Job seeker goes through 7 interview processes without an offer as others share similar struggles
A post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell had someone listing seven recent interview processes. The first ended in rejection after two rounds. The second went through three rounds, including a final interview, before they were turned down in favour of someone “more junior.” The third involved three rounds and a prepared presentation, only to end with an automated rejection email.
The fourth stalled after a single round, with the company saying a month later that it was “still interviewing other candidates.” The fifth also ended after one round, with the employer explaining it had chosen someone more senior, but asking whether the original poster would be willing to freelance. The sixth ended after two rounds with the familiar line that the company was moving forward with “someone who is a better fit.” The seventh, which included a first interview, an assessment, a second round and a final interview, is still pending, though they say they have lost all faith.
“Every interview feels the same. Same questions, same politeness, same compliments on my work,” they wrote. In 2024, they said, they were hired faster with less experience. “Now I have a competitive portfolio, and I get more callbacks but no conversions.”
What Reddit said
One commenter said that they could have written the post themselves. Laid off in April, they had six interviews lined up at the start of October, which have since narrowed to two final-stage processes and one new opportunity that includes a two-hour lunch interview and a panel the following day. “Why is the narrative turning to it being all our fault we aren’t employed yet?” they asked.
Another offered some perspective: “You’ve had seven interviews? That’s pretty good. How many applications have you put out in total?” Reaching that many interviews suggests the resume and portfolio are doing their job.
Several people noted that this was widespread. “Lots of us have made it to second, third, or fourth rounds and done take-home assignments, only to be ghosted with no word and no feedback. This is just the world we live in right now,” one wrote.
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One commenter shared a harder story, describing a husband who has had about 40 interviews over three years of unemployment, with one near-offer evaporating after the head of the company went to jail.
Another said simply: “The job market is much worse than it was in 2024.”
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