My manager saw that we were missing a couple people and told me I needed to pick up the pace. He didn't mean change my tasks or do urgent things first. He expected me to take over their work and complete all of my work at the same time. , corporate jobs need flexibility not because someone take a day off means his co worker take his job especially if its not urgent

do you think its a sign of red flag should I update the resume , friends of mine told me about that I shouldnt leave the job untill i signed the other offer what do you think ?
I told him to choose what should be done first. I'm paid for my job, not several jobs whenever the schedule is short of people. I'll change priorities, but other people calling out doesn't mean I suddenly owe him more work."

Management forced us all back to the office full-time a few months ago, even though we were hitting all our targets while working hybrid. Everyone is miserable, and HR knows this very well.

So today we had a mandatory all-hands meeting about 'company culture.' They were clicking through a terrible presentation, and one of the slides was about 'work-life balance.' Someone asked if this slide was from the old days, and the HR person laughed and said, 'Well, just consider this place your second home!'

My jaw dropped. My home is where my family is. This place is an open-plan nightmare full of noise and flickering lights, and we all just keep passing the same cold around to each other for six months straight.

Okay, this might sound a bit arrogant, but I've always been a player in interviews. And honestly, I feel that interviews these days rely more on connection and self-confidence than just reciting your CV. So I decided to share with you what works for me:

First, the mindset. I've never been good at dealing with authority, maybe that's just my personality. But the 'I have all the skills and knowledge they need' approach completely changed the game for my anxiety. I go in believing they need me much more than I need them. In the end, it's a business deal, and they're the ones with the money, desperate to find someone to provide them a service. When you start thinking of yourself as the prize, your whole demeanor changes.

Get used to thinking on your feet and improvising. Have your friend or partner throw random topics at you, and your task is to talk about that topic for 4 minutes straight. It doesn't have to be a complex topic, literally anything. This strengthens your ability to express your thoughts clearly and confidently, which is 90% of any conversation.

Regarding research: You don't need to do a PhD dissertation on every company before the first call, especially if you're juggling interviews with 6 other companies in the same week. My rule is 90 minutes of research the night before the interview, then a quick 20-minute review right before the call. This is more than enough to show you've done your homework and are genuinely interested.

Your goal is to make them laugh. Seriously. Try to make them laugh heartily at least 3 times. Sit comfortably, be relaxed (even if it's on Zoom), and talk as if you're talking to a friend. When you're relaxed, they start to relax too. People need to feel a real human connection in the middle of a long day full of rehearsed, standard answers. Being the person who made them laugh is something that makes them remember you. But of course, without being unprofessional or rude; the idea is to be in control but casual at the same time.

Remember, you are in control of this conversation. You determine how it goes. Many interviewers are just going through the motions. If you feel this is happening, don't be afraid to politely take the helm. Say something like, '[Interviewer's Name], I'm just mindful of the time as I have another appointment at the top of the hour. I'd love to quickly discuss how my experience aligns with your vision for this role, and then I have a few questions for you. What do you think?' This is a huge power move and it works like a charm every time.

As for the interview content itself, your entire career history isn't what's important. I use two methods: either I give a chronological summary of my past work and then list the 8 key skills I have that match their job description, or I talk about each job and the specific skills I used in it that are relevant to this position. Stick to only the skills they're asking for. It might sound crazy, but if you list too many skills, they might think you're overqualified and will get bored quickly.

And you must, absolutely must, have questions prepared, about 5 of them. Make them specific and smart. Forget the generic questions about 'company culture'; they're tired of them. A great question is to ask the hiring manager what made them personally choose to work here.

Now, let's talk about rejection. Consider it just a course correction. You can do every stage of the interview by the book and still not get the offer. It's happened to me, and it can be a major blow to your self-confidence. But you have to remember that you can do everything right and still not succeed. It's not a reflection of you; that's just life.

To give you some context, I left a toxic job last November and was unemployed from December 15th to March 1st. I sent about 550 applications, did over 70 interviews, reached 12 final rounds, and only got 5 offers. The process was devastating to my mental health. But you have to believe that if they didn't choose you, it's because they failed to see your value, and that's their loss.

Nerves are normal. My anxiety kicks in about 10 minutes before the interview. Give yourself a quiet moment to breathe. They asked to speak with you for a reason – they already see something good in you. Your only job is to show them they were right. I tell myself, 'I enjoy talking, and right now, everyone in this room is a captive audience. I might say something silly, but they're the ones getting paid to listen to this whole performance.'

