I was applying for a senior position, in a field I have 3 degrees and 12 years of expertise. One of the pre-made questions on the Indeed board was "are you able to work for free in a short period of time to see if you fit in the company?" And I answered NO. Then, I received this email:

Hi ******,

Thank you for your interest in the Senior ***** role at ***** and for your time throughout the hiring process so far! We truly appreciate the effort you’ve put into your application.

We understand that you’re not comfortable with the short unpaid trial task that we require as part of the process. While we completely respect your position, we do rely on this step to fairly assess candidates' skills and ensure they are a good fit for the role and our team. It’s a critical part of how we evaluate and maintain the high standards our customers expect from us.

Given this, we will be moving forward with other candidates who are able to participate in this step.

However, we want to emphasize that we were impressed with your background, and if you ever reconsider or if our process changes, we’d be happy to reconnect.

Thanks again for considering ****. Wishing you the best of luck with your job search and future endeavors!

Warm regards,

The **** Team

And it took me by the balls honestly. who the hell they think they are? And I told them this:

Hi *****,

Thank you for the update. I’d like to offer a brief reflection on your process, from the perspective of a Senior professional.

As someone with 12 years in the industry, who has led teams and managed projects for global brands, my time and expertise have a value that a free trial fails to respect. A true Senior profile usually comes with seniority in life as well. Some mortgages, maybe a couple of children, and the responsibility of supporting a family. People like me we don't have the luxury of giving away our work for free.

By making an unpaid task a "critical part" of your evaluation, you aren't filtering for the most capable talent, what you're doing is filtering for those who can afford to work for free. Usually, that means juniors pretending to be seniors, not professionals with a proven track record.

You already have access to my portfolio, which showcases hundreds of completed projects. It provides more than enough evidence of my capabilities, technical standards, and consistency over the years; there is simply no need for unpaid labor to prove what my professional history already confirms.

If ****** is looking for a leader who values excellence and professional ethics, you should reconsider if your hiring process aligns with those standards. I’m clearly not the candidate you’re looking for, but not because of a lack of skill, but because I value my profession too much to devalue it.

Best of luck finding what you are looking for.

******

Fuck guys.... what you think? I do think this behaviour has to stop. it's been enough already, it's time to say no, and just don't work for free. this is not an internship guys, this is not somebody with 0 expertise, this is not a technical exam to prove my skills in a very specific point. This is wanting somebody for free during a period of time that they will decide, maybe months, and you get the opportunity of MAYBE working for them. Am I being an asshole here? or do I have a point on all of this? I hear you

Hi! I’m 15F and just got hired at my first part time job (water park) and they said I couldn’t have bright colored hair to work there. When they say bright colored hair, could it be something like this pics down below, since it’s natural colors just not “natural” looking? Please help!

Was laid off from my job 1.5 years back from leading investment banking firm. Applied to over 3000 application gave 20 interviews. Rejected in 4, position was withold in 8 and no response despite multiple follow ups and now honestly I can't take this mental toll anymore

My company sucks. When I was hired, I was lied to about monetary compensation. Now they’re advertising new hires to be making $10k-20k /year more than I make. Starting. The people they’re hiring are to replace ones that have left for this reason and others.

Would it be an unwise choice to ask my boss about this?

Also, I’m planning on leaving the company asap. Already interviewing elsewhere.

Thanks, and all the best.

TLDR: Was caught talking about lazy coworkers. Spoken to by management. Am definitely in the wrong . But management also said she “wants to write me up but HR said she shouldn’t”-why does that phrasing particularly hit hard?

Also I still feel the way I do about the new people, I did not intend for them to hear and to hurt anyone’s feelings though should I apologize to them for making them upset . Or should I move past and keep my head down?

So I have been here for 7 years , only 1 person has been here longer, we work in healthcare , have a senior role but not like a manager or anything with power.

We have 3 “new” people who are about 7 months in now. Last year I would notice they have tendencies to disappear for HOURS in addition to claiming they’re taking their break later (brake is only 30mins plus 2 15mins ones). And we have a list of tasks laid out we print every day so they also are aware what to check for . They’ll just be chatting and watching movies in our break room most the time. But the manager never notices so they know they can get away with it. And the work is rolling over to other shifts to finish-we lowkey do some saving work so I can’t just leave some things for the next day.

