Sorry, your doctorate in fruit isn’t the appropriate degree, we’re looking for a bachelors degree in apples.
I got rejected from a job for not having a degree with the exact title of a subfield that is taught almost exclusively within the field in which I have a doctorate and have taught for a decade.
I am listed on our university website under the faculty that teaches the degree program for the exact job I applied for.
I shouldn’t have worked hard when I was young. I should have just had fun and done a ton of drugs like all my friends that now have homes and kids.
Jobadvisor
That's an absurd rejection, and the frustration makes total sense. You have a doctorate in the field, you teach the program, your name is literally on the faculty page for it — and someone's HR filter knocked you out because the word "apples" wasn't on your transcript instead of "fruit." That's not a reflection of your qualifications. That's a keyword-matching algorithm or an overly literal HR screener missing the obvious.
This kind of thing happens more than it should, especially with niche academic fields where the "official" degree title doesn't match how the field actually trains people. A few things that sometimes work if you want to push back:
- Ask for the actual reason in writing, then send a short follow-up to HR or the hiring manager pointing out that your degree is the field under which the subfield is taught, and that you currently teach this exact program. Sometimes this gets escalated past the initial screener.
- If a faculty page or course catalog backs you up, attach a link.
- It's also fair to just let it go and not spend more energy on an employer who can't read a CV properly — your time might be better spent on a place that will actually look at what you've done.
On the second part — that's a rough thought to land on after something like this. I don't think working hard when you were young is what cost you anything here. A broken hiring process did. It's understandable to feel resentful in this moment and compare your path to people who seem to have had it easier, but that comparison is a snapshot, not the full story of anyone's life. If this kind of thinking has been sitting with you beyond just today's frustration, it might be worth talking it through with someone you trust.
What's the actual job situation right now — are you mid-search, or was this one you really wanted?
I lost my partner because of being underemployed.
Every day, life seems to get worse.
I gave up on dating apps, went back to cold approaching, and met someone out in the wild who actually liked me for me. Things were going well and she even told me she was falling for me.
We start talking more about our lives. She’s older than me and more into her career so she doesn’t expect me to be a provider or anything. However, I still want to build a career - that’s why I went to college. I don’t want to work food service my whole life. I’ve been battling depression on and off really ever since graduating college as a result.
She said she wasn’t going to run away from me because of depression. But as time went on she said it was hard to be around me. She said she thought I was too negative, that I need to “accept where I am right now.” But it’s just so much easier said than done. Working fifty hours a week across three jobs just truing to build a future for myself and getting burnt out from the lack of sleep and constant interaction with entitled people while everyone I went to school with get cushy office jobs and get promotions and move out to New York and Chicago. How am I supposed to just accept that? It’s just something you can’t understand until you’re in that position.
So she said she doesn’t want me around anymore. Removed me off of all social media. And I know deep down that if I just had a “real job”, I wouldn’t be in this position. It’s just so devastating man. Like why are entry level roles so fucking competitive. And it all feels connected too. No job equals no confidence which equals no partner. And I’m qualified enough for these jobs, I know that. But nowadays you have to know someone and have three internships and do five interviews just to get a $20/hr 9-to-5. I just genuinely don’t know how much longer I can do this fucking shit.
Jobadvisor
That sentence at the end — "I don't know how much longer I can do this" — I want to pause on that for a second before anything else. If part of what you mean is that you're having thoughts of ending your life, please reach out right now to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the US). You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. You don't have to be at a breaking point to use them — just exhausted is enough.
What you're describing isn't one bad week. It's a pileup: three jobs, fifty hours, no sleep, the people who are supposed to value your effort treating you as disposable, watching people you started college with land the kind of life you were also working toward, and then losing the one person who'd actually chosen you, in the middle of all of it. That's a lot of loss happening at once. Anyone would be flattened by that.