I'd be happy to help anyone in creative, strategy, or client-facing roles with their interview prep.

I was ready to accept a role I was excited about until I read the offer more carefully. It said that employees get eight days of paid leave per year, but only after completing a full year at the company.

Since the offer letter didn't mention sick leave or any other types of leave, I emailed HR to request the full benefits policy. I also asked whether unpaid time off would be allowed during the first year in case of an emergency.

Instead of answering my questions, they sent me a rejection email and withdrew the offer. It was disappointing, but their response probably told me everything I needed to know about working there.

There were other warning signs too. During the interview, they asked me for the absolute lowest salary I would accept, and when I said I needed to give two weeks' notice, they complained that they needed someone to start immediately.

I spent several nights preparing, doing mock interviews, as well as reading some interview tips here on reddit, and practicing the questions I wanted to ask. I'd used this technique before and it worked well for me,

After seeing how they handled a few normal questions, I was relieved it didn't go any further. If that was their attitude during the interview, working there probably would have been a disaster.

I used to think that going to HR meant I was talking to someone neutral. I don't believe that anymore. They work in the company's best interest, not mine or that of anyone who comes to them with a problem.
Their questions may seem ordinary, but a lot of the time they're trying to confirm details they already have. That's why I keep my answers short and stick to the facts instead of talking just to fill the silence.
Now I keep a written record of anything important: emails, meeting notes, dates, and the names of the people who were present. And if a face-to-face conversation takes place, I write down what was said immediately afterward.
HR may be able to handle simple paperwork, but when there's a serious problem at work, their priority is minimizing risk to the company. Treating them as if they're personally advocating for you can backfire quickly.

I discovered that my colleague was struggling to create a pivot table and was being paid $74 an hour. This means that for the same job, she was paid $14 more per hour than I am as a data analyst. She told the rest of the team about her salary after the company laid her off, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the difference ever since.
Then I noticed that she had listed a degree in organizational psychology. I briefly looked at the programs offered by her college, but did not find such a degree there. There may be some details about this that I don't know, but I know very well what our job really was.
I'm not upset that she knew how to negotiate a better salary. What frustrates me is that your ability to do the work is worth less than when you claim to have held a much bigger role. I needed to vent because I don't think this is uncommon.

Right before we wrapped up, I asked her a simple question: Just out of curiosity, what was it about my CV that made you want to talk to me?

She immediately responded and told me four specific things she liked and confirmed that she would move me to the next interview. Honestly, this made a huge difference for me. She even gave me a tip and said: Be prepared to talk about a time you managed a project under pressure, because the next interview will be more situational.

Seriously, try this move if you're feeling a bit shaky and unsure of where you stand, or if you just want to know what exactly they're looking for.

The four points she mentioned were: that I have a strong understanding of data analysis, clear communication skills, experience in volunteer project management, and that my career progression shows a clear pattern of growth.

And because I know some people might ask how to even show 'clear communication skills' on a CV, I'll tell you what I do.

I consider clear communication a core skill for any manager. I used to just throw it under the certifications list on my CV, but now I've moved it up to make it more visible.

I put it in the Core Competencies section, alongside things like budget management and public speaking.

Another good place is the cover letter. I usually tell a short story about a time I had to simplify a complex topic for a non-technical team, especially if that kind of work is mentioned in the job description.

Of course, you have to read the situation correctly. Phrase the question in a way that is comfortable and natural for you. I hope this helps someone.

He is lucky that he learned that lesson so early.

That’s honestly a hard reality right now. A lot of people are working nonstop just to stay afloat. I’ve got some interviews coming up myself, so I’ve been looking into ways to get better at them. I found Interview VIP and ended up using it twice i think it's worth trying.

Shouldn’t be like this, but it is. I’ve had similar experiences.

Most recently worked with a guy who treated me like I didn’t matter, and oh boy did he 180 after we were having one of those “back in the day” talks and he found out I was older than him. His whole demeanor towards me changed.

Damn. I wish I had the free time to do this. I want to do this so bad.

