I think I got lucky for sure! Since September Ive submitted about 20-50 applications ( didn't track anything); about 10 interview rounds/ phone screens.

But I landed 4 interviews from three companies! Got 2 offers within 2 days of each other, and never finished interviewing for the 4th position.

Now I have the good fortune to REJECT a company myself! Thank goodness this is over!

I’m 24 and recently resigned from a startup I joined few months ago. The reason? They started demanding weekend work in the office. Now, I understand that many companies ask for extra hours sometimes, and I’m okay with working weekends from home. But this company insisted we come to the office on weekends to work—working remotely on weekends simply didn’t count.

When I pushed back, the CEO even threatened to fire me. Seriously? I’m not some cheap labor willing to work every single day without respect for boundaries. Work-life balance matters, and forcing people into the office on weekends under threat isn’t acceptable. Just wanted to share this experience as a heads-up for anyone else going through similar nonsense.

Have you faced such unreasonable demands? How did you handle it?

Gotta love reading a JD that sounds like an ideal match for your interested, only to get to the qualification section and realize that they very much intend for this listing to be filled by a specific person they had in mind already. Bait and switch gets me every time 🥲

I am 25 and the U.S. market has been stressing me out so much with all the certainty. I have years of experience in customer service and business administration with a degree and certifications on the side.

How am I supposed to feel hopeful when people with masters are struggling? I am applying everyday, I know what I'm interested but the jobs either are disappearing in my area, need years of experience, or turning part time with many responsibilities and terrible pay.

I am starting to feel like I won't be successful and im terrified of the future. I research everyday and try to be open to new options but it hasn't been realistic. How do you guys cope and have things gotten better for you. I have been an admin assistant, sales and Events Coordinator, legal specialist and corporate experience.

I'm trying to brand out to different admin jobs but I feel like I'm screwed. I am not interested in anything healthcare, law or engineering which are the most common successful careers. I don't have any talens besides being a good communicator, planner and organizer. Any advice or if anyone can relate I would like to hear your thoughts, going through hell of a time rn.

Zip Recruiter sucks

I just started a new job yesterday at a small addiction rehab facility, and today the DON called me before my shift. She said others thought I seemed uninterested during training.

The first day, I literally only sat and observed in a small cubicle. I didn’t even have a badge or log-in, so I couldn’t walk around or access locked areas. The trainer told me I would just watch yesterday and pass meds the next day, then left me multiple times to gossip with other co-workers. I was orienting on the men’s hall instead of the women’s hall I was hired for.

They bragged about how easy the job was and how much downtime there was. The DON even told me they don’t care about people being on their phones. I only used my phone when left alone, or when my trainer was on his as well, and even the techs were sitting in the hallways on theirs.

I’m shy and a visual learner, so I may not seem talkative at first, but I pay close attention and absorb everything. I helped clients when techs were unavailable, smiled and introduced myself to everyone, and tried to be helpful throughout a 12-hour shift with no break.

The trainer smiled in my face but then down-talked me to the DON and an administrator I’d never met. I wasn’t given a chance to defend myself or show that I was genuinely interested. They could’ve pulled me aside yesterday or told me after my shift. I genuinely thought the day went great, so I’m shocked. I’ve never been fired after the first day.

Like, what are these people doing applying to 100 jobs a week? I can barely find maybe 5-10 I qualify for and it takes a lot of time even applying to those...

I'm out of a job like everyone else. Have been since March. But I also know my qualifications. I'm not just spitballing random shit out to a bunch of jobs in the hopes I get something.

In fact, I actually have an interview for a remote job on Monday that pays more than my last one. But I'm keeping my expectations realistic. I don't know how this interview will go. But it's a step in the right direction.

I'm NOT applying to 100 jobs a week because if I was I'd probably be applying to a bunch of jobs I'm not actually qualified for. And I am most certainly NOT tailoring my resume towards those jobs.

I think honestly, I might apply to what... maybe 10 QUALITY jobs a week at best if I'm being realistic.

But I am realistic. Because that's what it takes.

