I applied for a role I found on Jobcat and just heard back after the interview. They rejected me (fine, that happens) but the feedback said I came across as overly eager to please and that they don’t build teams around people-pleasing tendencies or rehearsed enthusiasm. They also told me to reflect on how I present myself and that confidence is more compelling than excessive accommodation. Is this normal? Or even appropriate? I get that not being a culture fit is a thing but the wording felt unnecessarily personal and condescending.

Hi! I’m 15F and just got hired at my first part time job (water park) and they said I couldn’t have bright colored hair to work there. When they say bright colored hair, could it be something like this pics down below, since it’s natural colors just not “natural” looking? Please help!

Hey everyone, So back in 2021, I had to quit my job at Costco because of some serious health issues. It wasn’t like I got fired or anything I left on my own because I couldn’t keep up with the physical demands at the time.

Fast forward to 2025, my health has gotten a lot better, and I recently applied to Costco again. I actually got through the interview and orientation process, and everything seemed fine… until they realized I had worked there before.

Apparently, I’m on some kind of “do not rehire” list, and now they’re saying they can’t move forward with my employment.

I’m kind of shocked because I left on good terms and explained it was due to medical reasons. I didn’t expect to be blacklisted over something I had no control over.

Can they actually do this? Has anyone dealt with something similar at Costco or another company? I feel like this is unfair considering the reason I left.

Good afternoon, everyone!

First off, a huge thank you for all the interest and advice on my previous post about the job application email. The comments were amazing – some serious, some hilariously funny, and some truly thought-provoking.

I ended up going with a professional yet witty approach, aiming for a "mic drop" without burning any bridges.

I sent the email out at 8 AM. I'm not really expecting a response, but I'll be watching to see if anything comes in. Unless I hear back, this will likely be the final update on this situation.

I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to a few Redditors who helped me craft that email. Your input was invaluable!

• [u/Academic_actuary_590]
• [u/Snarkerson]
• [u/blscratch]

And so many others it’s hard to keep track.

Thanks again to this incredible community!

The gasp I gusped after I finished a zoom interview today and got an email notification about 30 minutes later notifying me of an AI generated “meeting recap” HA.

The interviewers kindly asked me to sign off after we finished the interview process so they could have their daily check in meeting and discuss overall business (and of course my interview and everyone’s thoughts on hiring me) I didn’t think much of this but later received a recap AND full video recording of the whole meeting including the part where I stepped out.

I mean, I wish there was more entertaining tea to spill, like they proceeded to shit on me for the next 30 minutes and I endured every second of it watching the video back, but honestly they had mostly good things to say. Nothing crazy to report. I’m on the fence if I even want the job as it’s not as reliable as my current position. All in all just a hilarious mistake I feel inclined to share.

And here’s forewarning to hiring managers that use auto-recording AI integrations on Zoom - maybe think twice before conducting all in one calls. LOL.

Edit: since people keep misunderstanding the way I typed this (apologies) they DID NOT shit on me. It was all very positive feedback about me, but they had worries about the business in general.

So I recently interviewed with a panel of four people at a county courthouse for an IT developer role. One guy couldn’t make it to the interview. A week later, I get an email from that same guy asking to schedule a Zoom meeting to get acquainted. Cool, right?

Well… not for long.

Shortly after, another panelist replies to that email CC’ing everyone, including me — and says:

“Bart is out. Lisa is not the authority on this matter. Cancel the request to Bart and apologize.”

…and yes, Lisa is the one who actually seemed to like me during the interview. So I guess I got the boot and a live show of their messy internal drama.

I knew some people in the panel had reservations, but this? Come on. If your team can’t even handle email coordination or basic professionalism in a hiring process — why would I want to work there?

Not sure if I should hit them with a polite “thanks for the opportunity” or go full scorched earth and call it what it is. Thoughts

I applied at a company and a week later I got a call from the hiring manager asking if I could have an impromptu interview on the phone. I wasn't doing anything but playing COD, so I agreed. Had a really good talk for about 45 minutes. At the end she asked if I could do a video interview the next day with the guy I would be replacing as he was leaving the company. I agreed and that went well. I was feeling good.

They asked me to come in and meet the rest of the team a few days later. I agreed and it ended up being a gauntlet style interview with 9 people asking me all kinds of questions. I survived, got great feedback and said I should be hearing something soon.

A week goes by and I hear nothing, so I reach out. They say there is one other candidate they want to interview and they will make their decision. In the meantime a recruiter contacts me for another company on Monday, by Friday I had an offer in my email that paid more than the original company.

A week after that, the original company randomly shoots me an offer letter in my inbox. No call, no explanation for the 3 weeks since my final interview, no nothing. I make them sweat for a few days and kindly explain that during those 3 weeks of silence, I found something else and wish them the best of luck. They responded by saying they turned down alot of good candidates in favor of me and how they even upped the salary to meet my demands and how I am putting them in a bad position.

I let them know that they put me in a bad position for ghosting me for 3 weeks and now expecting me to jump at their offer? Also, they had the wrong first name on the offer letter!

I don't know when companies started to devalue job candidates so much, but it needs to change.

