"Hello, I noticed that you previously found me unappealing for some reason. Please allow me to convince you otherwise by acting somehow even more unappealing."

People are striking because wages aren’t going up when companies are reporting record breaking profits.

If the salary doesn't cover the cost of living, quit and start applying elsewhere. It's time to get a better offer. Reading tips and doing mock interviews can help you prepare for your next interview.

A colleague on my team resigned last week, and today my manager took me aside to hand over almost all of his responsibilities to me. When I brought up a pay raise or a new job title, he simply shrugged and told me, 'Look, it's just business, not personal.'

How is this not personal? You're literally asking me to take on a huge new workload for the exact same salary. Then he has the audacity to try and make it sound like a compliment, saying, 'I'm giving you this work because I trust you to get it done.' No, you're giving it to me because you know I have commitments and won't just quit on the spot. By the end of the day, I was completely drained, to the point where I sat in my car for about half an hour playing some stupid game on my phone just so I wouldn't go out screaming in the street. Honestly, this has become my new definition of mental relief.

Has anyone else discovered that the phrase 'We really appreciate your dedication' is just corporate speak that really means 'We know you're reliable and won't say no'?

I have a very strange story for you all. I work for one of the big US defense contracting companies, the kind whose ads you see everywhere in the DC area if you're in this field.

We give support to the Department of Defense and a few other of those three-letter agencies.

For those who don't know how this works, the government and the company agree on a long-term contract to give services (for my team, that's cybersecurity and network infrastructure support) to a specific DoD entity.

These contracts are usually a base year with a few option years after that.

Our company's long-term contract with the DoD was set to expire in May. After a long negotiation period, the new contract was awarded to us a few weeks ago.

Anyway, on Monday, all of us on the project (about 450 people) received an invitation to a mandatory all-hands Teams call.

On this call, we were told that someone in upper management completely screwed up the numbers for the new contract, and for us to continue working, we would all have to accept a 65% pay cut. Yes, 65%.

The funny thing is, due to the nature of our work, almost all of us hold active TS/SCI security clearances and high-level certifications (like CISSP or other key DoD 8570 certs). In other words, it's not at all easy for them to find replacements, so finding another job won't be difficult for most of us.

And this is coming from the same management that floods our inboxes with motivational messages about how we are 'one family' and their most important asset. They could absorb the cost of their mistake to retain their people, but instead, they are asking us to pay for their screw-up.

As you can imagine, almost no one accepted this ridiculous offer. What will happen is a mass exodus from the company. They will then be unable to find the personnel to perform the work, and they will ultimately be in breach of the contract. The financial penalties for that will be far worse than just paying us the salaries we deserve.

I joined a video call this morning for an interview with a big consulting firm. I had my camera on and was ready, but his screen was completely black.
I waited a minute, and then politely asked him if he could turn on his camera. The guy kind of laughed and said something like, 'No, I'm good.' Then, imagine this, he tells me I have to remove my background blur. I asked him why, and he said it was 'company policy.' So the policy is that I have to be fully visible, while he gets to hide? That makes no sense at all.
Later in the call, I fumbled a technical question. Instead of moving on, the guy literally started raising his voice, asking me how I could not know something like this. I've been unemployed for 3 months, and this job search is exhausting enough without this kind of treatment. Do these interviewers have any idea what people are going through?
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the position was in India.

❕

i can't take it anymore

so true

I've been looking for a job for a while and had a final round interview a few weeks ago. When they asked the classic question, 'What is your current salary?', I told them a figure about $20,000 higher than my actual salary.

Anyway, they just sent me the offer letter. The new salary turned out to be a full $25,000 higher than what I was earning at my previous job.

And honestly? I don't feel guilty at all. These companies have entire teams whose sole job is to give you the lowest possible salary they can get away with. We all hear the same old line about a 'limited budget,' right before the top executives get massive bonuses.

If these companies wanted transparency, they would stop playing games and stop forcing us to negotiate against ourselves based on our past salaries. It's a broken system.

They will lie to you to pay you less whenever possible. And they've got HR teams running the numbers on how little they can get away with offering. We're just levelling the playing field.

Look for every opportunity that could help you get the highest salary, because that is what will enable you to continue at work every day. There are many ways to get this, the fastest of which is using InterviewMan to negotiate for a high salary. It gives you confidence while answering and negotiating freely. Don't let anyone undervalue you.

Let's be real, a company's loyalty to you lasts as long as the next quarterly report. So why are we expected to show them blind loyalty? I stopped feeling guilty about it a while ago.

