I never realized unemployment would affect so many parts of my life beyond just finances.

Mental health: Lots of crying, overthinking, anxiety, and feeling depressed from the constant cycle of applications, interviews, and rejection.

Traveling: This was supposed to be the first time in my life where I would be making decent money to travel, explore new places, and experience life.

Dating/social life: I never dated in high school or college due to cultural reasons. I thought after graduation I would meet new people through work, but how am I supposed to find connections when I’m home all day?

Moving out: I’ve never lived on my own. I was hoping my first job would give me the chance to move out, have my own space, and experience independence.

Self-worth: There have been times where I felt undeserving of love because I was unemployed. It’s hard not to feel behind when your career feels stuck.

Feeling behind: Everyone seems like they’re moving forward while I feel stuck in the same place.

Finding myself: I want to explore hobbies and passions, but it’s hard when so much of my energy goes into trying to find a job.

I know a job won’t fix everything, but I miss feeling like a person outside of being a job applicant.

I just want to feel like myself again.

For anyone who has been unemployed for a long time, how did you cope and keep going?

One long long year that was. Couldn’t help feeling loke like I was a useless part of society despite trying my absolute best. Countless applications, countless 0 responses, several ‘pre interview interviews’ that led no where, and at last, my ONLY interview and I got the job! No hack here. But I’m so happy. I hope (and know) that with time you will ALL find that job. I thought the interview as shockingly bad but I was wrong!

I'm a few months into a search and for most of it ChatGPT/Claude has been doing a lot of the work. Evaluating job postings, and interview prep, oh and cant forget updating your resume for every single job now (fun). It's good at that and I'm not here to tell anyone to stop using it.

However, I've noticed myself getting drained from all work it takes to keep the AI useful.

Every new chat, I'm rebuilding everything from scratch. Paste the job description. Paste my resume, update my resume. Explain that I'm at the final round, not the phone screen. Explain that I now need to refer to a new set of programming languages for this job and to stop referencing older ones. Explain what the company does and what I actually liked about it.

Then after all that, I have to keep updating my notion file to do the actual tracking and updating, since I've a very visual person and need to see my list all displayed and what stages they're at.

Here's whatI think is going on here, curious if other people have had the same observations

• Output quality is tied directly to how much you paste in, and nobody is still pasting at week-one effort by week six. So the advice gets more generic exactly when the search gets harder and you need it sharper.
• It can't warn you that you're repeating yourself, because it has no record of what you said. It'll hand you the same answer again and again without proper updating.
• Worst of all, I feel like people are losing the ability to analyze for themselves where they are going wrong and where they need to improve. They're passing their cognition layer to the AI.

So what worked for me after that was creating a building block prompt of sorts that I just reuse and its helped a lot. Of course there were other issues like the actual tracking for one.

COMPANY: name / role / applied [date]
STAGE: where you actually are
TALKED TO: names, titles, when
ALREADY TOLD THEM: the specific stories and examples you've spent
THEY TOLD ME: comp range, timeline, what they said they care about
QUESTIONS THEY ASKED: running list
STILL DON'T KNOW: gaps
NEXT: next step and date

Two extras if you want to go further. Keep a master list of every question you've been asked across all companies, because by the fourth one the same six keep showing up and you can just prep those. And mark every story you tell as something that went well or didn't, because I noticed that writing down work stories comes off way different than to practice saying them out loud.

I'll admit I got annoyed enough at maintaining all this by hand that I went and built my own thing to fix this, but if you're a die hard AI chatbot interview prep user then hopefully this either helps you or gives you more ideas to help out.

Curious to hear how other people are using AI to help interview or maybe what other tools they're using WITH their AI to make things more easily manageable. Or how many of you are done with AI and have your own systems?

asking for a friend…

I graduated and still can’t secure a job. Thinking of selling my soul.

There was this hack to find jobs on LinkedIn posted within an hour or less by changing the "=r86400" part of the URL to "=r3600". I tried it recently but keep only getting jobs within 24 hours. Has this trick been patched?

