Almost a year of applying, two panel interviews with four people each, then an automated rejection: 'It really is as bad as they say it is'

A post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell from a job seeker who finally landed an interview at a decently sized company after almost a year of searching has drawn attention for how openly it describes what the process takes out of a person.

The original poster said that they went through a recruiter phone screening, then two panel interviews with four interviewers each. After the final round, he received an automated email saying the company had gone with someone else.

“I’m over my time being wasted,” he wrote. He said he is often overqualified, and questioned why eight people were needed to judge whether he was qualified, when they “grilled my resume, education” and asked the same questions for an hour in minor variations.

He cried for the first time while driving home, thinking about telling his wife that this one had not worked out. “I know it’s not true and these corporations are a*******, but I feel like a failure and it sucks trying to be strong in front of your laughing kids, but it feels like your teeth got kicked in. Something broke in me.”

He said he now feels no remorse for anyone who wastes the time of a person seeking work, and hoped recruiters, gatekeepers and middle managers would face the same treatment.

What Reddit said

One commenter focused on the poster himself: “My empathy with you towards the situation you are facing. Please take a moment to cool off and breathe. You’ve got a family rooting for you. Don’t get back to it first thing tomorrow. Forget it for a day or two, and when Monday comes around, then do it. You can, and most importantly, you will overcome this.”

Another netizen had a grim outlook: “Don’t worry. It’s coming soon. 2027 is going to make 2026 seem like a picnic.”

A third looked at the behaviour from both sides of the hiring process: “I think what we are seeing is people are so unfiltered these days. Usually, a little empathy, respect and understanding used to be expected. People are acting this way because there are no consequences for being rude and disrespectful.”

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