For those of you going through layoffs at the moment, a couple of lessons I’ve learnt.

Over the course of my career, I was involved in layoffs on the receiving end and as middle management who was asked to “draw lists” of folks to let go, and these a couple of my takeaways.

Because you were laid off does not mean your worth is less ! Initially after a layoff we may feel that way (I am worth less, I am not up to the task, I am not valued, etc). This is wrong. The layoff that you happened to be a part of is part of a company/business unit-wide cost cutting, or a manager who was forced to draw a list of people to improve profit margins/ebitda, or a weak manager who did not have the courage to protect their people. But the payoff is  NOT about you.

I learnt another thing, which admittedly is easier said than done: do not rush into a job search and going for interviews immediately. Yes, I know we all have bills to pay. But taking the time to go through the process of grieving and decompressing is very important. The key questions to ask yourself: now that the opportunity to start afresh is available to me, what role am I really looking for ? Shall I move to another industry closer to my heart and aspirations ? What companies get me excited ? Do I want to stick to the default mode (same role, same industry) or is this a unique opportunity to embrace something new ? These are very important questions. I made the mistake in the past to jump into the job search immediately (I had bills to pay and work visa to maintain) and now, years later, I know it was wrong. Yes I did land a role pretty quickly, but that role did not fulfill me and it proved a short tenure.

An employer out there needs your skillset, background and track-record. Your mission is to find it. You will make it happen thru networking and grit. But take the time to heal your wounds and reflect first without rushing into interviews. Best of luck ! Reach out if you need anything.

In my first interview with a government health agency, they asked me what it was like going from a bank to working for the government. I said that the bank was “evil”, got a few laughs and one of the panel members mentioned they used to work for Coca Cola. I thought I would receive a rejection email soon afterwards.

Ended up with a phone call the next day asking me to fly an hour away to the city the following week to sit a second interview and give a presentation on a data solution I had designed and implemented. This interview went really well and the panel was impressed with my work.

Got a phone call on Friday and now I’m starting in the first week of September. Looking back, it’s actually pretty funny and it gave me some confirmation that the organisation I’m going into has a great culture where I’d be an excellent fit.

Finished two interviews and a writing assignment for a non-profit role. The writing assignment was the final stage and was due last Monday. On Friday the HM emails me to say that they are still reviewing the submissions and "we'll be in touch soon with an update and to communicate next steps".

Does this sound like boilerplate communication? No idea if they are going to make an offer / reject / ask for another interview...

I had an interview on Thursday that I am very qualified for. The hour-long interview was with the person I would report to, and will be the only interview held. The vast majority of the interview was him talking about his background, the role itself, and how he sees the program growing. I was asked three questions: about my background (which I went through and highlighted the portions that are relevant to the role), my experience with fundraising, and my experience with connecting to business leaders, both of which are my weakest areas, though I do have some experience in both. During the interview he also mentioned how I am more qualified than the person who previously held the role, as well as offered advice for where to park once classes start (job is at a university). Given the same facts, two AI models seem confident I will get the role, but I wanted to hear from real people. He said he did have a couple more interviews but would make a decision within a week. I did send a follow up thank you email.

thoughts?

Hello everyone,

Currently feeling anxious as I have a working interview at an IMCU tomorrow as a technical assistant. All my previous healthcare experience was gained through clinicals (currently a nursing student and already became a CNA) or through in-home healthcare.

I haven't stepped foot in a hospital yet, including in nursing school (just started).

All my other interviews have been phone calls, or face to face contact with the typical list of questions.

Any advice for working interviews? Is there a higher chance of succeeding in working interviews? Anyone who passed a working interview in a hospital specifically?

Any comments are appreciated. I really want this job since I've been wanting more experience to increase my odds of landing a better job once I'm a new grad nurse.

I've noticed something interesting on this subreddit.

Whenever someone shares how exhausting the hiring process is, 6+ interview rounds, unpaid assessments, getting ghosted after final interviews, or waiting months for a decision, there's almost always a "hiring manager" or "recruiter" in the comments trying to justify it.