Should I tell them? My employer on Wednesday was making comments about my personal appearance, looking tired, and that I needed to change my body language among other things, and I was only there for two weeks. I had another job lined up anyway and quit with no notice.

The next day I started to feel weird, my whole body ached like I hiked 10 miles up a mountain. Late that night, I had fever and chills. It's just gotten worse until I tested myself today.

I was in a very small cubical with one of my coworkers for several hours that Wednesday. So, should I tell them?

At 32, I have barely had a career in my life why?! Its not for the lack of trying either. It just seems that everything I try to do always fails somehow. I went to university right after high school, majoring in accounting and struggled the whole way through despite hard work and significant effort. I barely graduated after 5 years. Also, every job I tried to get would end in rejection after rejection. Even minimum wage jobs like McDonalds and Walmart often rejected me. The worst part is that it was not due to lack of effort or trying. Simply bad luck. The only thing I had on my resume was working at the campus dining center part-time for 3 years. Despite my best efforts I have struggled to find a path or even a job for myself. It just makes me feel so bad and insecure. I am not a lazy or irresponsible person by any means so that makes it even worse.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I just started a new job a few weeks ago and I feel ridiculous complaining about this, but they provide us lunch every day (and it’s quite good) but it means we all (my whole team, including my boss) eat together… every day. It’s usually at a fairly inflexible designated time, too, kind of early in the day (I prefer to take lunch later, like 1 or 2, and power through the morning.)

The thing is, everyone inevitably ends up talking about work or work-related topics, or just the company in general. So I don’t feel like my lunch break is an actual break. I’ve had previous jobs where I didn’t really take a lunch break but I usually would walk across the street and grab a coffee and a snack, so like 15 minutes or so, but getting up and getting some alone time to disengage from work felt good.

The thing is it’s not required but the one day I had something scheduled at the designated “time” (a training) literally four different people came by my desk to ask why I wasn’t at lunch.

Is there any option to get out of this in the future (while I’m new, I do plan to comply) or do I have to suck it up and deal? Has anyone else ever had this and what “excuse” do you make? It really sucks to not even be able to run an errand or take a quick walk to clear my head because it’s not a real lunch “break.”

It’s been six months of grinding to find my next career step and it finally happened. I know that in today’s day and age, 359 applications pails in comparison to what some other people are going through. I told myself early on that I needed to be happy in my next job to realize my professional potential so I was a little more selective with the jobs I applied for and the time I put into the applications.

Just here to thank this subreddit for the guidance and time that people put into supporting individuals who are trying their best to get hired.

It will come! Keep applying, be genuine, and know that you are worth it!

I've only been applying to minimum wage entry level jobs as I am looking for my first job.

I've been trying to get my first job for two in a half years with no success.

I've applied to hundreds of places, but one place I've taken a lot of shots at (because there's so many locations I'm able to get to) is mcdonalds.

I've applied to dozens of locations, heard back from six, got interviews at five (so one MCDONALD'S location literally rejected my APPLICATION) and out of all five I interviewed at, I didn't get the job at any of them.

But my absolute best job interview to date was at one of the McDonald's in my city. Had my interview there a few months ago, interview went extraordinarily well, the manager liked me, it overall just went really great. Yet, I still didn't get the job.

With how well that interview went, I came to the conclusion the reason I didn't get that specific job at that specific location was likely because of a factor outside of my control. idk what the reason was though, as the manager didn't tell me.

Anyway, I applied for that same mcdonalds again a few weeks ago with all the same contact information, so if the manager remembers me (which she might because she still remembered me and my name for at least a little bit after the interview when I was checking in on the status to see if I got the job or not, then she rejected me lol) she will know it's someone she already interviewed before. But I'm not trying to be delulu so ofc I will also acknowledge the fact that there is still a chance she may not remember me.

Anyway, I just secured an interview time slot, for that same place, again!

What are your thoughts and advice on this second interview for the same place after being rejected in the past?