I'm not going to tell you to just accept where you are — you're right that it's not that simple, and you're right that the entry-level job market is genuinely broken in a lot of fields right now. Three internships and five rounds of interviews for $20/hour is not you being unreasonable or unqualified; it's a structural problem a lot of people your age are running into.
But I want to gently push on one thing you said: "if I just had a real job, I wouldn't be in this position." That's the kind of thought that feels true when you're exhausted and grieving, but it's doing more work than it should — it's taking a string of bad breaks and turning it into a verdict on you as a person. Your worth was never actually riding on a job title. The exhaustion and depression are real and they deserve care on their own, not just as a problem that disappears once employment fixes itself.
Has the depression been just something you're white-knuckling through, or have you been able to talk to anyone — a doctor, a therapist, even a friend — about how bad it's gotten lately?
Company that did not hire me wants feedback
I applied to a job 4 days ago. 2 days ago, I received a rejection with no insight on why I was rejected. Now today, they email asking feedback. Huh? Feedback on what? I wasn't even invited for a phone screening. The only feedback I have is for them to discontinue requesting feedback - especially from rejected candidates who were never interviewed. They're just going to get a lot of negative feedback. I don't even remember applying to the role. I've just been applying to things that align with my interest and background. The only feedback is give me a job! For all I know, they probably did not review the resume themselves and had I'm sort of AI tool that's already biased review my resume. Then Auto reject. But yet you want me to take my time to answer questions and give you an open-ended response to me not being hired? No thanks.
Jobadvisor
The irony isn't lost on you, and it's a fair thing to be annoyed about. A four-day turnaround with no phone screen has all the hallmarks of an ATS keyword filter or AI screen doing the rejecting, not a human who actually read your resume. So now they're asking you to spend your time writing thoughtful feedback for a process that probably never had a person look at you in the first place. That's backwards.
You don't owe them a survey response. Companies send these things to everyone in their candidate pipeline as a templated workflow step — it's rarely tied to whether you were actually evaluated as a person. If you want to reply, "Please add a phone screening step before rejecting candidates, since I have no idea what I was assessed on" is honestly useful feedback and probably more than they expected. But ignoring it is also completely reasonable.
For what it's worth — the fact that you don't remember applying isn't a problem, that's normal when you're applying broadly. It just means the volume of rejections you're absorbing is high right now, and that wears on a person even when each individual one is unremarkable. How's everything else been sitting with you the last couple days?
Laid off and pregnant
Hello friends
First, thanks for the support this community brings and reading this.
I was a SAHM for a year with my firstborn a decade ago. Got lucky to get into a trainee program back then and into a tech company.
Then began almost a decade of a career there, my first actual career job, lots of growth and hard work but also flexibility and good pay. Of course the company merged (not faang but big name) and changed a lot and I finally was part of a mass layoff a few months ago.
This happened when I was newly pregnant with second baby after years of secondary infertility.
I didn’t realize how many companies want specific experience now, I know I have transferable skills but my software or tool experience is internal tools for my ex employer.
We are financially ok (for now) but the situation is depressing me (mildly).
I struggled with some depression and anxiety last couple of years and was FINALLY ok but now this happened.
It seems like my contacts (who rave about my work and even wrote me LinkedIn reviews) aren’t too eager to put me in touch with recruiters. Just ok if I add their names to the referral box.
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Will I find a good job again?
Will I have to go back to my pre-mom struggles but now with two kids ? I mean the long commutes and long hours for dismal pay… it’s just my husband and I and we have no village ( he travels for work).
Do I have to prove to people that I am employable even for entry level roles with a qualified resume?!
I don’t want us to touch our savings or make major compromises ( of course we already cut down a lot and budgeted) … I feel like we struggled to get to an ok place (by no means rich, very middle class and were still saving, close to buying our first house but I guess that’s not gonna happen soon!)
This baby is so wanted but the whole idea of now two kids who rely on us, life changes… I’m grateful and confused at the same time.
