[EU] Company promised me a full-time role, then HR rejected me for having a "non-standard" resume at 30. I feel hopeless
I'm a UX/UI designer based in Italy. I started studying design at 22, after some failed attempts at finding the right academic path. I ended up graduating with honors twice — first in Industrial Design, then in Product Design Innovation from Politecnico di Milano — finishing at 28. Six years of working hard and genuinely loving what I do.
Toward the end of my studies I grew interested in UX/UI, worked as an assistant in a UX innovation class and co-wrote a paper on human-robot interaction that I presented at a conference in France. I also completed two internships totalling 9 months at a major appliances manufacturer, designing digital interfaces for physical products using Figma and Protopie. When that ended — the company wasn't planning to hire new designers — I needed work and couldn't find a design role, so I joined a trend forecasting consultancy. I grew deeply unhappy there and quit after 5 months because dreaded going into work. That's when the opportunity came to join my current company as an intern UX/UI consultant.
That was November 2025. At the interview stage I was explicitly told that if the financial situation allowed it, the internship would lead to a full-time junior designer role. During the internship I surpassed all expectations and received strong praise from peers, managers, and clients alike. In March 2025 the company is healthy and doing great, and just hired a junior designer and two more interns.
A week ago, my manager told me the company wanted to hire me — but first I had to pass an HR interview where I was expected to defend being 30 with a non-linear career path. I was surprised and ended up failing. HR didn't lament poor attitude or lack of motivation, but the fact that my resume didn't meet the holding's standards: they typically hire younger candidates without gap years or career changes on record.
I feel betrayed and hopeless. Is this a normal way for companies to operate? Has anyone been through something similar? I'm beyond upset and reconsidering my life as a whole. I thought I could finally make it.
