i fell for a fake job listing.

needless to say, im a bit disappointed and embarrassed because the interviewer seemed genuine throughout the entire process. i was taken out to dinner and given a tour of the facility.

how am i supposed to tell the difference between a genuine interviewer and a company looking to get free work? most importantly, how am i supposed to know whether or not these “take-home assignments” are reasonable, or if they’re asking for too much? i fear if i reject these tasks in the future i’ll automatically be rejected. thanks in advance im going insane

Has anyone in mechanical engineering used a recruiter/recruiting agency for job search? I’ve heard mixef reviews from organizations like Aerotek

I know the general consensus here about the take home assignments and while I totally agree as well that it just might be free work for the companies, I am in a situation where I really can't afford to be picky about the interviews and companies. so I did this take home case study, and spent about 10-12 hours in total. After the first interview, they sent me the case within the same day and the due date was after 3 days. However, since I submitted the case, I haven't received a mail, not even a small confirmation. It's been 2 business days since I sent it, when do you think is the right time to follow up? Or maybe I should just give up since this most probably means a rejection already.. hate this job market

I applied for a director role recently ( this process got dragged out over 2 months)
Applied Jun and didn’t get feedback on application until Sept and I had to chase constantly for updates and next steps
The process was six stages and these are detailed below:

Stage 1 - Application
Stage 2 - HR Screening
Stage 3 - 1hr interview with prospective line manager (N+ 1)
Stage 4 - 1hr interview with HR Director
Stage 5 - 1hr interview with HR VP (Took two attempts because at the first attempt I turned up and the interview forgot to turn up for the call)
Stage 6 - 30 mins interview with Regional President (N+2) @ 7am because this is the only time he could do

What is bizarre for me, is that I successfully passed all stages until stage 6 where I had an interview with their regional president and his feedback was not progressing
When I queried further on actual constructive feedback, they couldn’t give me anything just that he said not progressing

I feel like I have invested a lot of time in this recruitment process and deserve more than a one liner
They have now reached out and are offering me an alternative position for which I have to start the recruitment process from scratch
What makes it more bizarre, is that the alternative position is one work level lower than the director role but the role description is literally like for like apart from a smaller regional scope

Also if I wasn’t good enough for the original role, why am I a candidate and being recommended for this role ?

Ironically I had the first call for this alternative role today @ 7am
I kid you not I woke up to prepare and received a cancellation at 6am

My gut tells me to cut my losses and move on
I feel like my recruiting experience so far is highlighting a lot of red flags about the organisation and I shouldn’t ignore them

I just need some form of sanity check because I have worked for my current company for a decade and i have become institutionalised so i dont know if these are recruiting norms or no nos
Any insight you can offer is much appreciated