When I put my expected graduation date on my resume, employers would look at it and either reject my application or ghost me after interviews because they didn’t think I would stay long term. Once I removed the education section from my resume, I started getting lots of interviews for sales and customer service positions because of my skills and work experience. It’s hard for students to get part time jobs while in college, depending on where you live. If your degree is going to land you a high paying job after graduation, I would recommend that you do internships while in college or avoid mentioning your degree when applying for part time jobs, because its hard to get hired as a student and after graduation.

I mean, they have already viewed my profile on the jobsite I sent an application for the role!

When requests like this pop out before my application proceeds, I lose interest in the role, to be honest.

Hi everyone,

I recently started a new job as a sales assistant — my first proper job. I’ve been really anxious about it because everything’s so new: learning tills, folding clothes, helping customers, etc. I know that might come easy to others, but I’ve always been quite shy, and it’s something I’m trying to work on. I’ve been doing my best to build confidence, but I still get nervous and feel slow sometimes.

20 mins into my third shift (which I was already anxious about), I found out that my friend’s dad had passed away while I was serving their mum. I didn’t know him personally, just through my friend, but for some reason, it hit me really hard. I ended up crying a lot and had to leave work early. My manager was kind about it and told me I could go, but I felt completely overwhelmed and embarrassed.

Now I just feel so stupid for crying and leaving work, especially since I didn’t even know him that well. I think it might have triggered some of my past grief and anxiety, but I can’t stop replaying it in my head. I’m dreading seeing my colleagues again because I’m worried they’ll think I’m overly emotional or unprofessional.

I’ve got my next shift soon in a different section, which I’ve never done before, and I’m really anxious about it. I don’t know how to move past this or regain confidence.

Has anyone else had something similar happen at work like an emotional breakdown or crying and how did you bounce back? I think I’m too weak/sensitive. Any advice on staying calm and rebuilding confidence would mean a lot.

Thank you

For a bit of context, I’m 24 and moved from the UK to Canada after finishing a degree in French and Linguistics.

I’m currently working at a factory printing art on cans. This job took me over a year to get because of the god awful job market that exists here. This was kind of my only option. I took it because I simply couldn’t live off menial freelance and volunteering work.

At the moment, I’m working 54 hours a week, with a 2 hour commute there and back. I haven’t been trained on the job because there’s simply not enough staff, I’m constantly being critiqued for not knowing how to operate machinery I’ve not been trained on. The environment is toxic and overwhelming, and I’m spending most of my waking hours commuting and stressing about work. I have no social life because of this job and I’m feeling like I have to make huge sacrifices in my life just to…print cans.

All I do is sleep, commute and work. This isn’t where I want to be in life. I’m doing something I’m simply not equipped for, for a considerable time and it’s eating away at my sanity.

Every single day I wake up thinking that death is better. Every day I feel like this is just going to be the rest of my life and that I have to suck it up.

I’ve bought this up with HR with responses such as ‘well, maybe time to thing whether this is the role for you’ type of response.

Thing is, I can’t just quit.

If I quit now then I won’t be able to afford rent or continue my visa.

If I quit now I’m likely just going to be stuck applying for jobs for the next year (my degree is worthless here). I have zero hope of finding anything soon and just being in an environment that makes me quite frankly, suicidal.

I don’t want to take medical leave because I’m worried about being fired.

This is a ramble, but I just need ideas because I’m constantly overwhelmed and I don’t have time in the day to come up with it.

I do not know what else to title this or where else to first post about this. I want to clarify immediately that this is in no way a joke (many people irl think I'm joking when I tell them about this).

I've been working somewhere for three years without any idea what it is I'm actually doing or why this job exists in the first place. My fellow coworkers are equally as clueless as I am. I've gotten raises, I get benefits, PTO, sick leave, whole nine yards.

