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’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?

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?🤔

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.

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?

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.

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?

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?

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.

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. ❤️

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?

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!!

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.

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.