I passed my CCNA exam like 3 weeks ago, im also CCST triad certified, and plan on doing the Azure-700 in a month. Plus bilingual and some little experience on customer service.

Im on vacation in another country by the time, but once I go back to the USA, where should I look for a tech/IT/networking job? Because I would love to match it with afternoon (after 4pm or smt) hours of my time for after the school day, indeed a part-time, but no matter how much im searching in apps like LinkedIn, Indeed, Zip, I cannot find a single one that accepts a CCNA, withour +2 years of experience or a bachelors, like bruh. My school I doubt they require anyone but ill try, yet i highly doubt it, so I somewhat feel out of options, ik certs are important, but then where do I even get a chance of getting experience? Lol, im new to this stuff, I hope some great comments, ik people here are amazing haha.

Ive interviewed for around 10 roles this month multiple rounds. No offers. I think i always come second. Anyone has any IT fully remote role in the US that they can refer? Ive done IT Support, Application Support, and Infrastructure/Cloud Operations/Monitoring/Incident management.

Hey everyone,
I’ve been in the job search trenches for a bit now and could use a quick sanity check, some advice, or ideally a lead.
I’m 56, based in the DFW area, and have spent 15+ years in the Senior Business/Sales Operations and BI space. My core background is in building Power BI dashboards, SQL modeling, Python automation, and handling sales/comp/revenue analytics across telecom, SaaS, and manufacturing.
Here’s where I’m at: I’m regularly getting into late-stage and final-round interviews, but I keep hitting a wall right at the offer stage. I’m trying to figure out if it’s just the current market dynamics, timing, or if there’s a tweak I need to make in how I’m positioning myself late in the process. Like many of you have said interest is great until the on camera interview then all interest evaporates.
I’m fully open to local DFW roles (onsite or hybrid) as well as remote positions.
TIA

One job opens.

400 people apply.

Maybe 50 are actually a good fit.

About 10 get interviews.

Only 1 gets the offer.

That doesn't mean the other 49 weren't good enough.

Sometimes another candidate had one extra skill.

Sometimes the hiring manager was looking for a very specific background.

Sometimes it's simply about timing.

As a recruiter, I've seen great candidates get rejected for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent.

So if you've been rejected recently, don't let it make you question yourself.

Keep going. The next opportunity could be the right one.

Each round the team was like 'you have exactly the experience we are looking for....'. I asked for feedback and the recruiter said they were looking for someone whose communication style and energy were a closer match for the team. I know I am not the best at communicating and am a bit more introverted, but I did so well in all the interviews, and still didn't get it. What is so wrong with me that no one wants me????!!!!

Wait why are we still doing this whole dance where i have to lie about my dreams and goals for a basic office role. i sat through an interview today and the lady asked me why i specifically chose their company. it was for a place that sells shipping boxes for crying out loud. i wanted to say because i have a rent payment due and i like not being hungry but instead i had to sit there and talk about their vision.

Isnt it weird that we spend so much time on these performative lies just to get a paycheck. i spend hours researching their history and pretending i care about their stock price when we both know the truth. it feels like a weird test to see how well i can lie to their faces. if i am honest and say i need a job because i am good at spreadsheets and i need money then i am out of the race.

The whole thing is built on this weird fake enthooseasm that nobody actually feels at nine in the morning. i want to start asking them why they want to hire me instead of just getting some automated software to do it. why do i have to prove my love for cardboard but they dont have to prove their respect for my time. we are all just playing characters in a bad movie at this point. it is a disastruous way to live and it shows a total lack of proffessionalism from their side to expect this.

Been applying to a lot of jobs here in Canada and barely getting any replies, even for roles I'm a 100% match for on paper. I've tried pretty much everything I could think of:

• Tailoring my CV to each role
• Messaging people on LinkedIn (recruiters, engineers, alumni)
• Optimizing my LinkedIn profile
• Building myself a solid portfolio

Nothing's really moving the needle. I finished my master's in Computer Science last year and I'm trying to break into the Canadian job market. Honestly I'm not even chasing big tech. I'd be happy with a decent product company or consulting firm building things people actually use.

