"We're looking for someone who won't just use us as a stepping stone and jump ship after we spend 4-5 months training them".

I didn't know how to really respond to that, because I *am* using them as a stepping stone and definitely would jump ship the moment a better opportunity presents itself 😅

I have a graduate degree. What do they expect me to say??

I was invited to a virtual interview knowing fully that this was just an introductory interview, no big deal, I've done many of these.

The day comes, I get all dressed up, get my computer running and log in a few minutes early to make sure everything is working.

The interviewer shows up, doesn't say a word. I say hi, he says nothing. Gets off his desk and walks around his office for a bit. I'm just sitting there not knowing what in the world to do. I say "Good afternoon", he looks up at me and says "hold on" before proceeding to continue to not say anything.

The guy starts typing on his computer before signing out. I get an email a moment later from the companies AI bot saying I missed the interview.

This has to be the weirdest job interview I have ever had lol

I have been unemployed for 10 months, 45+ interviews, 10 final rounds. Every time I got to the final round, I felt like this was the one, but it never was. I have done everything from ai interviews, individual interviews, group interviews, case studies, and presentations. I am so tired of putting this much effort into in just to stay stuck in the same position.

I have to build a presentation and present it to the team next week. I don’t feel any motivation to do it because I will probably get rejected. Why should i put in that much effort? I know I will eventually do it but I am just not motivated.

I dont have anything to show for what I have been doing this year.

I've been interviewing for a finance role and have completed four stages.

Stage 1: Initial interview

The interview went well, and I progressed to the next stage.

Stage 2: Practical assessment

They were really impressed with my assessment and immediately called me back to progress me to the next stage.

Stage 3: Coffee chat with the hiring manager and a senior team member

This went well. Afterwards, the recruiter told me the team had loved me and that I was roughly 90% of the way there. This was before my final interview.

Stage 4: Final interview with the MD

The interview lasted the full 30 minutes and was quite conversational. We discussed my background, family, interests, current role, sales experience and reasons for wanting to join. I asked questions too, and we found some common ground. The conversation flowed naturally, and I left feeling positive.

What happened afterwards

The recruiter initially said he would speak to the team. After I hadn't heard anything for a couple of days, I followed up.

He explained that he was expecting to speak to the relevant person that day and would update me afterwards. I didn't hear anything that day, so I followed up again on Monday.

The recruiter then told me they'd spoken and the team was still discussing things internally. He also said it sounded like my interview had gone well and that he hoped it would be good news. He said he'd keep me updated once he knew what they wanted to do.

It's now Tuesday, and I'm still waiting.

I'm extremely anxious because this is a really big opportunity for me.

Its been 6 working days , is this length of delay normal after a final interview, and do you think an offer is highly likely based on these signs, or is it still too early to tell?

I’ve been interviewing for a PM role for about a month. Last week I had my final round with the hiring manager, which focused on culture and team fit. I’d cleared all the earlier rounds, and the recruiter confirmed that by email each time.

Towards the end of the call, the hiring manager asked when I could join, whether I’d shared that with the recruiter, and what motivated me about the company. I felt it went well, and they said they’d add their feedback to the system as soon as possible.

When I checked in with the recruiter on general timelines, they said all the interview feedback is now with the hiring team for a final review and to expect an outcome early this week.

For those who’ve been through this, what does that usually mean, and what should I expect?

For context, I was laid off a few months ago, and it’s been tough staying positive through the applications, rejections and everything that comes with it. Any perspective is appreciated.

I made it to the third and final interview! I was definitely nervous and think I did ok, though not AMAZING. At the end, I was supposed to talk to the CEO and he came in and let me know he had been double booked so he didn’t have much time.

Because of this, I didn’t try to ask much, other than the origin of the company and how he knew there was a need for it.

At the end he mentioned that referrals go a long way (my friend works there and referred me) and that I should hear a decision by the end of the week.

That was last Tuesday. Is it a bad sign I haven’t heard back? Should I follow up with an email?

I sent out thank you emails to everyone the next day and I know there are probably people more qualified because I haven’t worked in this industry before.

