Approaching month 7 of being laid off.

19 Comments

1. AnonymousOctober 3,2023 at 5:57PM UTC

   Ask them upfront what the interview timeline looks like and what's involved.

   Quick question: did you put your search on hold during this interview process?

2. AnonymousOctober 3,2023 at 10:40PM UTC

   Look it comes down to fit. The hiring company and team are usually very open and enthusiastic if they kept you hanging for 2 months. So, I'm pretty sure it's nothing you did or didn't do. In the end they pick the best fit. There is nothing your could have done to "fit" better. They obviously felt you were a strong candidate. They kept you in the process until the end.

   If you want you can reach out for feedback but honestly I would try and not take this as a defeat. You were prepared and you made a great effort.

   I'm sorry this didn't work out but the next one will. You will find a great job. I promise!

   Remember this is a very tough market. The toughest I've seen. So don't focus on the number of months of unemployment as a measure of your worth because it simply not.

   Hang in there. Hugs!

3. AnonymousOctober 3,2023 at 11:12PM UTC

   Don't take it personal, I had the same happen. Someone suggested I apply for a position even told me I would "be perfect " for the job. I never got it, and am now more than ever in my boss' cross hairs as if to be saying "what makes you so special " they were never considering me from step one. Keep looking. Best to you.

4. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistOctober 5,2023 at 2:16AM UTC

   I'm sorry that you're having a tough time. Please don't let this get you down.

   Chances are there was someone else who was just a bit better of a fit.

   The good news is your resume is doing it's job - you're getting interviews. And you're doing well enough in the interviews to make it to the final rounds.

   I doubt there's anything you could have done differently. The job search these days really is a marathon, not a sprint. I recommend candidates try not to become too invested in any one position until you have a written offer in your hand.

   Yes, be enthusiastic and engaged. Be interested in the position and the company. But never take your foot off the gas in your job search or put all your eggs in one basket (dang, that sounds like a lot of sappy sayings) and PLEASE don't beat yourself up.

   Please let me know if you have any questions.

   GOOD LUCK!!

5. Gwinevere von LudwigOctober 5,2023 at 3:07PM UTC

   I'm approaching month 9. On Monday, I was told I was moving to a 4th round with a bank. On Wednesday, they rejected me. I don't have ANY potential jobs in the pipeline currently. I'm running on fumes, and am just so depressed all of the time. I don't know what to do, and I totally feel your pain.

   Them rejecting you probably had nothing to do with you, though. There are always a number of external forces at work: they decided to fill the job internally, they canceled the position altogether, etc. Believe me, I've heard them all...the one thing I would recommend you do (if you aren't already) is keep applying and networking even when you think something is going to work out.

6. AnonymousOctober 5,2023 at 10:50PM UTC

   10 months here...

7. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 12:05PM UTC

   9 Months here

8. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 12:40PM UTC

   Don't take it personal.

   I was interviewing applicants for a position on my team. I literally got a message while interviewing a person that the position had been eliminated. It was nothing the applicant did wrong and it was out of my hands.

   This is the toughest job market I have seen in my 30+ years of working. While "everyone" is hiring, it is often for positions that won't pay the bills. It is a catch 22 because if you are receiving any assistance from the government, a minimum wage job will cancel that assistance.

   I hope you find the perfect job for you and your needs.

9. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 12:49PM UTC

   Hi there, sorry to hear about your situation.

   Don’t stop looking until you got an actual offer and a start date. Things do change and anything can happen.

   Also, let them know that even you are pregnant, what your potential start date would be. That would give then se assurance that you do need to work and won’t bail out on the position once accepted it.

10. KaliOctober 6,2023 at 12:52PM UTC

    Hi Amanda,

    I'm afraid I don't have much to add, only that I was in your exact position in August 2020. Literally. I was seven months unemployed and lost out on a job I thought for sure I had after three interviews and a hypothetical project. I was so unbelievably crushed.

    The feedback I got from them was that I wasn't innovative enough. I got my dream job four months later and within two months won an award for innovation.

    I just want to give you support as someone who's been there. It will get better.

11. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 3:16PM UTC

    Happy you received the job and Innovation Award! You won! Great story.

12. Wendy CurtisOctober 6,2023 at 12:55PM UTC

    Sorry you had to go through this, a perfect position for you is still out there. Don't give up. The nonprofit organization I work for is having the opposite problem. We are currently hiring for an Executive Director, a BSP and a Personnel Administrator II. We are having a hard time finding qualified applicants to interview.

13. E. SmithOctober 6,2023 at 1:05PM UTC

    I hope that you’ll find a job soon. I really don’t understand why it takes so many interviews. Back in the day, you interviewed and got a call back in the next day or so to confirm that you were hired or not. I’m seasoned and don’t understand this new process. You need to have all these degrees and work experience, but guess what? You will be trained by your new company standards, while possibly offering some insight from your past experiences.Also, if you’re not a good fit after a gazillion rounds of interviews and you’re not performing as expected, you’re out the door. So, please stop wasting folks time. Good Luck!

14. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 2:05PM UTC

    I have been through this frustrating hiring process as well. My advice is to continue to apply and interview for jobs, even if you feel you will be hired for a specific role. The more interviews you get the more confident you will feel. Getting the interview can be challenging, so give yourself credit, especially for getting through three rounds of interviews. That’s impressive. In the meantime, you may want to look into the “WIOA grant” program offered by the U.S. Department of Labor. I went through this program to show employers I was staying relevant with my skills.

15. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 3:48PM UTC

    I went through a similar situation a few years ago and in that case, it was five rounds of interviews, including also submitting a few writing samples.
    The last rounds of interviews were with senior leaders that the role would not require me to work with directly on a daily basis, if ever, yet they felt they needed to have a say.

    The worse part however, was that I was informed that my rejection was largely based on the number of job changes on my resume. Yet in the five rounds of interviews, they never ONCE asked about it to at least allow me the chance to explain the circumstances. Worse, they had my resume from the moment I applied, yet still made me go through all these rounds to say that my job changes was a red flag to them.

    That experience is what made me decide that I'm not doing anything more than three rounds at most for any job - initial screening call with the recruiter, interview with hiring manager and maybe final interview with the team I'd be working with. That's it.

    And honestly, I think it's almost cruel on the part of some of these potential employees to put individuals, some of whom are already so stressed from their financial burden, dealing with rejection after rejection, etc. through so much only to reject them in the end. Because I don't care what any company says, most hiring managers/companies can tell fairly early if someone is a good fit for a role or not.

16. AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 4:59PM UTC

    Most important to remember...it's not you...it's them (literally). I decided to fight back. I have been through the same. Find contact and email a few levels up, and send an email highlighting your skills. Ask Chat GPT to create an email related to an employment regret and tweak it. If you receive a canned rejection from recruiting, it's even better. Find the executive within the org that is hiring and tell them why they would benefit from your skills. I am receiving responses.

17. Frances OsheaOctober 7,2023 at 4:33AM UTC

    Hi I went to work yesterday I had a good start signed in we have minutes to read before starting but on this day there was nothing so I went down to my department got on with my work a bit later we had our delivery ? in so we all have stock to work, but I w

18. Frances OsheaOctober 7,2023 at 4:41AM UTC

    Stock to work so we work in pairs, any way my supervisor ask me why didn't I price up the vitamin C tablets so I said that I was going to but ia customer need my help so I did that and forgot to go back and do so she told me off for not doing it and I said I'm fed up with you picking on me. So she went off and put a full complete in so I called to the bank office and my boss wanted to know why I said Ishw picking on me so I that is how I feel. Anyway I didn't know that my boss had gave orders to his supervisors to make sure that staff carry out his orders so I didn't know and I've got into trouble. But u didn't realise that picking was a from of bullying

19. AnonymousOctober 8,2023 at 3:27AM UTC

    I'm going on month 15 here. I have had interviews, but few offers.

    This current job market is awful! I keep hoping it will improve.

    I don't think there was anything you could have done differently. It probably had nothing to do with you. Sometimes the department lost the funding for the job. Sometimes they want to hire someone's family member.

    Good luck to you. I hope you find something soon.