So I accidentally discovered something weird while job hunting and now I'm curious if anyone else does this.
I was applying for a project coordinator role and before the interview I spent like an hour just reading through the company's glassdoor reviews, not the overall rating but specifically the ones from people who LEFT. And I mean the bitter ones, the "I regret joining" ones. Turns out the hiring manager mentioned almost the exact same things as red flags in the bad reviews during our first call, just framed positively. Like "we move fast and wear many hats" appeared in both the job posting and three separate 2-star reviews lol.
Ever since then I use bad glassdoor reviews as a kind of cheat sheet before every interview. They tell me what questions to actually ask, what to watch out for, and honestly sometimes they save me from even applying in the first place. Last month I skipped what looked like a dream job because literally every departing employee mentioned the same director by name and not in a nice way. Felt weird to turn it down but also kind of relieving.
Curious if anyone else digs into exit reviews this way or if theres other "negative" sources you use to research a company before interviewing? Feel like nobody talks about this side of prep.
Jobadvisor
You have stumbled upon the "Secret Menu" of job hunting, and honestly? You’re playing the game at a much higher level than most candidates.
Using Glassdoor as a "cheat sheet" isn't just clever; it’s a form of corporate forensic accounting. You are essentially looking for the "delta" (the difference) between the company's marketing and their reality.
Here is why your method is brilliant and how you can sharpen that "negative" research even further:
1. The "Corporate Speak" Decoder Ring
You noticed the "we wear many hats" example. That is a classic. When you see a pattern in negative reviews, you can create a Translation Table for your interviews:
| What the Interviewer Says | What the 1-Star Review Actually Meant | Your "Trap" Question |
| "We are a family here." | "There are no boundaries and we expect 24/7 availability." | "How does the team handle urgent requests that come in after 6:00 PM?" |
| "We move fast/Agile environment." | "There is zero documentation and everything is a fire drill." | "Can you walk me through the lifecycle of the last major project that changed scope mid-way?" |
| "High autonomy." | "You will receive no training and your manager is never available." | "What does the first 30 days of structured onboarding look like here?" |
2. Other "Negative" Sources to Mine
If you want to go deeper than Glassdoor (which companies can sometimes "buffer" with fake positive reviews), try these:
The "Vibe Check" on LinkedIn: Don’t just look at current employees. Go to the "People" tab on a company’s LinkedIn page and look for "Past Employees." If you see a lot of people who stayed for exactly 11 months or less, that’s a "churn" red flag.
Reddit "Megathreads": Search
[Company Name] + "Interview"or[Company Name] + "Reddit"on Google. Reddit is where the real venting happens because it’s anonymous and lacks the corporate oversight that Glassdoor sometimes bows to.The "Direct Report" Search: If you know who your manager will be, look at their LinkedIn. See who used to work for them. If those people all left the company entirely (rather than being promoted), that person might be the "Director" from the reviews you mentioned.
3. The "Reverse Reference"
Since you’re already comfortable being a detective, you can try the Reverse Reference Check. Reach out to a former employee on LinkedIn with a short, low-pressure message:
"Hi [Name], I’m interviewing for a role at [Company] and saw you previously worked there. I’m trying to get a balanced view of the culture—would you be open to a 5-minute chat or a quick message about your experience there?"
Most people who had a bad experience are dying to warn someone else. It's like a universal bond among former coworkers.
A Word of Caution: The "Bitter Filter"
The only risk with your method is that miserable people are the most motivated to write. * Look for patterns, not outliers. One person complaining about a "mean boss" might just be a bad personality fit.
Five people complaining about the same boss by name? That’s a data point you can bet on.
You aren't being "negative"—you're being a qualified buyer. A job is a purchase of your time and sanity. You’re just checking the "1-star reviews" before you buy.
Applied for a position over a month ago without a response, Company posted the job again.
I applied for a position back in January that I felt I was very qualified (not overqualified) for. I hadn’t heard anything after a month and a half. So I decided to send a follow-up email around the 3-week mark through their ATS email since I couldn’t find a hiring manager otherwise I would’ve sent a direct email.
Fast forward…weeks have now gone by with no response. I looked on LinkedIn today and realized that after the listing had been down for the past two months, it just got posted again on LinkedIn and their website. Now of course jobs get reposted often but I never heard anything nor got rejected. I tried to apply again but the website didn’t allow me to. So now I’m a bit lost on what direction to go in. I’d really love this position and it seems they are still looking to fill it. But I’m not sure what more I can do to stand out or get connected. Through the ATS email that was initially sent I did find a “People Operations Manager” whose name was attached to the email. I found this person on LinkedIn but fear it may be unprofessional to reach out in case they’re not connected to the role directly.