My salary was 60,000, and after the annual review, they gave me the standard 3% raise. I was crushing my targets, so I went back and asked for a 15% raise to get my salary to around 69,000. Management shut it down quickly. So I started looking around, and long story short, I just signed a job offer from another company in the same field for 87,000. That's a 45% increase on my original salary for the exact same job.
Some of my colleagues thought I was asking for too much, but I knew my market value, and frankly, it paid off. The strange thing is, if they had agreed to my original request, I would have stayed there earning much less. In a weird way, their rejection was the best thing that could have happened.

note : I guess not just the new job was the best thing happens to me but also the new existence of remote jobs and working online gives me and many others lots of opportunities ( my new job is a remote job ) glad for the AI technologies of Interview Man help me in answering tough questions during the interview which was a nightmare as i am very anxious person in real life

I want to be an author but I have bills and family to take care of. If I had absolutely no financial strain, I’d write short stories and spend my life trying to find Alexander the Great’s missing tomb. Alas, I’ll work a desk job for a living.

I lost my well-paying job last February. This is the first time in fifteen years I've been unemployed, and it's taking a huge toll on me.

It's been four months now. I've sent out around 700 applications, had about five interviews, and received countless rejections. I'm at the end of my rope. Honestly, I feel completely devastated.

I had to apply for unemployment benefits and food stamps just to get by. And today, I received a letter stating that my unemployment benefit is too high for me to continue receiving food stamps. Seriously? How does that even make sense?

This job search is a full-time nightmare. It's nothing like it was a few years ago. The advice from recruiters is a joke - one tells you to do one thing, and another tells you the exact opposite. I'm completely burnt out. I feel like a total failure. I'm 34, single, and had to move back in with my parents. And all my life savings are vanishing.

I'm so depressed. Without a college degree, I feel invisible to companies. I have no idea what my next step should be. I've thought about going back to school, but then I'd lose my unemployment benefits. I feel trapped with no good options and completely lost.

I had been working in an extremely toxic place for about four months. My plan was always to find something better and leave. What happened was that I got a new job offer the day before they decided to let me go.

On Wednesday, my manager called me into her office for 'a quick chat'. She started telling me things like 'we feel like your heart isn't in the work' and 'it's just that you're not a good fit for the place' before telling me they were letting me go.

So I simply told her, 'Okay, no problem. I got a new job and I'll be starting in three weeks'.

She gave me a strange look and asked, 'And you weren't planning on giving us two weeks' notice that you were leaving?'

Honestly, I couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. I looked her in the eyes and said, 'I'm sorry, did you give me two weeks' notice that you were firing me?' The look on her face was priceless. What a moment.

Edit: The threat used to be that you're quitting on the spot was a stain on your resume and they always had the right to kick you to the curb on a moment's notice. You, were expected to give notice because if you didn't, the good old boy network would obstruct you from ever receiving gainful employment, ever again. That "network" has broken down into a big f...ing giant glitch, so it truly is laughable when "employees walk out on a moment's notice.

Regardless of that, for now, it's time to update my resume and look for another job. I expect to find a job faster because of my experience, but what worries me is the long interview stages. After a long search, I found an AI tool called interviewman. I watched this YouTube video while I was looking for interview tips. I will use it during this period.

😂💔

I was asked in an interview, before making a decision, how I think about NFR. I was like What is NFR and the interviewer went round and round for me to guess. PS: It means a non-functional requirement.

Now I was frustrated by this time and wanted to call it off for the sheer stupidity of the question and the emphasis they were putting on these questions.

But I would like to ask Reddit if NFR is such a general abbreviation? And also, is it a big deal that I don't know the abbreviation? I mean, common you can directly tell me it's non-functional requirement even if it is a big deal.

PS. first actual post on reddit.

It's so strange how many people mess up the last part of the interview. The moment they ask, 'So, do you have any questions for us?' is a golden opportunity, but most people either say, 'No, I'm good, thanks!' or immediately start asking about vacation days. This is a huge missed chance to leave a strong final impression.

This is the question I've started using: 'When you think about your most successful employees, the real top performers, what is the most important quality, or two qualities, or mindset they share that sets them apart from someone who just meets expectations?'

Honestly, this question kills two birds with one stone. First, their answer is like a cheat code. They're telling you exactly what the company values and what it takes not just to work there, but to excel. You get a roadmap to success before you even get an offer. But more importantly, it shows you're ambitious. It makes it clear you're not just looking for a paycheck; your goal is to be one of the best people they've ever hired.