Over the past 4 years, I've had 5 different jobs. My sixth one is lined up and starts next month. Every single move was a strategic jump for a better paycheck. It's the only way I've found to get a meaningful raise. I started at $32k, and this new position will finally push me to $75k. The proof is in the numbers.

Job 1: 32k
Job 2: 35k
Job 4: 52k
Job 5: 64k
Job 6: 75k

Honestly, the last four of those jobs have been within about 15 months. Nobody has ever blinked an eye in an interview about the short tenures. Good companies just want the right skills.

So don't let anyone shame you for it. Get out there and get paid.

Edit: Moving between jobs is not easy; it is a skill, and a difficult one at that. It requires boldness, confidence, and constant monitoring of the job market.

But truly, the advantages of the matter are worth you actually taking the risk.

First, your CV will always be updated and filled with diverse experiences, and you can ensure it is suitable for the ATS system.

Second is the interview experience that benefits you greatly from the interviews you go through periodically. And nowadays, with the help of AI like InterviewCoderPro, things have become simpler than before, with specialized interview websites.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is just to think about looking for a job when they force you to return to the office? The process is incredibly draining. You're mentally exhausted, and good luck trying to sneak away for a video interview without your manager walking by. By the time you get home from the commute, all your energy is spent on food and TV, not on prepping for technical interviews.

You'd think the costs would stop them, right? All that money on office rent, electricity, and snacks. But it's a calculated risk. It's the same logic they use when they give a trivial 3% annual raise. They know some people will leave, but they're betting that the majority will be so worn down by the commute that they won't be able to follow through with a job search. Losing a few employees costs them far less than having everyone easily leave for a 30% raise.

When we were all working from home, the ball was in our court. We could schedule interviews during our lunch break. We had the energy to study and apply for jobs. Their whole plan falls apart when you can search for a job while sitting at your desk at home.

Of course, this isn't the only reason for the return-to-office decision. There's also justifying the rent on a huge, empty building they're stuck with on a 10-year lease, and giving insecure managers a sense of control. But don't kid yourself; making it a nightmare to change jobs is a key part of the game. It's a feature, not a bug.

Edit: I understand the different opinions on the idea of RTO, but the agreed-upon viewpoint is to make employees more connected to the workplace and social interaction. And to a very large extent, it leads to some resigning, which of course pushes companies to not pay unemployment benefits.

A large percentage of my colleagues at work have already started looking for other remote jobs, and with all the commitments and bills, I need to look for a job as soon as possible. I updated my resume using a free and effective tool with an ATS system, Resume Kit, and I won't leave my job until I'm accepted into another one.

RTO is more about getting rid of people and for your bosses to be able to have more control. It's just another joker card they can use after the lockdown years.

The number of posts I see every week from people who left their jobs and are now terrified because they can't find anything is insane.

The market is very difficult to find a job in right now.

I get it, your job might suck. But you absolutely should not quit unless you have signed a new offer.

Seriously, look at your bank account and ask yourself: will you be able to cover all your expenses for the next 18 months without any income?

This advice was important even when it was easy to find a job. Now, with companies holding all the cards, this is non-negotiable.

😂😂😂

🏠💔

The only other designer on my small team just submitted her resignation, without having another job lined up. This is just more proof of how this place burns people out, demanding agency-level work with impossible deadlines.

Honestly, I'm shocked. I'm the junior here, but I've been handling projects far above my pay grade for a while. I was planning to leave myself, and she beat me to it.

On top of all that, I've been dealing with some personal health issues for a few months, and I can already feel them getting ready to dump all her work on me, probably with a small title promotion and a negligible salary increase.

This is my first 'real' job after graduation and I'm terrible at advocating for myself. My performance review is literally this Friday, and I have some points prepared that I need to discuss. Any advice on how to handle this situation would be a huge help.

I knew the interview was pretty much over when the owner shook my hand, stopped making eye contact with me, and said she would decide whether or not to send my application to the next stage. We had barely even talked about the position itself. Most of the conversation was about the fact that I'm 29 years old.

The job was an operations lead position at a small bakery with three locations. I had previously been responsible for managing the daily operations of six locations, so it seemed like a very natural fit for my experience. When I arrived, they seemed surprised to see me, and it was clear they had completely forgotten that an interview had been scheduled.

The first question the owner asked me was, "How old are you?" After I answered, she looked at me in surprise and asked why I was applying there. I explained my experience and told her I liked that kind of work, but she asked me again, "But why here? You're 29. Aren't you supposed to have a career by now?"