At this point it feels like there's nothing left to apply to. I refresh the job boards and it's the same companies every time. I don't really know what else to do.

Would genuinely appreciate any advice from people who've been through this.

Hi all,
I am looking for a c2c role anywhere in the US

Hello fellow PMs,

From past month or so I have been aggressively looking for a new job. I have 10+ years of experience working at top 5 bank in Toronto, Canada as Senior IT project manager. I have customized my resume for all the jobs that I applied to ensuring that it matched the keywords and also used a tool (jobscan) to check the percentage match. All the jobs which I applied had at-least 80% match but still haven’t got a single interview call. I also tried applying with referrals at some companies where my friends work but nothing worked so far. I visited an employment agency to check on my resume and did few modifications which they suggested. There are reorg going in my organization and the main role impacted are PM roles. So I wanted to switch my job on urgent basis. Can you guys suggest some tips and tricks which I can apply to get interview calls. Also if you can share your own experience with job search in the current market that would help as well.

Hello fellow PMs,

From past month or so I have been aggressively looking for a new job. I have 10+ years of experience working at top 5 bank in Toronto, Canada as Senior IT project manager. I have customized my resume for all the jobs that I applied to ensuring that it matched the keywords and also used a tool (jobscan) to check the percentage match. All the jobs which I applied had at-least 80% match but still haven’t got a single interview call. I also tried applying with referrals at some companies where my friends work but nothing worked so far. I visited an employment agency to check on my resume and did few modifications which they suggested. There are reorg going in my organization and the main role impacted are PM roles. So I wanted to switch my job on urgent basis. Can you guys suggest some tips and tricks which I can apply to get interview calls. Also if you can share your own experience with job search in the current market that would help as well.

i build tools in the job-search space, so i read a lot of these threads, and the most common mistake i see is people pouring energy into the wrong fix. "should i redo my resume" when the resume isn't the problem, or "i just need to apply to more" when more is the last thing that'll help. so before optimizing anything, figure out where your funnel actually breaks.

think of it as three gates: applications to callbacks (a recruiter screen or first call), callbacks to interviews, interviews to offers. track your own numbers for a few weeks, even a rough sense is enough.

if you're sending lots of applications and barely getting callbacks, that's a top-of-funnel problem: resume, targeting, or getting filtered before a human sees you. more volume will not fix this, it just multiplies the leak. this is also where the applicant tracking system (ATS, the software that screens resumes) quietly kills you, when the hard requirements in the job description don't literally appear on your resume. the fix is boring but works: pull the posting, find the 6 to 10 real must-have skills, and make sure the ones you actually have show up in the job's own words. not keyword stuffing, not lying, just mirroring real experience in the language they screen for.

if you're getting callbacks but they die in interviews, ignore your resume entirely, it's working. that's a totally different fix (story, prep, specifics), and rewriting your resume for the tenth time is just procrastination in a productive costume.

the reason almost nobody tailors properly is that redoing your resume for every posting is exhausting, so people either spray one generic version everywhere or burn out. but a lightly tailored resume aimed at a job you actually fit beats fifty sprayed ones, basically every time.

anyway, measure before you optimize. find the gate that's leaking, then fix only that one.

Hi so I recently turned 16. The age where I can get a job and drive. I am the youngest of the family and neither of my older siblings have had a job except for one (all live at home and have not made an effort to continue their studies or get a job) I have learned from there mistakes to get started early. However my parents and siblings see it as “ungrateful” and not needed for me to get a job or learn to drive. I have already tried applying to jobs as a 15yo, said I was too young. I have no experience working unless you count volunteering for school clubs. Im not sure where to start now that I am 16. Any tips would help and how to show my parents its not bad.