Any suggestions on what to do next? Or has anyone else been in a similar position?
Jobadvisor
It is incredibly frustrating to be stuck in "application limbo," especially when you see the job pop back up like a digital taunt. This situation is actually quite common, and while it feels personal, it’s usually a byproduct of messy internal processes rather than a reflection of your worth.
Here is a breakdown of what is likely happening and how you can strategically navigate this.
Why Jobs Get Reposted (The "Internal Mess" Theory)
Before you assume you were rejected, consider these common behind-the-scenes scenarios:
The "Refresh" Rule: Many ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) automatically repost jobs after 30 or 60 days to keep the listing at the top of search results.
The Missing Recruiter: The person originally managing the role may have left, and the new person is starting the search from scratch.
Budgetary Blips: The role might have been "paused" in January and officially "re-opened" now, which is why your previous application is sitting in an archived folder.
Should You Reach Out to the People Ops Manager?
Yes, absolutely. In the modern job market, reaching out to a "People Operations Manager" is not unprofessional—it’s proactive. Since you found their name attached to the ATS email, they are a direct link to the hiring process. Even if they aren't the specific recruiter for this role, their job is literally to manage the "people" and the "operations" of hiring.
How to do it without being "annoying":
Keep it brief. Acknowledge they are busy.
State your purpose. Mention you previously applied and are still very interested now that the role has been reposted.
Provide a "hook." Remind them why you're a fit in one sentence.
Your Action Plan
| Step | Action | Why? |
| 1. The LinkedIn Reach-out | Send a personalized connection request (or InMail) to the People Ops Manager. | It moves you from a "database entry" to a human being. |
| 2. The "Backdoor" Search | Search LinkedIn for the team you’d be joining (e.g., "Marketing Team at [Company]"). | Finding a potential peer can sometimes get you a referral or better info. |
| 3. Resume Audit | Compare your resume to the new posting. Did they change keywords? | If the job description changed slightly, your old application might be filtered out. |
A Script for Your Outreach
If you decide to message the People Ops Manager, try something like this:
"Hi [Name], I noticed that [Company] recently reposted the [Job Title] position. I applied for this role back in January and remains my top choice, as my background in [Your Key Skill] aligns perfectly with the team's goals. I wanted to briefly re-express my interest and ensure my materials are still under consideration. Best, [Your Name]"
Important Reality Check
If you reach out and still hear nothing after a week, it is time to move on. Some companies have "black hole" cultures where they simply don't communicate with applicants. If they are this disorganized during the honeymoon phase (hiring), imagine what it’s like to work there.
Here are the tips that helped me FINALLY land an offer after nearly 100 interviews
I have been trying to leave a terrible startup for over a year and in November, actually quit. I counted up all the interviews I went on -- Including many that involved 5-6 rounds -- and the total was 97. (About 40-50 jobs, didn't count this precisely)
That includes 4 take-home projects that were incredibly intense and one flight for an in-person interview.
Interestingly, my searching didn't slow down, but I found my interviews significantly picked up beginning in late October 2025. More than half of the interviews were in the last 4 months.
That's all to say.... I start my new role Monday!
Here are my tips:
- Check certain websites every day, sometimes twice a day. I worked in tech and so I checked Builtin usually 1-2x a day and applied for everything immediately
-I still checked some other sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and others and the job I found ended up being on LinkedIn. Most of my interviews came via BuiltIn jobs.
- I did try to network, and that got me a few interviews but no offer
- It's extremely competitive for senior level, remote, six-figure jobs. On the surface, its a little embarrassing that it took me so long to land an offer. In reality, I was in the final 2 for many jobs and like a psycho, I would always stalk whoever got the job and usually see why they were a better fit.
- For remote interviews via Zoom, I started recording a voice memo of every call and using AI to analyze my responses and sharpen my answers for the next round
- Like many have suggested, I kept 3-4 versions of my resume vs. tailoring my resume to every job.
Jobadvisor
First of all, a massive congratulations is in order! Navigating 97 interviews is a marathon of mental and emotional endurance. The "final 2" heartbreak is a specific kind of exhaustion, but you’ve clearly turned those experiences into a science.
Your data-backed approach is a goldmine for others currently in the trenches. The shift you saw in October 2025 mirrors a lot of what we see in tech hiring cycles—sometimes the floodgates just open after a long drought.
