r/jobsearch

I have been interviewing with 2 companies, both of which I was equally interested in after the initial interviews with the hiring managers. After these interviews, one company (A) took a clear lead over the other (B). I just received an offer from Company A, and will be accepting it. At this time, I am no longer interested in Company B after meeting with more of the team and learning about the position. It does not align with my career goals or sound like a company I would like to work for. I did go through the full interview process with Company B in case Company A didn’t work out. I had the final interview with Company B today before receiving the offer from Company A, and believe there is a high probability that I will receive an offer from Company B. Would it be better to notify Company B now that I have accepted an offer? Or should I wait until they potentially offer me the role and respectfully decline it? The recruiter with Company B was aware that I was interviewing elsewhere and I let her know yesterday that I was expecting an offer from Company A.

I’m a new grad and accepted a job offer a few weeks ago because I was stressed about finding something after graduation. At the time, I thought it was a solid opportunity and I was excited to finally have something lined up. The organization has really good benefits, which was honestly a big factor in why I accepted in the first place. But after accepting, I’m realizing the actual work is not really what I want to be doing career-wise. The more I think about it, the more I’m worried I accepted out of fear and stability.

I don’t start for another month, and now I’m wondering if I should keep applying to other jobs in the meantime. Part of me feels guilty because I already accepted the offer, but another part of me feels like I shouldn’t lock myself into something I already have doubts about before I even start.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Would it be terrible to back out before starting if I got a better offer that aligned more with what I actually want?

What is your strategy? Job Market changes and layoffs everywhere and everyday..How do you handle hard time finding job?

I'm a 28 year old black man with 7 years of HR and recruiting experience. I went through two rounds of interviews with this major ticketing company that required 3 years of experience.

From my recruiting background I have a lot of experience with correctly answering questions and framing them in the context of my experience. I felt like I had one of the best interviews ever.

Weeks later they come back, reject my application and say that they liked me but that I was "overconfident" and needed to work on that in the future.

As a black man that has only been interviewed by white people, I doubt that if a white man walked in with the same demeanor and interview experience as me, that they would categorize him as
"overconfident."

Is this a micro aggression or am I overthinking??

Got 2 replies.

One was a rejection.

The other never answered after the interview.

At some point I stopped changing my CV and started wondering if job sites are just broken now.

Everything feels so random:

• jobs already filled
• fake listings
• 500+ applicants in 2 hours
• entry level needing 3 years experience

What finally worked for me was being more targeted instead of spamming applications everywhere. I found a small cleaning company looking for someone reliable, sent a normal message instead of some corporate sounding essay, and got hired a few days later.

Honestly made me realise people don’t really need “more applications” anymore. they need better matching between people and opportunities.

That’s probably why platforms like DealSenseMatch are starting to make more sense now.

Job hunting in 2026 genuinely feels harder than it should be.

I am 28 and not found a job for over a year since 2024 of NOV.. I am in Canada and am applying like crazy but nothing. I have a degree in global development and MA in polisci and have had only one interview last month and got nothing and am feeling depressed/stuck and not progressing anywhere

I am doing part time stuff for my parent but I feel the longer this goes on, they are trying to decide my path for me such as saying I should start my own company and are really pushing that and don't really want to do that or going back to school but feel that's not so helpful as I need experience. Unsure how courses can help

I am frustrated as people my age are in higher positions and I've barely started an entry level role

Honestly what can I do or any tips as I am getting pissed. I applied for one summer job program and didn't even get an interview

I was scheduled for an interview with a hiring manager after a recruiter screen. The HM kept repeatedly telling the recruiter that she was excited to meet me. There were some technical difficulties so it was rescheduled but the HM still kept saying she was so excited and to have the interview as soon as possible.

As soon as the interview started, she basically stated that I am not (X Job Title) and that she sees “no evidence of it”, despite me currently working as X Job Title and having had interviews at that level and higher for major companies. She then tried to ask me technical questions to “prove” this and I aced every one, but she would just move the goal post unnecessarily. For instance, she might ask “have you ever used X software?” and I would say yes and explain in detail how I used it… then she would say “so I guess you haven’t used Y software then” when there is no logical link to suggest that… she was just completely making it up. When I then explain that I used that one, then she would jump to “so I guess you don’t manage a large team”… when I explain that, then she says “well, it sounds like your team does everything, so you are not touching anything yourself”… I then explain what actions I take alone and then she says “so you are not developing a team”…

The whole interview was basically just a fake moving target interview that she essentially begged to have. Are hiring managers that bored these days?