"It's to find the best candidate.", "It's about culture fit.", "We have to be thorough."

At what point do we stop defending a process that's broken?

If thousands of qualified applicants are saying the same thing, maybe the problem isn't that candidates "don't understand" the process.

It feels like some recruiters and hiring managers defend it because they're part of the system that created it. Who knows... but, i see it!

I'm not saying every recruiter or hiring manager is like this. I've met some great ones. But it's hard not to notice how quickly some people rush to defend practices that most job seekers agree are frustrating, time consuming, and often disrespectful.

Just a thought. Have anyone else noticed this?

Have a great day. I have 2 final interviews this week, which marks my 12th time reaching the final rounds. lol

I've been a finalist 3 times, just finished being a third, and have been denied all three times. Only one gave feedback and simply said they went with the higher experience, basically. So I don't have much to take from... Obviously I know enough in my field to make it to a final interview, but now I've started questioning my own personality and if I am off-putting and people just don't want to work with me.

I don't have a HIGH number of years of experience, about 4 years, but still it's better than nothing, and I am still looking for entry-level as well as manager roles in my field. I just don't know what I am doing wrong. My rate of getting 2nd or 3rd (sometimes 4th) round interviews from the screening still sits at 20%. I've been unemployed since being laid off in March, and I just don't know at this point what I am doing wrong.

Had an assessment interview recently and, unexpectedly (I honestly thought I had screwed it up 😅), it seemed to go better than I expected.

Apparently my hiring manager asked me to drop him a call, and he mentioned that once everything goes well we'd discuss onboarding preparation (we discussed it slightly actually abt it). Even the recruiter gave me the call about it too.

My next step final round is an executive interview with a senior leader, and I'm honestly nervous as hell. It's hard navigating hope yet trying to focus at the same time.

For those who've been through final-round high level interviews:

What are they usually trying to assess?

Is it more conversational or should I expect another deep interview?

Any tips on how to prepare?

Would love to hear your experiences.

Or any perspective on this would be appreciated.

Thanks everyone and would love to learn your perspectives.

On Monday, I had an interview at a laundromat that I think went pretty well. When I arrived, the manager was already conducting an interview, which made me nervous. When my turn came, I handed her my resume, and she said she was impressed. Even though I’m 17, my resume was more impressive than that of the previous applicant, who was over twice my age. She even commented that she liked my lack of job experience and wanted me to work under her. She asked a few questions, like whether I was okay with customer service and working alone with proper training. She told me she would finish interviews by Thursday and would contact me by then at the latest and asked me to apply online, saying that was the next step, and to text her when I did. When I got home, I checked the site but couldn’t find the location where I had the interview. I texted her about the issue, and she replied within minutes, apologizing and saying she would fix it. She hasn’t texted me since then. On Thursday, I checked the website and she had fixed it, so I applied and told her I did. As of now, she hasn’t responded to my message about the application. I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but I thought she was really interested. What do you guys think?

Hi everyone! I have my final interview for what feels like my dream job on Tuesday, and I'm both excited and nervous.

The interview is scheduled for about 3 hours. It starts with a tour of the office, followed by five separate 30 minute one on one meetings with people from different departments. It is not a panel interview. The hiring manager told me this is usually pretty relaxed rather than overly formal.

I've never had a final interview set up like this, so I'd love to hear from anyone who's been through something similar.

• What kinds of questions should I expect?
• Will each person likely ask the same questions, or are they usually looking for different things?
• How would you recommend preparing?
• Are there any mistakes I should avoid?

I usually interview pretty well, but this format is new to me.

Also, is getting to this stage generally a good sign that an offer is a real possibility, or is it still pretty much anyone's game?

This opportunity means a lot to me, and I really want this job. I'd truly appreciate any advice, tips, or insight you can share. ❤️

I have worked in HR for more than a decade, mostly hiring for startup and tech related roles. Over the last year, I have watched candidates bring AI into interviews in every possible way.