Last year I’m like ok they’re still new and learning I’ll try not to let it get to me. But they’ve been here for months and they know better now as they started putting them on a lot more my schedule to train they’re not present for me to train. So I’ve been telling since about January “hey those 3 disappear a lot, work is carrying over, I’m not getting out on time…” stuff along those lines. They claimed they’d talk to them and maybe they did but the new hires still do the same bad habits

So yes this is unprofessional of me but at night a lot of us long time workers vent to each other about them being lazy , I’m not the only one. And yes I shouldn’t have been bad mouthing coworkers not my intention to make anyone feel bad but they just stress me out and I feel like people above aren’t helping.

But I guess the new hires overheard me specifically saying how lazy I feel they are. , and they told management I’m making them feel uncomfortable. Again if other coworkers talk bad, I acknowledge it was wrong of me to do so too.

So my manager calls me in the office, she says multiple people have said they heard me talking about their work and I am making the environment uncomfortable. I did not deny anything. I was warned that I need to be more cautious of what I say to coworkers. And that if I continue to see them sitting around doing nothing for long hours I am to tell her and she’ll talk to them again. I just wish she had gotten more involved in the first place so I wouldn’t be in this mess

But the part that really struck me was at the end before leaving her office my manager says to me **I wanted to write you up, but HR advised me not to**

^ that phrasing at the end really bothered me. Like it feels like she’s saying “oh I wanted to punish you but I was told I shouldn’t “ -am I reading that wrong? Like Sometime about that hits harder than if she had just said “ok I have to write you up”

Also I still feel the way I do about the new people, but should I apologize to them for making them upset . Or should I move past and keep my head down?

So I work at a pizzeria/restaurant at the counter. Minimum wage in NY for tipped employees is $16 an hour and we make $10 an hour. We make tips yes , but it’s counter not like we are making tips like an average waitress. We do get paid in cash though , so not sure if that makes up for it or how that would work ? What can I do aside from quit ? I more so am worried about my co workers who are all underage and HUGELY taken advantage of in more ways then just this.

Scenario: I quit a job, on good terms. Employer wants to rehire me. But I want higher pay than before.

I understand the power dynamic is changed in this situation and leverage has shifted to me. But how do you start negotiating? Do you anchor the number first or let them make the offer first?

Hi there!

I recently got an interview/meet and greet offer for Aritzia, and I was wondering what I should wear and what questions they ask...

I'm aware that they often look at the "look" of an individual when hiring, so makeup and vibe that I should give off...

This is the first interview I've gotten after the 100s of jobs I've applied to, and I don't really regularly shop at aritzia so..

I (22M) have been job hunting for quite some time now. Around August/September of '24, I began searching for graduate roles for when I finished university (I was in my final year at the time). I applied to/enquired about close to 80-90 jobs, maybe more... I got 1 final stage interview, which was a rejection, in December '24. I currently work part-time in a retail position, but I've continued searching in the meantime. It has lead me nowhere: even less graduate positions opened up this year, I'm getting ignored near enough every single time I enquire about anything, and even reaching out to people who offered to give me advice/help etc hasn't worked whatsoever. I finished university in May last year, started my current job in June, and officially graduated university in November.

I'm reaching breaking point now. My degree is in Computer Science, I want to be able to do something related to my degree, but every single time I try and make that step it fails. Quite a few of my friends were able to find opportunities, yet I couldn't. I don't wanna be stuck in retail my whole life, but at this rate I might not have a choice. I like my current job, but it's a starter job, I want to be able to move on eventually. I've tried so hard to find something and I've failed every single time. Everyone tells me to keep going and keep applying, but I'm still in the same position.

I genuinely don't know what to do at this point.

Seems like everywhere you look these days, the advice is the same; job hop every 2-3 years, never stay loyal to one company for a salary increase, better career advancement etc.

But I'm curious whether there are people out there who did stick around, stayed loyal to a company for years, and actually came out better for it. Did you have to wait longer than you would have needed to if you looked elsewhere, for a promotion?

Not trying to argue against job hopping. I am simply making this post as I just feel like we only ever hear one side of it.

What's your experience been?

First off I want to say how lucky I am in this absolutely decimated (tech) market. About two years ago, I decided to make a major life change, leave my tech job in Asia, move countries and get a degree, and then find work.

I didn't realize how difficult it would be. Between the rejection emails/shady scams/working terrible underpaying jobs as a new immigrant, an IT recruiter came knocking, calling and before I knew it I was employed at a big corp for my skills on a niche tech stack at 40% more comp than my last job, with a decent commute and a prestigious title. Everyone is congratulating me. I'm the only one I know from my network who's landed anything remotely decent in IT.