Edit: This was not an external recruiter. I already know that things can get weird at agencies and rarely deal with them. This was the company’s corporate recruiter.

Had an original call scheduled and they rescheduled which is fine. Then they no notice no showed the rescheduled interview call.

I sent them an email to reschedule blah blah blah. Never got a reply.

This morning I get a rejection email from the same person and in the email it reads as if we actually had a call.

Wtf is wrong with these companies?!

It's legit what i said

A lot of smart people are not failing interviews because they lack skills.
They’re failing because they over-explain everything.

Especially experienced candidates.

I’ve seen senior engineers, marketers, analysts, and managers give answers like they’re trying to defend a thesis instead of having a conversation.

The problem is:
When people get nervous, they often confuse “more information” with “better communication.”

So they start adding every detail:
the background,
the timeline,
every technical explanation,
every side note,
every justification.

And somewhere in the middle, the actual point gets lost.

But we are usually asking ourselves much simpler questions:
Can this person communicate clearly?
Can they organize their thoughts under pressure?
Can they prioritize important information?
Would clients or leadership trust this person in conversations?

That’s why concise communication matters so much at senior levels.

A strong answer does not need to sound complicated.
It needs to sound clear.

One thing that helps a lot:
Lead with the main point first.

Instead of building suspense for 4 minutes, start with:
“My approach was…”
“The main challenge was…”
“What I focused on first was…”

Then explain only the details that actually support the answer.

Ironically, people often sound more senior when they say less, not more.

If you need some advice regarding interviews or want insights into how interviewers filter candidates during interviews, feel free to ask below.

Since January Ive applied for 40+ roles and almost half didn't even acknowledge the application.

Interviews feel more competitive than ever, recruiters are overloaded, and every job post seems to amass 300 applicants within hours.

Its hard to stay consistent without letting the process wreck my confidence.

Biggest things I hear people say,

• tailoring CV's for each role
• apply early
• networking instead of “easy apply” spam
• taking breaks before burnout hits - which I hate because when I'm on a break I feel guilty for not doing more, when I know I should be taking a break! Its a vicious circle.

Anyone else finding the market unusually brutal right now, or is it just me?

I’ve been applying for remote jobs for 7 months now I have experience good references good work background and education. I have had terrible luck finding a place to hire me. I recently (3 months ago) redid my resume with help from AI and still no luck. I’m trying to figure out why I’m not getting called for interviews from legitimate employer. Is AI to blame is my resume being weeded out before I am even getting a chance. I don’t know what to do anymore. The machines are winning.

Had 4 rounds of interview, with final one with the CEO (its a startup) felt really positive- sent a follow up on got no reply, with no reply still (7 days later). So confused what to expect with this. Do startups ghost candidates too? Any recruiters here with tips?

Edit: they rejected me because they wanted somebody senior, after all this- I guess this how startups are

I lost my job 2 months ago. I've searched nonstop the day after it happened, but have had no luck after the first 2 interviews. I'll make it past the first screening, but after the second round, I'm ghosted. I've sent follow-up emails to recruiters two weeks after the interviews and have yet to hear back. I'm extremely frustrated and burnt out by the whole process, and I'm not sure what else I can do.

I've drilled myself in interviewing and done dozens of mock interviews with friends, family, and online videos. I have my elevator pitch down to a tee and all the success stats in my back pocket ready to go.

My fiancé thinks hiring managers are skeptical because I'm young and I was the director in my previous role. I don't want to water down the title I earned because I feel like I would be underselling the experience I do have. What do I do?

Lots of my friends have been saying this recently.

And get this, (depending on the study and how “ghost jobs” are defined), estimates suggest that roughly 18–27% of listings may be ghost jobs. meaning roles that are posted but not actively being filled.

Why are they doing this? Marketing?

Do you guys recognise when a job posting is a fake one?

I have been seeing a lot of content in social media about how good Claude, Chat GPT and other AI tools help in their job search but whenever I try to use them for myself I don’t get anything out of it. I just saw a content on how Claude can scrape LinkedIn job postings and give your relevant job. Used it to see a whole bunch of jobs which stopped accepting responses already. By the way I specifically mentioned it to give me job postings that are available right now. Am I doing something wrong?. Need some advice here.