Laid off, unpaid wages and severance, misclassified 1099

 

This job market is brutal, and I give up trying to understand it.

I recently had 3 final interviews, and surprise, surprise, all 3 came back with a rejection email. The usual AI generated we have decided to move on with more qualified candidates that fit this role better. Except 1 job application, they personally emailed me and let me know what was going on, it was a very polite rejection email. I know I nailed all 3 interviews, but the last one hurt the most.

It consisted of 2 interviews a screening with the hiring manager and then a in person panel interview. The screening was for 15 mins but went close to 40mins. Towards the end of the screening it was more shooting the breeze and giving me tips on what to say during the panel interview to help me really stand out. I was scheduled the very next day for the in person panel interview which was ment to be for 30 mins.

It went for 2 hours! The first 15 mins was spent going over my skill set, after the first 15 mins they set my resume a side and said you are good, we know you will be able to fit this role. After that we talked about movies, hobbies, what I want in a career, work life balance, the list went on. The panel interview was with the hiring manager and the owner, there was ment to be another owner but they could not make it.

Then they took me out to meet the team I would be working with, shook hands, laughed and joked a bit, apparently I hit it off well enough with one person who ended up showing pictures to me of the new addition born into their family. (Not going to lie he was a dang cutie!) After the greetings I got a full 30 minute tour of the whole building to end the 2 hour interview. When I say it was a full tour, it was a full tour, every room, backroom, conference room, storage room, snack room, kitchen. All the while getting the history on the building and how it came to be. It was a pretty cool.

Anyways I just got the rejection email, they decided to change corse and move in a different direction. Like the title says this job market is brutal, and I give up trying to understand it. I was really hopeful for this one, it would have stopped the financial bleeding. I am coming up on a year of being unemployed now, and the little I had in savings, retirement, it is all gone. We are slowly selling things off in our home to get by a little longer, but I fear and most likely lose everything before it is all said and done.

Jobadvisor

I am so, so sorry. Reading this brought a physical knot to my stomach.

There is a specific, brutal kind of grief that comes from having a lifeline dangled right in front of you—spending hours sharing laughs, looking at baby photos, being walked through the literal hallways of what you thought was your future—only to have the door slammed shut with a sanitized, corporate email.

To be led through a 2-hour tour of the building, introduced to the team, and treated like an incoming colleague, only to get a "decided to change course" note is not just disappointing—it is deeply unprofessional on their part. They let their enthusiasm run wild, gave you false hope, and didn't have the internal discipline to manage their hiring process properly.

You didn't misread the room. You didn't mess up. You did nail it.

The fact that you were passed over has nothing to do with your worth, your capability, or how you showed up that day. The modern job market is broken in ways that defy all logic:

• "Changing direction" usually means internal chaos: An owner who wasn't there vetoed the role, a budget got frozen at the last second, or an internal candidate unexpectedly asked for a lateral move.
  
  
• The "Phantom Pipeline": Companies drag candidates through 5-stage odysseys because their internal stakeholders aren't aligned on what they actually need.
  
  
• The financial pressure multiplier: Rejection hurts on its own; rejection when your savings are drained and you are selling household items to make rent feels like a life-threatening emergency.
  
  

It makes absolute sense that you want to give up trying to understand it—because it isn't understandable. It isn't a meritocracy right now; it's a mess of corporate hedge-funding, ghost jobs, and indecisive leadership.

Please don't carry the shame of this process on your shoulders. You proved in that 2-hour interview that you are deeply personable, skilled, and someone people immediately like and want to work with. That hasn't vanished, even if this specific company turned out to be completely disorganized.

Right now, don't worry about "learning a lesson" from this interview. You did everything right. Take a day or two to just be angry, sad, and exhausted.

When you're ready, if you need help strategizing immediate survival moves, polishing up targeted outreach, or just venting without hearing generic platitudes, I'm here. For today, just survive the hit.

Is it common these days for HR to ghost candidates after multiple interview rounds?