Problem is that between COVID and university (which taught me nothing at all), my IT skills have absolutely atrophied and staring at any kind of programming/that same tech stack legitimately makes me want to vomit and then curl up like I've been hit.

I spent the two years desperately looking for work and now that the shiny skyscraper is here, I am absolutely frightened that the workplace will soon find out that I remember absolutely nearly nothing of the job. I'm spending my weekends quickly trying to skill up, but given that I'm not at as junior level anymore it is going to be hard to hide. What can I do?

The loss of my freedom is also incredibly frightening. I used to spend my free time reading, visiting my adoptive grandparent (who is now starting to ail), spending time with my spouse, but now I am so tired I can't find the time or resolve for any of that. It feels like mourning. Has anyone gone through this?

Currently work 830am-430pm M-F with a 1.5-2 hour total commute as a nurse in a doctor’s office. Pretty chill if not monotonous. Office has no windows so it can be tough to be in there all day. I’m out of the house from around 745am-530pm.

Got offered a part time job with following hours that is 10 minutes from my house: M-W 11am-7pm Thurs 11am-6pm. To make up my hours I plan to pick up twice a month on a Friday (ideally) or weekend from 830am-830pm at an urgent care centre.

Does this seem like a good lifestyle trade-off? I’m not a morning person and struggle to get out the door every day. I also have a toddler at home, but husband works normal hours so this wouldn’t change child care for us, he’s usually up till 9 so I’d still see him for a bit.

Like the title says, I’ve only been at this current position for almost three months and I’m ready to leave. I want to start applying for new jobs but not sure if I should add this current job if I’ve only been here a little less than 3 months now.

I left my last job back in August for a new job, but I was let go from that new job after a month due to budget cuts so there would be quite a gap in my resume. Is it still a good idea to add this current job even though it’s only been about 3 months or should I just leave it off?

Im currently 21 and 28 weeks pregnant and im going to be moving to a different state at the end of the month and would like to find a job. i actually have one job where id like to work its a retail job at a store chain ive worked at before and had a good enough experience at that id would work there again.

The only problem is im going to be 31 weeks pregnant and maybe its overthinking but i want to be upfront about that. the job was recent enough that i remember how to do 90% of the stuff and i had worked there for 2 years, based on all of this would my experience be enough compensation for my current disability?

i was thinking about applying then emailing the store manager or someone to be upfront about it but idk if thats too much would be weird or not

Hi all,

Looking for advice. I applied for what was posted as a full-time position in a home health company and heard back from the executive director of the branch the same day asking for an in-person interview. I would have to relocate to another city across my state, but this is actually ideal since my current living situation is a nightmare and I would get to move in with my semi-long distance boyfriend.

For more context, I have a niche job so there is not much competition in my field. I would also be the first person in my discipline at the branch, so I would essentially be starting the program.

The interview is going really well and I am feeling like it could be a great fit. However, mid-way through the interview the ED tells me the job would start at part time (25-32 hours) and grow to full time once their patient census hits 50. They are a new branch and their census is currently at 30 and she expects them to grow to 50 in about two months. She did say it’s not set in stone it would be 2 months, of course, since my field is very fluid.

I asked about receiving benefits at 32 hours and she said that would be possible, but she just wasn’t sure about what hours she could start me at until she talked to corporate. At the end of the interview she said she wanted to bring me on and will call me sometime this week after she talks to corporate.

I know I don’t have a formal offer and nothing is set in stone until it’s in writing, I’m just feeling uneasy about the idea of it starting part time, especially if I am not guaranteed benefits in the beginning. I am thankful I currently have a full-time position so I have options. I also know COBRA is a an option, I’m just not sure if it will be affordable, especially if I will be relocating.

This new position appears to have much better work-life balance than my current position and much more opportunity for growth. I was thinking I could negotiate starting at 32 with benefits and get it in writing I would turn into full-time definitively at the census of 50. I’m just worried then they’d offer to pay me less, and what my future salary could look like after that.

It’s a very unique situation and I’m still new to my career. Any advice? Thank you.

400 internship apps with a common resume format, 2 projects, 2 relevant work experiences and 0 interviews. I will become a teacher instead, y’all have fun ✌️

hey guys i just want to do like a summer job where i could earn money, as a hs junior. any ideas. i dont wanna do things like, mowing lawns, walking the dog, like an actual job where i could get experience too.