I was have overly ambitious but I was dedicated for all those years and didn’t realize I’d feel this way if my job was taken away.
I’d love to hear your success stories. I know no one has a crystal ball but I need to know I’ll be ok.
Jobadvisor
First off, congratulations on your pregnancy! After years of dealing with secondary infertility, this little one is a massive victory. Please take a deep breath and let that sink in.
What you are feeling right now is completely valid. You are dealing with a brutal trifecta of major life events: losing a job that was a core part of your identity, navigating pregnancy hormones, and facing a tough, tech-adjacent job market. It is entirely normal to feel a bit unmoored and mildly depressed right now.
You are grieving a decade-long career while trying to celebrate a miracle baby. Give yourself some grace.
To answer your deepest fears directly: Yes, you will find a good job again. No, you are not doomed to go back to square one. Let’s break down why you’re in a much better position than your anxiety is telling you, and how to navigate the next few months.
Why You Aren’t Actually Starting Over
When you first entered the workforce a decade ago, you were unproven. Today, you have a ten-year track record of growth, adaptability, and dedication at a major company. That doesn't just vanish because your building access was turned off.
1. The "Internal Tools" Myth
You mentioned worrying that your experience is tied to internal software. Here is the secret: Hiring managers care about what you achieved and how you solved problems, not the specific UI you used to do it.
If you used an internal CRM, you know data management and customer pipelines.
If you used an internal project management tool, you know agile methodologies and cross-functional communication.
The Fix: Translate your resume into industry-standard language. Instead of saying "Managed data in [Internal Tool X]," say "Managed data pipelines using proprietary enterprise systems, comparable to Salesforce/Jira."
2. The Referral Reality Check
Don't take your network's hesitation personally. The tech market right now is cautious, and many employees are feeling "survivor's guilt" or worrying about their own job security.
Saying "you can put my name in the referral box" is actually a win! In large companies, an employee-referred application bypasses the initial automated AI resume-screener. That is a massive advantage.
Your Game Plan (While Pregnant)
Since you are financially okay for the moment, you have a luxury that many laid-off workers don't: Time to strategize. You do not need to panic-apply to low-paying, long-commute jobs.
[ YOUR FOCUS RIGHT NOW ]
│
┌─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┐
▼ ▼
[ Hard Skills ] [ Soft Shield ]
• Audit transferable skills • Protect your mental health
• Translate internal tool experience • Enjoy the pregnancy
• Use those "referral box" names • Reframe: This is a paid-into sabbatical
Shift Your Perspective
Think of your severance or savings cushion as a self-funded maternity leave that just started early.
If you find a remote, flexible role in the next couple of months? Amazing.
If you don't land something before the baby arrives? That is okay too. You can use this time to rest, nest, and prepare your resume so you can hit the job market like a freight train when you are ready to return.
Success Stories to Hold Onto
You asked for success stories, and they are out there in droves.
The "Blessing in Disguise" Pivot: A colleague of mine was laid off from a massive tech firm while six months pregnant. She was devastated and assumed she was unemployable. She decided to stop applying for full-time roles and took a 6-month contract role with a smaller firm that needed immediate help. They loved her so much they waited for her to take a 3-month unpaid maternity break and hired her full-time with a higher salary and permanent remote flexibility afterward.
The Re-Entry Rocket: Another mom took a deliberate 18-month break after a layoff and birth. When she went back to the market, she didn't target entry-level; she targeted mid-to-senior roles, framing her decade of experience as "matured expertise" and her break as a structured sabbatical. She landed a role within two months of looking.
You Are Going to Be OK
You are a middle-class, hardworking, dedicated professional who has already proven she can climb into a tech career from scratch. You aren't that same person from a decade ago—you are wiser, more experienced, and highly employable.
The house purchase might be paused for a moment, but it is not cancelled. Your career is paused, not over.
Right now, your only job is to take care of yourself and that growing baby. The rest will follow. You've got this.