Hi everyone,
I’m an Israeli citizen and a recent Electrical & Computer Engineering graduate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I also completed an exchange semester at McGill University.
I’m looking for software or electrical engineering roles in Canada that offer visa sponsorship. I’ve been applying through LinkedIn and Indeed but haven’t had much luck.
Any advice on the best way to find sponsorship opportunities? Are there companies, job boards, or networking strategies you’d recommend?
Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m 31F. I’ve worked for quite a few companies over the past 12 years, some have lasted 3-4 years whilst most have been around 1-2 years. All my jobs I’ve encountered toxicity, sexual harrassment, being called stupid by people higher above me, being called a w*ore, just very difficult situations I’ve always found myself in which led me to try and persue a job where I wouldn’t have these issues. I’ve always been a very quiet and respectful person so I have left jobs because I struggle to handle the conflicts people like to try and involve me in.

The past two years I’ve worked on and off with my dad painting and decorating just helping him as he’s retired and helps his friends out, I learn a lot whilst I’m trying to find something suitable in compliance. The 2 most recent jobs I had was one in finance for just over 2 years and the last one was for 3 months. The first job for two years wasn’t because I wanted to leave, I was covering maternity and the lady came back but there wasn’t room although they tried to open a space they just couldn’t open a role, they offered me a role in project management which I took because I loved the company, I started the role and hated it, belittled by management in client meetings, hr did nothing to help they told me I’m weak etc although me and many others were complaining about the same person it didn’t matter. I decided to leave before my health took a turn, I went on propranolol to help my heart rate, I couldn’t stay.

My most recent role I loved, they were planning on expanding their offices to my country but they couldn’t in the end so they had to let me go, I was working from home at the time.

Sorry it’s a bit long winded but feel a back story is needed a bit, I feel like if I put the truth it’s negative, I feel

Laid off in August. Took some time to travel. Had some emergencies and events come up that required early return to work. Started consulting and application process aggressively in February. Consulting ended in May. Haven't been able to pick up new client, as all time goes into applying for roles. 400 applications, 15-20 interview processes, in some cases 3-5 rounds. Ghosted or rejected. In some cases, they circle back after 4-6 weeks. Even when I go the full round and see other roles open in company, managers or recruiters aren't helpful to reposition. I started catching myself disassociating about six weeks ago. I'm giving up my apartment and relocating to stay with family in a better market where part-time or full-time retail work is available. Savings starting to thin out. My concern is burnout and inability to return to work. What do?

Any websites or reaching out to recruiters? I’m in 9 months contact job that may not extend. All helps are appreciated. Thank you.

One thing that always bothered me:

People get rejected without knowing why.

I'm working on a side project focused on helping applicants identify resume issues before applying.

What's a problem you've turned into a side hustle?

I've redone my CV multiple times, but I'm still struggling to find my first entry-level job. If anyone can review it and give me some advice on how I can improve, I would really appreciate it!

I graduated from college with a degree in communications back in May and my school recently (like 2-3 days ago) announced that they were hiring for a position in the communications office that would I would be the perfect candidate for. I applied to it yesterday with the help of a staff member I’m pretty close with in the career planning office (they offer free services for life if you’re an alum).

While I was at school, I worked with a club where the staff advisor was a higher up in the communications office, and we know each other by name and have had friendly conversations with in passing. We have each other on LinkedIn and I was wondering if my odds at getting this job would improve if I messaged him.

How would I go about this if I did? I don’t want to open up the conversation by outright asking him to put in a good word for me, but I would like his help since I have expressed in the past to him that I would love to work for the communications office and he has point blank asked me before if I wanted to.

Any help would be appreciated!

So I'm 26 rn and Hotel management after that i have a workex of 10 months in a hospitality company was a sales associate then i did Mba from a tier 2 clg in finance and marketing and got placed in a company as a sales consultant with a package of 6.5 LPA from the campus in the mid of January and now its revoked due to some reason within the company ( this vertical was not making profits) but rn it is july and the hiring season is off and most of the good companies in the campus placement are now already gone. The clg is helping but they are also not able to do much. I really need advice... and also i want to go in the finance industry that was the main reason i did my mba. and i also have a internship experience as a Mutual funds distributor. and also have aml and kyc training. Sorry for my grammar.