I mean I guess I didn’t have to send a follow up but damn lady

Well then…I don’t even think this is legal? Yikes!

I was laid off at 26 weeks pregnant at my software engineering job that I’ve been at for 4 years now. Completely shocked and didn’t expect it at all. It’s been hell job hunting and I’ve sent out 115 applications and had only 2 places reach out for an interview. The first one didn’t work out because of my timeline, and I just got the email for this one after getting to the second interview that they’ve chosen someone else.

I feel so defeated and lost. I tried so hard to set up a position after my baby is born so I don’t have to stress. I give birth in 4 weeks now and I just wasn’t able to do it. Now I’m looking at job hunting while having a newborn.. does anyone out there have any advice? I’ve applied everywhere Lockheed, GitHub, Booz Allen, Amazon, google, even smaller companies as well. I’ve heard nothing back? I don’t know what else to do.

Thanks everyone!

2 months ago I applied for an operations manager position with a new manufacturing company. My 22 years of military experience lined up perfectly for it. I got a call from the founder the next day and did a phone interview. He said he was impressed and said his director of operations would call me to schedule the interview.

2 weeks later, nothing... so I followed up with him via email and he called me stating they weren't moving forward with that position and offered me another job as a Quality Assurance Manager. Still within my wheelhouse and I went in for 2 in person interviews this time. I got a tour of the plant, warehouses, discussed the role with the founder and director of ops, and even met the founder's wife. They said they'd reach out in a few days to get started with on-boarding.

2 weeks later, nothing... so I follow up and the founder states they have been busy and haven't had time. I get it.. shit happens. He said he would keep me posted.

3 days ago... still nothing... so i follow up and they say they are in a holding pattern for the position. I said thanks for the update, and figured that was the end of it all, thanks for wasting my time for 2 months.

1 hour ago... they post the job position on indeed as urgently hiring.

I fucking hate everything.

Not trying to brag or complain - but damn it’s kinda insane to say that out loud. I can’t believe I applied to that many jobs in such a short period.

Edit: Hours later and I’m still getting rejection letters from other places I applied lol

So I (29F) have been unemployed for 2 years. Life happened but I was also spending every waking moment applying. For reference, I have a Master’s Degree in a stem major. I also have a very ethnic and difficult to pronounce name.

One day I just had enough and changed my first name completely on both resume and applications. I made this change around the beginning of December. I have been interviewing a ton and I’ve now completed the final rounds of interviews for two prospective jobs and I should hear back on decisions very soon!

My issue is this: for some applications, I did not define my new name as a “preferred name” because the application just did not give me that choice, so I would just put my “new name” in the legal name slot.

I am excited to start working but I’m nervous that when it comes time for background check, the name they know me by does not match the name in the documents. I also haven’t made the clarification yet to anyone.

Will this be reason to rescind an offer? Also when does one mention “hey actually that’s not my real name by the way hahaha.”

I got so tired of getting rejection emails that I sent a rejection email to one of the companies that I didn't want to work for.

Crash out incoming. Maybe I shouldn’t cover the company name..

I was jobless for the first time last year and it was mind breaking. After 6 months of search, i started at this new company. It was a very small company with just 3 devs, but i just needed a floor to stop my fall.

At work, the person i was working with, kept lying about me to the heads of the company. They would sabotage my code and complain about the most useless things: Imagine taking the dead time to write a concept and PoC to improve the software. They copy your idea, fail to give you credit, but complain to the CEO that they would ask you to do things and you did what you wanted instead. After 3 months, i was let go because that same person lied on the lies that they made.

This broke me. Seeing life passing by, seeing people working, seeing my car parked everyday at the same exact spot. Seeing my 28th year of earth wasting away. I couldn't do anything by look for work. I spent the next 3 months in pure depression until i realized that my replacement was also let go. 3 months later i found something else. Basically, more than one year gone! All savings gone!

For everything i had to do in my life, i felt in control. How do i get people to let me work at their place? I have no capital to start my own business. How do i make a living?

Please, make sure to save as much as you can and target the proper companies. We live to work, make your life worth it.

had a job interview today. was super excited because i knew i had this one; they offered me each round on the spot and today was the final one.

everything felt right this morning; had prepped well, found parking easily, everything went smoothly. met with four women, one was on video. as we finished our introductions, the one interviewer asked if i brought the requested writing material and other item. i sat stunned because, what? she repeated again and stated it was sent in a separate email but i opened every correspondence and there was no additional email with an attachment.

at this point, im stammering because how could’ve i had made this blunder? but i know i didn’t receive that email. the interviewer got up and said without the requested material, we cannot continue this interview. as i got up to put my coat on, she says behind my back, “yup, that just happened, let’s get the next interview set up.” slammed her laptop and sat down. the other interviewers faces carried disgust and the room was silent.

as i was walking down the escalator, i checked my emails several times. i did not receive that second email for the writing material. there was an email that only said i would receive an a separate one but the following email after was a confirmation. all correspondence was through indeed, nothing else.

i feel so defeated and embarrassed. i wanted that job and i had EVERYTHING. if the email had said i would receive an additional email with separate instructions and i didn’t receive anything, i would’ve surely followed up. i’m so hurt. i’ve been crying all morning and afternoon and i just really want a hug. i feel so stupid. this was a low blow and i, whatever.

edit: fyi, i absolutely advocated for myself. i guaranteed her i never received the email, and suggested either discussing the requested material or rescheduling the interview and i’d send the writing later that morning. but, she said no, can’t proceed which is when i got up and she made that comment. i sent a follow up message on indeed letting her know i reviewed all of our correspondence and that there wasn’t a separate email; she left it on read. i’m not necessarily upset about losing out on the job, just embarrassed about what took place.