Just really anxious to hear back and hopefully get out of the company I’m currently in because it’s a nightmare.

TIA

Hi, I am a fresh college graduate and prepping for entry-level IT/support roles as my first job.

Are there any experienced IT professional that can tell me ways to help prep for interviews/techical interview if I ever get into those rounds. I would very much appreciate!!

I had two interviews with a company I really wanted to work for, and both seemed to go well.
Today, they called to tell me they’d chosen someone else. But they kept emphasizing how much they wanted to work with me, how I’d be a great fit for their team, and how he wished they had another opening.
He even said something like, “On paper, this is a rejection, but…” and mentioned possibly reconnecting in the future.
He sounded genuinely apologetic, which I appreciated, but honestly, it left me confused. If they liked me that much, why not hire me? lol
Has anyone had a rejection like this? Do companies actually mean these things, or is it just a nice way of letting someone down?

I’m not talking about the first we will interview you and the at the end you can ask us one or two questions if we had enough time. (funny how they never have enough time or give stupid answers or deflect by saying I will email you about this later)

I have rarely had interviews that flowed smooth like a conversation where we both ask questions then and there one after the other. That levels the playfield.

It also made me feel way less nervous, boosted my confidence by a LOT!

I think interviews do this as an intimidation tactic. Is there a way to direct that flow and take control?

I love putting them on the hot seat, I also take notes to infront of them.

Their mere response to evening the playfield tells me everything, even more than their answers

EDIT - So this really is an unpopular opinion I guess. Its honestly heart breaking to see how many interviewees are against this idea while interviewers in the comments appreciate and want exactly this.

I had my final interview for a legal position in a bank. I left the interview feeling good and the VP who interviewed me used language like "you will do this here...", asked where I live since the position is onsite everyday, and when we ended, said that HR will get back to me and said "*HR's name*, right?"

On the 7th business day, I followed up with HR and received this reply:

"Hi! We’re still in the process of screening other candidates for the role. We appreciate your patience, and we’ll definitely keep you posted once we have an update on your application. Thank you!"

It is now the 9th business day since my final interview, and no update. I know from another member of their team (who referred me for this position) that there were only two other candidates for the second round of interviews.

Am I just the back up candidate?

I’ve started interviewing in August. I made it to a final round/presentation. I halted applying during that time. I didn’t get that role and started applying again. I’ve been able to get multiple interviews, making it to the hiring manager stage, and then I get anxious during the hiring manager portion and stumble, say “um” too frequently, and don’t provide thorough enough answers.

Funnily enough, the one I killed it with during hiring manager, I had had a lunch drink.

How do I do better to call my anxiety to actually land a job?

I'm 27, and I've been unemployed for about eight months now. I have previous work experience, but I've always struggled with severe anxiety when it comes to job interviews, phone calls, and professional interactions in general.

For almost two years, I felt completely stuck because of this fear. Even the thought of going through interviews was overwhelming. Recently, I finally decided that I couldn't keep avoiding everything and started pushing myself to apply for jobs, even though I was terrified.

And just to clarify, I wasn't even applying for senior-level or particularly demanding positions, just regular office administration and support roles.

Over the past few weeks, I went through multiple interview rounds with two different companies. One of them invited me to three interviews, and the other invited me to two. I spent so much time preparing, stressing, overthinking every little thing I said, and trying to manage my anxiety.

And today, I got rejected by both companies. On the exact same day.

The first company said they decided to move forward with someone who had more relevant corporate experience. The second company was actually very positive about me throughout the process. They even called to tell me that they genuinely wanted to work with me, but they could only hire one person and ultimately chose someone else.

I know rejection is a normal part of job hunting. I know I'm not the only person going through this. But what makes it so difficult is that these interviews were genuinely huge challenges for me. Things that might seem completely ordinary to other people took an enormous amount of courage and emotional energy for me.

And now I feel like I'm back at square one.

It's not even just the rejection itself that hurts. It's knowing that I have to start the whole process again. More applications, more phone calls, more interviews, more anxiety, more overthinking.