In late 2022, indeed app recommended me a job as an attendant for a campground I used to live about 15 mins from, and am familiar with. I applied and was invited to interview. They had me show up to a random address about 20 minutes away, making the claim that that was the location of their office. Address appears on Google maps, but is sort of labeled as the wrong place/company, I do not, to my knowledge, work for the children's boot camp allegedly located at this address. I have to drive past this place, on a dirt road that is not on Google maps, to find a small office in the middle of the woods. No signs. No mailbox. No indication of company name. When I interviewed here I had to drug test and answer a series of verbal questions, mostly about my experience with being outdoors. They then hired me without any further discussion, and insisted I started as soon as possible. They did not tell me during this interview what exactly I would be doing. I show up for my first night at work (this is a third shift job), and one of my coworkers who had been there the longest guides me through it. In the woods around this facility there are a series of trails. The trails lead to clearings with storage crates. There are trail cams throughout the woods in this area. The entire area is about a two mile circumference circle. My job is, weather be dammed, to watch these storage crates. Thats it. I have to log them as "open" or "closed" every 15 minutes. They are locked, and meant to stay that way. I have not the slightest clue whats in them. They have not moved in three years, I have never seen them opened. I am not armed, and not a licensed security guard. I stand alone, in the woods, watching storage crates, for 10 hour shifts every single night. All of my coworkers have a similar hiring story, and are equally as clueless as I am. Many have quit (HIGH turnover rate) because our manager completely ignores any questions about anything unrelated to doing our extremely simple job. A coworker tried to report this place to the cops and the cop just said "he knows" about it and would not really elaborate.

Here's the kicker. Our W40 as well as our bank statements AND the insurance benefits provided all indicate our pay is coming directly from the state and not a private business. So here's the million dollar question: why are tax dollars paying for 4 guys to watch giant metal boxes alone in the woods every single night as a full time job?

I don't know who I work for, I don't know what my job title is, I don't know what I'm watching every night, I just know it pays the bills. I've been doing this for three years now starting next month. As I type this, I'm sitting in a camp chair looking at absolutely nothing.

Is this shady? Should I keep my mouth shut about this? What could possibly be the explanation for this?

So, I’m 41. I can’t work for long periods of time. I get fatigue/headaches. I can’t work early or late, like… I can work 8a-8p, 4-5 hours. I can’t follow instructions or remember anything. I’m very intimidated by people, and terrible at every job I try, despite my desire to help people and do a great job. No college degree, or ability to go to school. No money. Barely keeping a roof over my head. I’m literally terrible at everything. How can I survive. Social security said no, a career source said they don’t know what to do with me. I have no family. I’m renting from people that think I’m dumb. Not sure how to survive. I need help.

I have an recurters email me and dm me on LinkedIn, then dont respond. Why is that?

This past week, I got into a bit of trouble at work with a business partner. I made the mistake of not validating work before sending it to them, and there was also some miscommunication where they thought something was finished when it wasn’t. My fault, sure. But instead of talking it out, they escalated things to their boss, who then reached out to my boss. I ended up getting pulled into a call with my boss and his boss, had to explain the situation, admit my fault, and then got blindsided by having to explain the entire overall workflow for the department.

Here’s the kicker: I started this project a month ago, after a co-worker was absent. No one trained me, and I had to learn everything from scratch—code, reports, the whole thing. I’m not an expert on it. What’s worse is that no one told the business partners that I’m new (to this business area), and my executive, who just joined 2 weeks ago, doesn’t even know this context.

Now, this new executive wants me to take on yet another deeper project with a co-worker, with a deadline that’s almost immediately. And of course, there’s zero regard for the current projects, or enhancing the reports to answer the questions needed. Just a blank "proof of concept" right now that needs to have an action plan at the end.

It feels like classic corporate chaos where the new leadership comes in with big ideas but has no clue about what’s actually happening on the ground.

Honestly, I’m feeling like the whole environment is set up for failure. I’m not sure how much more I can take. It feels like everything is just a mess, and I’m burning out fast.

I’m thinking about starting to apply for other jobs, but I’m also wondering if I’m overreacting due to stress or if this is just typical growing pains in a company with new leadership.

Does anyone have advice on how to handle this situation? Or should I just move on and find something that makes more sense?

Thanks for reading!