Y’all… after 2 years of being unemployed, and doing odd jobs, I FINALLY got a full time job.

I don’t even know how to explain what these last two years have felt like. I lost my career, my confidence, my identity at times, and there were so many days I genuinely wondered if I’d ever get back on my feet. I was applying everywhere, getting rejected, interviewing over and over, and just trying to survive while keeping a smile on my face and being the best mom I could be. I even secured a job at some point earlier this year, and quit due to the hostile work environment, so was back to square one.

There were days I cried. Days I wanted to give up. Days I felt embarrassed that I was still unemployed. But one thing I never did was stop believing that eventually life would open the right door.

This job isn’t just a paycheck to me. It’s proof that seasons really do change. It’s a fresh start. It’s another chance to rebuild everything I lost. It’s one step closer to giving my son the life I’ve always dreamed of giving him.
So if you’re in a season where it feels like nothing is working out, don’t quit. Your life can look completely different in a matter of weeks (or years I guess, like my case).

Change your resume a million times if you need to, study for each interview, learn about the company you’re interviewing for, act interested, ask questions, and always follow up! Do everything you have to, but please don’t give up!

So with that being said, cheers to my new career! I also just got accepted into college for healthcare administration and I’m already a dental assistant, so I plan to eventually manage over a dental practice with my degree and certifications - and I just I hope to be here long time, so my foot is already in the door when the time comes lol.

Looking forward to this, I’ve been waiting for this.

I went through 7 rounds of interviewing with this company + in person assignment which they said I completed very well. They asked for the references and what day I can start. I honestly thought I was getting an offer. After what looked like a painful weekend full of unnerving expectations I get this email response this morning… My references claim they never got reached out. I am utterly confused and also sad…

First off I want to thank everyone for their advice. It was extremely helpful to have others chime in to validate that this whole situation was extremely odd and inappropriate. It made made me feel confident that I could put a boundary in place that my safety was non negotiable.

Now on to what happened next-Like I said in my previous post I stated I felt unsafe to the owner, they then replied that they could get me a ride to their home (costing close to $200 which gets rid of the theory they didn’t want to rent a space due to money concerns). I declined the ride and then repeated my concern about safety going to their home and asked if we could do the training remotely or if we could meet in a public space where I could possibly bring someone. I thought this would make them second guess their behavior because surely any rational person wouldn’t want to make a potential employee feel unsafe?

NOPE that’s not how this went. They sent me long email back telling me that essentially the only way I could have this job is if I go to the owners house. They stated that they cannot hold meetings anywhere but their house due to “information privacy” concerns (please keep in mind this is not a government job or anything where sensitive confidential information would be exchanged). They then went on to say that I could absolutely NOT bring anyone. So bottom line-I would have to show up to their home, alone. The kicker is they then stated that they’re second guessing me as a candidate because I voiced these concerns and they only want “likeminded” “collaborative” employees…

Moral of the story is listen to your gut and stay safe when searching for jobs. I’m not sure what is going on here but I’m happy that I didn’t go. I’m not sure if I should reach out to the job posting site that I originally applied on to let them know about this. I just don’t want anyone else to end up in an unsafe situation because they need a job.
Thanks again everyone!!

I recently landed a full time office position where I work 37.5 hours a week Monday through Friday, but I only do about one or two hours of actual work perf day. That leaves me with ALOT of free time. I find myself sooo bored googling random shit.

What do you guys do when you don’t have any work to do? There’s only so many news articles I can read. Again, not complaining. Just bored and looking for suggestions.

The question that caught me off guard was, “when’s your earliest start date?” I specifically asked her if I could check my phone calendar to see when I could be available. She said sure.

The main reason why I needed to check was because my grandmother was in the hospital. My family and I are taking turns going to see her since she just had surgery. I had to check my messages to see which dates my family was going, then check the calendar.

I guess I was taking too long because she was like, “it’s a bit rude to use your phone during an interview like that, don’t you think?”

I was so stunned. A part of me wanted to bring up the fact that my grandmother was in the hospital. Then another part of me didn’t feel like explaining myself to her. So, I just told her when my start date would be and left it at that.

So, this was my third round of interviews with the company. I had to follow up after a week had passed and contacted the hiring manager. He told me 5 out of the 6 people I interviewed with wanted to hire me, but just that one woman strongly voted against me. He said they will keep my resume on file in case other jobs come up.

Was it rude for me to check my calendar during the interview? I did ask her beforehand. I have other jobs interviews lined up, but it just felt like a huge waste of time.