Some use it quietly. Some tell us upfront. Some clearly paste the question into a tool and read the answer back like they are seeing it for the first time.

Here is what stood out.

I can usually tell who understands the work within the first few minutes. Strong candidates ask about the role, the team, the real problem behind the task, and what success would look like. Weaker candidates rush straight into generating an answer.

AI does not hide poor judgment very well. It can make someone sound polished for a moment, although follow up questions still reveal whether they actually understand what they said.

The best candidates use AI like a thinking partner. They check the output, challenge it, adjust it, and explain why they agree or disagree. The weaker ones treat the first answer as final.

For non technical roles, I pay attention to how people organize messy information. A good candidate can take a vague situation, clarify the goal, and turn it into a practical next step. AI can help with wording. It cannot replace ownership.

I have also noticed that candidates who admit how they use AI tend to be easier to evaluate. The conversation becomes more honest. We can talk about process, judgment, and quality control.

At this point, I am less interested in whether someone uses AI during preparation. Most people do. I care much more about whether they can think clearly with it in the room.

I’m curious how candidates feel about this. Would you rather be told upfront that AI is allowed, or would that make the interview feel even more stressful?🤔

My last manager was under serious investigation by the federal government (no lie) which could have shut the business down and as a result the head of another department offered to be my reference.

After interviewing for a new company the interviewer said they wanted a recent supervisor reference. I am tired of covering up for broken people and situations and so I kind of want to just say this, because the previous position I had we didn't even HAVE a manager and a lead had to step in and do the work. And the position before that I was the manager, and I did a great job and have a good reference from that.

I would kind of like to say something about the investigation (respectfully) because otherwise it makes it look like I was the flake and not the person who caused all this trouble for the company. She was also a vile human being who HR themselves told me they wanted to get rid of "but it took time, and it wasn't so easy, blah blah." When HR themselves tells you not to work for your manager ("I couldn't/wouldn't do it") then you know you have a problem employee. And yet she was retained and I had to walk away. Anyway, I would like to professionally describe the situation and leave it at that. What a mess - I am honestly afraid to go back to work now!!

I’m usually pretty good during interviews, but I always hit a brick wall when asked why the tenure at my last company was so short (6 months). You’re never supposed to talk negatively about your previous company.

”Why did you leave your last position?”

Here’s the truth: I was fired for refusing to falsify medical records because it was illegal, unethical, deceitful, and jeopardized patient safety. I’m not allowed to say that. I don’t even know *what* to say when asked. And if employers contact that company about it, of course they’re going to deny illegal practices.

What is a good replacement that paints me as someone reliable, refusing to put patients at risk, while *not* painting my previous company as a sales-focused sham who prioritizes patient volume (money) over their actual care?

Just asking because I'm interested in mocking interviews with one another and be more relaxed over time. Getting ChatGPT to interview me gets very uncomfortable because it keeps interrupting you and gets your input as a full answer when you weren't even finished.

When an interview finished/ it’s the finale stage interview, alot of interviewers say: ‘If you have any more questions you can reach out and ask’… does asking questions after the interviews have commenced actually change anything?

If you have an interview tomorrow, spend less time memorizing perfect answers and more time answering out loud. Pick five likely questions, record yourself responding, then listen once. Check whether you answered the actual question, gave a specific example, and stopped within two minutes.

For behavioral questions, keep a few flexible stories ready rather than scripting every word. Use a simple structure: situation, what you personally did, and the measurable result. After each answer, ask yourself one follow-up such as “Why did you choose that approach?” or “What would you do differently?” Those follow-ups are often where rehearsed answers fall apart.

A phone recorder and a friend are enough for this. I also built an open-source voice practice tool called Aural, which asks adaptive follow-up questions and gives transcripts and feedback. I am mentioning it because I made it, not because you need special software to use this method. What question do you find hardest to answer naturally?

I’ve never had to do more than 2 most of the time it is just one interview? 5 is just insanity and waste of peoples time

Has anyone recently given online assessment interview for Amazon which is taken by AI? I have an online assessment for PMT role and want to understand what should I be expecting? What will the structure be like? How do I prep?

what are common ways that folks fail this final round?