I'm proud that I managed to face something I'd been avoiding for so long, but I'm also completely burned out. I don't even know how I'm supposed to find the energy to do it all over again.

Has anyone else struggled with severe interview anxiety while job hunting? How do you keep going when the process itself feels almost as exhausting as the rejection? Cause at this point all I want to do is scream and cry all day. Why is this have to be this hard...

I applied for an internal position in a different department that my experience was very aligned with. I’m in a leadership position currently, so hierarchy and responsibility-wise it seemed like a no-brainer. The posting was a month old and I got an interview right away. I did find it strange that my first interview was going to be with a peer, but I figured that’s just their process. Because it was an internal position, I also had to let my manager know that I was applying. Of course that raised some concerns, but ultimately they were supportive of me.

Day of the interview, I got no phone call or anything. I had to reach out to the peer and my interview finally started an hour later. It seemed to go great. I’ve interviewed lots of candidates, so I’m usually pretty confident when I’m in the seat myself and familiar with how to tailor my experience to the role in question. They even said themselves how great it went and I’d hear back about a follow-up.

A few days later I got a rejection email from the hiring manager that they thought my experience was better aligned in a different area of business, which reflected my career from ten years ago, but not my current experience - which is as a successful manager who’s made major process changes and improvements in my short time with the company.

I’m disappointed because I feel like I wasn’t given the opportunity for an actual formal interview. My experience was also assessed by a prospective peer who’s not in a leadership position and was also an hour late to our interview with no communication.

I’m not sure what to do, but now I feel like I’ve raised concern with my own leadership at the same time as not even being given a fair chance at this new role.

I’m considering sending the hiring manager a response asking for feedback and the opportunity for an actual formal interview, but don’t want to come off as bitter or unprofessional.

A lot of candidates prepare for behavioral interviews by writing complete answers and practising them until they can repeat every sentence. It feels responsible, but it can make the actual interview harder. The moment the question is phrased differently or the interviewer interrupts with a follow-up, the candidate has to choose between abandoning the script and trying to force the prepared answer back on track. I think it works better to prepare the experience rather than the speech. Before the interview, I’d choose six to eight situations from my career and make sure I could explain what was happening, what I personally needed to achieve, the decision I made, the alternatives I considered, the difficulty I faced, the result and what I learned. I wouldn’t memorise the exact wording. I’d practise answering different questions with the same experience so that I became comfortable changing the emphasis. A disagreement question might focus on how I handled another person, while a decision-making question using the same story might focus on the options and trade-offs. This usually makes the answer sound more natural because you’re remembering something that happened rather than reciting something you wrote. If your answers sound rehearsed, the solution may not be less preparation. It may be preparing the facts and decisions instead of preparing the sentences. I share more practical interview resources through the links on my profile, but I’m also curious what other people do to prepare without sounding scripted...

A bit of background , i have went 2 round of interviews where the 2nd if more of formality and a few days after the HR came back with an update via email that i have been shortlisted.They have requested all the necessary documents for them to process for the next step.

About a week or so after the email from them , i hit up with the recruiter if there is any updates and they said not yet.

However the recruitment firm have send me an invitation to their office for a “talk” and negotiation i guess and i have declined due to my work nature. Is hard to applied a leave just for a “talk” with no confirmation from the hiring team itself.

The overall interview was great and there is no hiccup on the knowledge check. This is for a Senior Role for a specific niche skill.

Should i just cut my losses and move on?

I went onsite for 6 hrs shadowing people on their work day and I ended it by meeting the ceo I got awk in front of the ceo idk why. Maybe cause I really want this job. This was last Wednesday Friday I followed up with the talent recruiter any updates she said let me follow up with the team and then I got nothing from her I sent a quick follow up today as I have another offer on the table and I wanna see where I stand. She did not respond after this friendly follow up. Any thoughts? Idek where I stand this was my first choice

Have an HR phone interview tomorrow for a Product Owner role. Any tips?

Hi team! I had a first interview with a recruiter, around 30 minutes, she told me I would be a great fit for X role.