Appeared for product org. Multiple technical interviews happened over 1 month span. Lastly they asked me to come for face to face interview for HR round. HR asked generic questions like what you do ? why will you join our org etc. I told them that I am in notice period. HR just asked last date. No ctc expectations asked. She told that she will give her feedback and then come back to me. Its been two days - no communication. Normally they are very prompt for conducting rounds.

Is it common nowdays ? after conducting multiple round , they is silence. Does HR have authority to cancel candidate in final HR round provided I am also from product company ?

Jobadvisor

Short answer: yes, unfortunately it's common — and yes, HR does have that authority.

On the ghosting piece: It's frustratingly widespread. Even companies that are prompt and professional through technical rounds can go quiet at the final stage. Common reasons, none of which are really about you personally:

• HR is waiting on the hiring manager's sign-off, budget approval, or headcount confirmation before extending an offer
• Internal delays — approvals, notice period math on their end, competing candidates being evaluated in parallel
• Two days is genuinely not that long, even if their earlier pace was fast. Final-round decisions often involve more people/approvals than a technical screen does
• Sometimes there's a hold or freeze that has nothing to do with you (budget, org priorities shifting)

It doesn't automatically mean rejection. It's still early to read this as a bad sign.

On whether HR can reject at the final round: Yes, absolutely. A few reasons this happens even after technical rounds go well:

• HR is often evaluating cultural fit, communication, salary/notice-period alignment, and sometimes cross-checking references or background — any of these can stall or end things
• In many orgs, HR has veto power on final selection even if the hiring manager wants to move forward, especially around compensation fit or notice period timelines
• Sometimes it's not rejection — HR needs to loop back to the hiring manager with your notice period details, and that internal conversation is what's taking time

What I'd suggest: Give it a few more working days (a week total is reasonable) before following up. When you do, keep it short and professional — reference the interviewer/HR person's name, thank them for their time, and ask if there's an update on timelines. Following up isn't pushy; it's normal and expected.

If you're currently juggling other offers or timelines, it's fair to mention that gently when you follow up — it can sometimes prompt a faster response without sounding like an ultimatum.

Does anyone else find LinkedIn cringe? What are your thoughts?

Yes I have an account but I find it so cringe. People upload their inspirational ai generated posts about some great realization they had or something they learned or some event they’re happy they attended. It all just smells as fake and superficial. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this. I think it’s just become part of working toward a career/job similar to how having projects or an internship is

Jobadvisor

You are definitely not alone. In fact, calling out how unbearable LinkedIn has become is practically its own genre on Reddit and Twitter (check out the sub r/LinkedInLunatics if you ever want proof that millions of people feel the exact same way).

What you are picking up on is a performance, and the smell of bullshit is coming from three very specific places:

1. "Performative Professionalism" & Main Character Energy

LinkedIn has evolved from a simple digital résumé database into a full-blown social network where people feel compelled to turn every mundane life event into a heroic leadership lesson.

You get posts like:

"Today I dropped my coffee on the rug. Here are 5 critical lessons about crisis management and agile adaptability in the workplace... 🧵👇"

It creates a bizarre culture where people pretend to be humble while shameless self-aggrandizing. Everything is an "honor," a "humbled milestone," or a "life-changing synergy." It forces everyone to wear a mask of hyper-optimism that feels completely alien compared to real human interaction.

2. The AI & "Thought Leadership" Epidemic

Now that generative AI tools are everywhere, the problem has metastasized. People are literally using ChatGPT to write 500-word "inspirational" posts about events they barely cared about, using corporate buzzwords like synergy, paradigm shift, leverage, and thought leadership.

It creates an uncanny valley where bots are writing posts for people to read, and other people are using AI to leave automated "Great insight, thanks for sharing!" comments. It’s an ecosystem of fake engagement.