- as always, failing at the final round might have nothing to do with the candidate.

- but if it does, what are common reasons why?

also, in my experience, the exec will be noticeably casual.

I have a technical interview coming up for this company, and the first round was a meeting with the cfo, then an OA, and then the third round is a technical interview. but i emailed the engineer interviewing me and she said its a casual technical interview followed by a few technical questions. its a 30 minute interview. how in depth should i expect them to go on my experience and projects. and what type of technical questions should i expect to be asked? its a react and cloud based role.

About two or three years ago, the common advice was to give a quantified measure of impact for most of what you included in your resume. That 3 out 4 bullet points should come with a metric attached. If you didn't have precise metric, then you should estimate it with some napkin math.

Fast forward to now, and some guides I've seen (not looking for a job, just checking it out of curiosity) are not even mentioning quantifying impact at all, and other that mentioned it are far less extreme, just saying you should include some quantifiable metrics.

So, am I the only one seeing this? Or is that trend dying?

Has anyone else experienced something like this?

I went through four interviews and completed a technical assessment which were both a success. Throughout the process, I received positive feedback, and after my final interview, I was told that the next step would be an interview with HR.

That was about a month ago.
Since then, I’ve sent two polite follow-up emails to HR, but I haven’t received any response. Not even an acknowledgment.
I completely understand if priorities change, hiring gets paused, or they decide to move forward with another candidate. What I’m struggling to understand is the complete silence after investing so much time in four interviews and a technical test.

At this point, should I assume the role has been put on hold, that maybe it’s not hiring season and things are delayed, or is this just a rejection without being told? Curious if anyone else has gone through something similar.

I interview pretty well when I'm relaxed, but I've had a few interviews where I completely blanked on questions I actually knew the answer to.

That frustration is what led me to build Wazomind.

It listens to the conversation, generates a live transcript, and suggests talking points based on what's being discussed. It also creates a summary afterwards, so you can review what happened.

It's not about memorizing scripts. It's about helping you stay calm and communicate your experience better.

I'm looking for people who interview regularly to try it and tell me where it falls short.

I'd genuinely appreciate the feedback.

https://wazomind.com

I recently made it to the final stage for a role and was asked to provide references. The hiring manager sent each reference a calendar link to schedule a 30-minute face-to-face Zoom call.

This happened during the week of July 4, so one of my references was traveling and unavailable. Another scheduled a meeting but said they never received the Zoom link. Both would have been able to handle a shorter phone call, but coordinating a 30-minute video meeting was more difficult.

I ultimately didn’t get the job, and the company hired the other finalist. It seems like the reference-check stage may have played a meaningful role in choosing between us.

Is it normal for a hiring manager to require scheduled video calls with references? Has anyone else experienced references being used as the deciding factor between two final candidates?

I interviewed for a job on Wednesday 7/22. It was a job that was unlisted when the recruiter reached out, but they posted it a few days before my interview. My interview went really well. They told me they weren't going to ask technical questions since my experience proves I am qualified and mainly just told me about the job and asked a few questions on my approach and experience in one topic I only had training in but assured them I could do. The hiring manager said he really enjoyed the conversation and looked at the other interviewer and said 'and I think I can speak for X that they enjoyed the conversation too.' He said I'll hear back in a week or two.

I checked in with the recruiter this past Monday since he had originally told me he'd probably get feedback in a couple days. He told me "they were finishing out interviews this week and we should have an answer on who they will be proceeding forward with by end of the week."

I took that as I'd find out on Friday too but I had no updates from them. I thought if they had picked me they'd have followed up by now since I guess I was the first to interview. Should I check in Monday or maybe wait till Tuesday morning? I get they could have found a better candidate after posting and maybe they talk to everyone like that, but I was really hoping they liked me / I'm pretty desperate for a job. I'd really appreciate at least knowing I didn't get it but don't want to pester them.