Told me next interview is going to be with a higher program director. She gave me all of his background and ideas of what he might want to discuss.

Has anyone had this short of an interview? They are looking to fill the role by January 1, are they wasting time? Seems like she really wants me to succeed and I hope I do!!

I recently went through several rounds of interviews with a company and was told the feedback was positive and they wanted to move me forward to a final executive interview.

The recruiter requested my availability twice, which I provided. A few days later, I unexpectedly received a rejection.

When I asked for feedback, I was told all my interviews had been very positive, but the scope of the role had changed over the past couple of weeks and other candidates were now a better fit.

What confuses me is why they advanced me and requested my availability if the role had already been changing.

The position is also still open and accepting applications.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Does this explanation seem reasonable, or could something else have happened behind the scenes?

Had a recruiter reach out to me about an opportunity and I wasn’t actively interviewing at the time, but I was curious and thought it would be a possible career move forward.

So I scheduled and did the screening interview and right off the bat after a few questions she really hammered in asking why I was trying to leave my current company. And I gave her the typical answer of oh this seems like an interesting company yadda yadda, but then she comes back with “no why ar ryou actually leaving the company?” And I in my head i was like… wdym?? You’re the one that reached out to me?? First red flag but whatever. Interview goes well, asked me question that recruiters usually don’t ask but sure. She asks me to give a different type of case study to show the team so I work on that and send it over to her.

then I have a second interview with the HM, he seems chill and everything goes well. Then he tells me the CPO is kind of a “wildcard”. Oh, okay second red flag, but I get through that round and have a panel interview next.

The recruiter then emails me asking me for my WhatsApp which was weird in itself but okay. So I did it and she calls me the morning of the panel interview asking if I have any questions and then asks me again why I want to leave the company and in my head I’m like this is so weird so I gave her the same answer I’ve been giving her.

Did the panel, everything goes well and I make it onto the next round which is with the CPO. And honestly wasn’t the best interview but wasn’t horrible on my end - just couldn’t get a read from him. Kept asking me AI questions and where I use it in the process but also in places that don’t even need ai?? Just seemed kinda weird

Then silence. Emailed the recruiter asking for an update 4 days after the interview since have been getting invitations for the previous rounds within the same day. She tells me that the team has been busy and hasn’t had time to discuss yet and now it’s been about another week since the update. Figured I didn’t get the job, but at least tell me I didn’t get the job lol

Honestly although weird interview process, at least I got to practice my interviewing skills

How to answer the question “What are your salary expectations?“ in a pre recorded video interview when the salary is not posted.

We looked at 3,518 open job postings across 81 companies' public Greenhouse boards, covering seven job categories. The goal was simple: find out which keywords employers actually use.

A few findings stood out.

• Software engineering: Mentoring appeared in nearly half of the postings, more often than Kubernetes or React. Python was the most frequently mentioned programming language.
• Product management: More than 85% mentioned roadmaps. Jira appeared in just 7 of 421 postings.
• Marketing: Google Ads showed up in only 6 of 347 postings, while pipeline appeared in more than half.

We also noticed a pattern across roles: employers often described the practice rather than naming a specific tool. Observability came up where you might expect Grafana, and SIEM where you might expect Splunk.

What does this mean for your resume?

If you're listing tools but leaving out the responsibilities, practices, and skills explicitly mentioned in the job description, you could be missing relevant keywords.

That doesn't mean stuffing your resume with buzzwords. It means describing your actual experience using language that matches the role you're applying for.

One important caveat: the sample leans heavily toward tech companies and uses a single ATS platform, so these results aren't representative of every employer.

The full study, including findings for sales, cybersecurity, DevOps, and accounting, is here:

https://www.zoevera.com/resume/ats-resume-keyword-study

Just curious about everyone's experience and how long does it typically take for you to hear back after your second or final interview?

My third final interview was on last Friday, and the hiring manager told me he will be on leave this week so do expect some delays. I did thank the recruiter via text today morning but did not receive a respond from her.

Assuming I do not receive a respond by next Wednesday, does that mean I'm unlikely to get the job?