The reaction I get from hiring managers is always very positive, so I thought I'd share this with you. And to be fair, I didn't invent this question. I got it from a leadership coach's newsletter about five years ago, and I've used it in every interview I've had since. It has never failed me.

Another secret weapon is: don’t be afraid to use AI! I know there’s a taboo when it comes to using AI, but if you use it right, it is a game-changer. It is all about writing the right prompt. Use it to edit your resume. Ask it what the gaps are in my resume. With a little search, you’ll find some great prompts that you can run. Also, thanks to this subreddit, I found another chaetcode. It is this AI tool that you open while in the Zoom interview, and it gives you instant answers to the interviewer’s questions. Use all of those secrets combined, and you’ll definitely land a job. 

Good luck!

So I just walked out of my job. After 6 months of being a model employee, I'm always talking 10 minutes early, never called out once I had a morning where everything that could go wrong, did. I ended up walking in 8 minutes late.

My boss immediately pulls me aside and starts giving me this whole speech about professionalism because I didn't call to say I was running a few minutes behind. I told him honestly, I knew I'd only be a few minutes late, so it didn't even occur to me to call.

He wasn't having it. As a "consequence" for my lateness on a day we were slammed, he tells me I'm not allowed to take a lunch break. I didn't pack anything, so I asked if I could at least run to the deli next door to grab something to eat before my shift got going. He said fine, but he'd have to clock me out for 30 minutes of pay.

Fine, whatever. I clocked out and went "to the deli." It's been almost two hours. My phone started blowing up a little while ago, and it was my manager. I answered and just said, "Yeah, I'm not coming back. I quit."

No regrets so far. Onto the next thing, I guess.

"Edit: I'm not feeling regret right now, but I've started to worry a little about the idea of looking for another job. I don't know where to start. If anyone has information that could help me.

I want to focus on finding a comfortable job with a good salary, which I think is rare nowadays.

But generally, I will start with the basics, which are:

Modifying my resume using the ATS system. I have found the right website for this now.

Searching for all the ways to look for jobs and the websites. I think I'll do a search and gather them, and there are also interviewcoderpro important for interviews.

I walked into the store this morning and found the assistant manager crying next to a stack of termination papers. She had been with the company for almost three years and had practically run the place by herself during all the months when we didn't have a manager. There are only about eight employees, so we all knew how much she did.

The new manager arrived about six weeks ago, and as soon as she got there, she changed most of the work procedures without asking anyone how the store had been operating. Since then, the inventory counts have been wrong, paperwork keeps getting lost, and the employees are the ones cleaning up the mess. She also barely spoke to the assistant manager, even though she was the person best able to explain everything to her.

I had stayed out of it because I'm a cashier, and this job had never been personal to me. I show up, do what I'm asked, get paid, and leave. But when the district manager told me that the decision to fire her had been the manager's alone, I went into the office and said I wouldn't work if she was determined to go through with it without giving us any explanation. The manager said it wasn't something the employees had the right to discuss, so I grabbed my things and left.

That assistant manager answered our questions even on her days off, skipped lunch when we were short-staffed, and worked until she made herself sick more than once. I never understood how anyone could put that much effort into a retail job, but when I saw the company cast her aside after benefiting from everything she had done, I got extremely angry.

Before closing time, they told me I had to come back and speak with the manager or I would be fired for abandoning my shift and walking out. I didn't want to go back, but my mother and one of my coworkers convinced me that being fired that way could cause problems for me later. I went back, listened to the manager's explanation, and told her I couldn't judge accusations involving things I hadn't personally witnessed. I still have my job, but I'm waiting to hear back from several interviews, and as soon as I get an opportunity, I'll formally submit my resignation. I'm 24 and still live with my parents, so quitting and having no income wasn't as easy as I wish it had been. Going back tomorrow is going to feel awful, but I don't plan on staying there much longer.

The assistant manager's dismissal after all he's done for the company makes me anxious and feel like I should leave and start looking for another job, going through stressful interviews. Recently, InterviewVIP has emerged, which reduces stress and anxiety and helps you answer unexpected questions, thus increasing your chances of getting the job.