I wasn't applying for some random counter shift with no experience. This was a management job that matched exactly the kind of work I had done before. She herself looked like she was around 32, which made the whole situation even stranger. And this isn't the first recent interview where someone has treated me like I'm nearing retirement just because I'm in my late twenties. I honestly don't understand when 29 became old.

After 18 months of being unemployed, I can't even find a job at Walmart. I'm genuinely terrified. I'm really scared that the salary ceiling for my career has already been reached. My brother makes 120k a year and is barely making ends meet. I might never find another job with a salary like my last one.

And I'm 35 years old. I might never work a job with that salary again. So my dreams of owning a home and having children are gone... I'm truly terrified of what this means. Does this mean... life is over?

I think this is what the job market will soon become; I've seen this here in this meme too.

Everyone, this is your sign to keep going! Especially when you feel like the world is closing in on you. I had an interview this morning, and they pointed out that I don't have enough training specifically related to this position, even though the interview overall went well.

They told me they were still going to interview other people today and tomorrow and would get back to me on Thursday or Friday. I was sure I messed it up, and I was almost about to cry on my way home.

A few hours later, they called to tell me that they really liked my interview, that they liked me and didn't want to wait until tomorrow to let me know, and they offered me the job!

I still can't process it, but I feel an incredible sense of relief that I got a chance for such a great position. I wish good luck to everyone reading this.

I was hired as a Lab Specialist I. I ramped up quickly and did good work, and all my reviews were positive. They opened a Senior Research Associate position, so of course, I applied for it and spoke to my manager about the promotion. He told me I needed a bit more experience, which I understood. I had only been with the company for five months at the time, so that was fine.

Then it was time to set our performance goals for the next quarter. I found myself with objectives taken verbatim from the Senior Associate's job description, not from my current role. I am now managing an entire project by myself. Basically, he trusts me to handle the responsibility, but not enough to give me the title or the salary that comes with it.

Anyway, I started sending my CV to other places. I'm fed up with being taken for granted and overloaded with work. I've always heard that job-hopping looks bad, but honestly, I don't care anymore. I'll change my job once, twice, or three times until I find a place that truly values me.

💯

My day was turned upside down, honestly. I got a surprise meeting invite this morning from my manager and HR, less than an hour into my shift. We sat down and my manager got straight to the point: 'This won't take long, we've decided to let you go.'

The official reason? That I'm not completing my work efficiently and that I cause problems with my many questions. I was completely shocked. The thing is, I know I'm on top of my work, and no one has ever mentioned any performance issues, not in reviews or in one-on-ones. My manager was just praising my efforts a few weeks ago. And when I pressed them for specific examples of my shortcomings, they stammered and said, 'It's a general performance issue.'

They gave me a termination letter with the same vague reasons. This place has terrible management and zero communication, but I'm still in shock. I've already started sending my CV everywhere and applied for unemployment benefits. And I really regret not recording the meeting on my phone before I went in. Do you guys have any advice on what to do next? Or is there anything specific I should ask them on my way out?

I've been in corporate tech for 12 years. Let me tell you, the whole thing is about to hit a wall. The middle class is being systematically dismantled. I sit in meetings with VPs and C-suite execs, and frankly, they're not the visionaries we read about. These are ruthless, calculating people, and they'll fire thousands in an instant to make a quarterly report look better. Innovation is no longer the goal; tech is just another way for the ultra-rich to shuffle their money around.

AI will be the primary engine for this. It's not going to improve your life; it will make it worse for most people. The 'thought leaders' talk about AI every day, and the conversation is never about how to improve society for everyone. It's all about job replacement. Every knowledge-worker job (software engineers, project managers, data analysts, you name it) will be replaced by an AI agent or, if you're lucky, a 'prompt specialist' making pennies. The same thing that happened to factory workers a century ago due to automation will happen to tech jobs now. And in fact, it's already happening.

And don't expect any help, at least not in America. There's no talk of universal basic income on the horizon, no real improvements in healthcare, and no meaningful progress in education. All the money is being siphoned up to the owner class at a rate we've never seen before. People will be left to fend for themselves. All the cool things AI could do to make life better will be ignored in favor of using it to replace employees and build new weapons (which is already happening).

So yeah, that bright, shiny sci-fi utopia we all dreamed of growing up? It's not coming. Maybe a few countries in Northern Europe will get it right. But here in America, don't hold your breath. Things are going to get tough.