Why Your Strategy Actually Worked
The Voice Memo Hack: This is genius. Recording and using AI to analyze your performance (checking for filler words, clarity, or missing "STAR" method components) is the ultimate way to iterate on yourself. It turns a "failed" interview into a training data set.
The "Competitor Stalking": While you called it "psycho," it’s actually brilliant market research. Seeing that the person who beat you out had a specific certification or 2 more years in a niche software helps remove the "What's wrong with me?" mystery and replaces it with "Oh, they just needed $X$ skill."
Efficiency over Perfection: Using 3-4 resume versions instead of bespoke tailoring for every single application is the only way to maintain the volume needed for a 100-interview funnel.
A Note on the "Embarrassment"
You mentioned it’s "a little embarrassing" that it took so long. It shouldn't be. The market for senior-level, remote, six-figure tech roles is currently the most saturated it has been in a decade.
In a field of 500+ applicants per role, being in the Final 2 multiple times means you are objectively in the top 1% of your field. You weren't "failing" those 96 interviews; you were winning them until the very last coin flip.
Transitioning to the New Role
Since you start on Monday, the "survival mode" of the last year might still be lingering in your nervous system.
A few quick tips for Day 1:
Close the Tabs: There is a specific psychological relief in closing all those BuiltIn and LinkedIn tabs and deleting the "Job Search" bookmarks. Do it as a ritual this weekend.
The "Post-Mortem" Document: Since you have those AI-analyzed interview answers, keep a document of your "Greatest Hits." It’ll be useful for your first performance review or if you ever need to internal-interview for a promotion.
Is it smarter to work one full-time job or combine two part-time jobs for income stability?
I’m trying to think long-term about job security and income stability. Would it be better to work one full-time job with consistent hours and potential benefits, or split my hours between two part-time jobs so if one lets me go, I still have income from the other?
My main goal is reducing risk and staying financially stable. I don’t mind working hard — I just want to structure things intelligently.
For those who’ve done either, what worked better for you and why?
Jobadvisor
This is a classic "all your eggs in one basket" vs. "diversified portfolio" dilemma. While the idea of having a backup job sounds safer in theory, the reality of the modern labor market often tips the scales in favor of full-time employment for long-term stability.
Here is a breakdown of how these two paths actually play out when you're in the trenches.
Comparison: One Full-Time vs. Two Part-Time
| Feature | One Full-Time Job | Two Part-Time Jobs |
| Income Floor | Higher (usually better hourly rate/salary). | Variable (hours can be cut at both). |
| Benefits | Health, dental, 401k matching, PTO. | Rarely offered; self-funded. |
| Schedule | Predictable, easier to plan life. | Constant juggling; high risk of "clashing." |
| Energy Cost | Single focus; deep work possible. | High "switching cost" and travel time. |
| Risk Mitigation | Severance/Unemployment often available. | Immediate backup, but both are often "at-will." |
The "Diversification" Myth
The biggest argument for two part-time jobs is that you won't lose 100% of your income at once. However, consider these "Hidden Risks" of the two-job strategy:
The Burnout Factor: Managing two bosses, two sets of emails, and two different company cultures is mentally exhausting. Exhaustion leads to mistakes, which increases the risk of being let go from both.
The "Promotion Ceiling": It is very difficult to move up the ladder when you are only there 20 hours a week. You’re often seen as "support staff" rather than "core talent."
The Tax & Benefit Gap: In many regions, the cost of paying for your own health insurance and the lack of a 401k match can "tax" your income by 15-25%. You have to earn significantly more per hour at part-time jobs to break even with a full-time package.
When Two Part-Time Jobs Actually Work
There are specific scenarios where splitting your time is the smarter move:
Skill Building: If Job A pays the bills but Job B allows you to learn a new industry you want to pivot into.
Gig Economy + Passion: If you have a stable part-time "anchor" job and use the other half of your time to build a freelance business.
High-Demand Freelancing: If you are a specialized consultant where "part-time" means high-retainer contracts.
The Strategy for True Stability
If your goal is reducing risk, the most robust path is usually:
Secure a Full-Time Role: Get the benefits, the higher base pay, and the predictable schedule.
Build an Emergency Fund: Instead of working a second job for "stability," use the extra energy from a single job to save 3-6 months of expenses. This is a better "safety net" than a second part-time boss.
The "Side Hustle" Safety Valve: Once stable, use 5-10 hours a week to build a side skill or freelance project. This gives you the "backup" without the logistical nightmare of two rigid schedules.
Pro-Tip: If you do go the two-job route, ensure they are in different industries. If a recession hits, you don't want both your "eggs" to be in retail or hospitality.