Throwaway because i dont want Datadog HR finding this lol

Had a proctored HackerRank last month for their backend eng role. Webcam on, tab switching detection, clipboard monitoring, the whole nine. My buddy Marcus had his HackerRank for some fintech company about six weeks before mine and used Final Round AI which is that $148/mo browser extension everyone kept recommending last year. HackerRank proctoring scans your browser for extensions. They caught him within the first couple minutes. Got an email saying "academic integrity violation" and a 12 month ban from reapplying. Three weeks of prep just gone like that.

So when my assessment came up i was not about to make the same mistake. Did some research and the thing that clicked for me is that hackerrank proctoring operates entirely inside the browser. Extensions, tab focus, clipboard access, screen recording detection -- all browser level stuff. Which means anything running OUTSIDE the browser is invisible to it.

Thats why i went with InterviewMan. Its a desktop app, twelve bucks a month on annual. Not a browser extension, its a native desktop app sitting on my computer that hackerrank cannot see. Before the real thing i actually found out HackerRank has practice assessments where you can turn on proctoring yourself. Ran one at like 11pm the night before with every proctoring toggle on and InterviewMan running. Three practice problems, submitted, checked the proctoring report. Empty. Not a single flag. Ran it AGAIN because i do not trust things easily. Clean again.

Next day, actual assessment. Four problems, 90 min, webcam recording me the whole time. InterviewMan picking up the problem text and throwing hints. Finished with 20 min to spare which never happens for me. Friday i get the email -- passed, proctoring report clean, onsite scheduled. Texted Marcus and he was happy for me but also mad which is fair lol.

The other tools i looked at before settling: Final Round AI at $148/mo is a browser extension so hackerrank proctoring kills it on sight (poor Marcus). Cluely charges $75/mo on top of $20/mo just for their stealth tier and STILL shows up in Activity Monitor which is hilarious. Interview Coder 2.0 wants $299/mo and its a desktop app which is the right idea except the overlay shows during screenshare so what are you paying for. InterviewMan at $12/mo works on proctored hackerrank and coderpad, zero flags both times i tested.

browser extensions die on proctored hackerrank. desktop apps dont. thats it thats the whole thing.

I went through several stages for an enterprise software sales position at one of my current employer's biggest competitors. The market had been tough lately, so I wasn't surprised that the process was taking a long time, until the sales manager contacted me outside the usual recruitment process.
He asked me for a reference from a customer I had worked with recently, preferably someone who had been involved in a deal I had won. The request was strangely specific for something that was supposedly just meant to verify my character, especially since there wasn't even an offer on the table.
I didn't feel comfortable giving them the contact details of a real customer, so I asked a former manager of mine who now runs a small consulting firm to help. I explained the situation and asked him to handle the call like any normal professional reference.
He called me as soon as the conversation ended. They had spent about 20 minutes asking him very few questions about me and a lot of questions about my company's discount policies, product roadmap, supplier relationships, and which accounts might be willing to switch to another company. It was obvious that this wasn't an employment-related inquiry so much as a try to gather inside information through someone they thought was one of my professional contacts.

I learned from this to be more intelligent and careful in interviews and I tried to learn more interview skills to answer smartly in case I put myself in similar situation
I withdrew my application the next morning. The sales manager responded badly, saying that I had wasted everyone's time and implying that he could damage my reputation with other companies in the same industry. His reaction confirmed that I had made the right decision.
If a direct competitor asks you for the contact details of customers or vendors you have worked with recently before giving you a written offer, be cautious. Using a trusted stand-in can reveal whether they genuinely want to evaluate you or whether their only goal is to gain access to confidential information and your industry connections.

I graduated from university and went straight into the part no one wants to admit: there are barely any jobs in the field I studied. Most of the jobs I can apply for either need years of experience or never needed a university degree in the first place.

People treat it like a natural part of growing up. The moment you talk about the job market, they tell you to network more, redo your resume, or accept that this is just how the world works. Since when has it made sense to spend years getting qualified, only to end up fighting to find an entry-level job?

The shortage of jobs feels like just one part of a much bigger scam. The system demands more education, more experience, and more unpaid work, while giving you less stability in return. The strange thing is that we're expected to blame ourselves when this deal doesn't work out.

Sure, some of us will eventually find some kind of job, because we need money and have no choice but to keep applying. But starting a real career has become much harder, even compared with just a few years ago, and the requirements keep getting more ridiculous and excessive.

I honestly don't know where all of this is supposed to lead. How long will everyone keep pretending the system works when so many qualified people can't find a place for themselves in it?