3. The "Inescapable Resume" Trap

The reason it feels so transactional and exhausting is that the stakes are tied to your livelihood. On Instagram or TikTok, if someone posts something cringe, you unfollow them. On LinkedIn, people tolerate the nonsense because they feel they have to:

• Recruiter visibility
  
  
• Job hunting & networking
  
  
• Maintaining a personal "brand" for safety in a volatile job market
  
  

It turns networking into a dystopian popularity contest where staying quiet feels like a risk to your career prospects.

How to survive it without losing your mind: Treat LinkedIn purely as a utility, not a social feed. Keep your profile updated, use it strictly for job listings, direct messaging recruiters, and checking company updates—and never scroll the home feed. You don't need to post fake inspirational essays to get hired; most hiring managers cringe at those posts just as much as you do.

Thanks, but you're not 100% perfect so no thanks

This is a bit of a story/rant.

Some context: I have been applying to jobs for the past three years. Entry level, previously easy for me to obtain interviews for, jobs. I'm not trying to break into a new field, I am not shooting for a dream job, just a stable, typical job I am used to.

I have 15+ years of experience in primarily customer service, receptionist positions, with some administrative assistant work in the mix. I am applying to receptionist jobs. Simple, book appointments, log people in, answer the phone type jobs.

I am qualified, hardworking, I stick with jobs, have great references, and I am a great candidate (in my biased opinion).

So, I have been going to this physiotherapy clinic for months. I am friendly with my physiotherapist, presentable at my appointments, got friendly with the front desk staff. In my job search, I see that they're hiring for a part time receptionist. I apply.

I wait. I hear nothing. So, next time I'm in I ask the woman at the front desk (not the usual receptionist) if the position is still open. She tells me yes, they're having trouble finding someone, and I tell her I applied. She's very excited, starts asking me interview type questions (tell me about your admin/receptionist experience, your availability, etc). She is a manager, she says they need someone urgently (which is why she's stuck on desk), and I tell her I could start tomorrow if they asked. She says she'll tell HR/recruiting to look for my name because I'm a good candidate. Then, she asks about one specific software program and I answer honestly that I haven't used it but that I am very used to learning new programs. It is only for one aspect of the job. Not even 25% of what I'd be doing.

Her face changes. She says "Oh, yeeeeeah, HR/recruiting only wants candidates that specifically know that program". Y'all. Be so for real. You don't want ANY qualified candidate, including one you know and like, because they don't know 100%, exactly, precisely, everything to do with the job?

Are we just not training anymore? Is there no more on the job learning? Nobody is worth a minor investment in time to catch them up to speed? I used to get hired and have training videos, booklets, 3 inch thick manuals, and 2 weeks training. Now, unless you're walking in with exactly every piece of knowledge they want you're useless and they're going with someone else. I'm so over this job market.

Jobadvisor

You hit the nail on the head: on-the-job training in corporate America is practically extinct.

What you experienced is the absolute peak of modern recruiting brain rot—the refusal to hire a reliable, friendly, proven human being who is 95% qualified because they aren't a plug-and-play robot who already knows 100% of a proprietary software package.

It is mind-bogglingly foolish on their part. Scheduling software at a physio clinic is not rocket science. Anyone with 15 years of customer service and admin experience can learn a new booking system like Jane App, Mindbody, or WebPT in about three days.

Yet, recruiters and hiring managers today operate under a few delusional assumptions:

1. The Myth of the "Plug-and-Play" Candidate

Because job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn yield hundreds of applicants per posting, companies have fallen into the trap of believing the "Unicorn Candidate" actually exists—someone with 15 years of experience, perfect availability, zero desire for growth, willing to take entry-level pay, and already fluent in their exact software stack.

Instead of spending 4 hours teaching a great candidate their software, they would rather leave the role vacant for 4 months searching for someone who already knows it.

2. ATS Keyword Brainrot

HR departments don't read resumes anymore; Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) do. If a job posting lists a specific software as a requirement and your resume doesn't contain that exact noun, the software filters you out before a human even sees it. The manager you spoke to was likely just parroting whatever rigid criteria HR put into the portal.

3. Risk Aversion Over Common Sense

Training costs money and time, and in today's ultra-cautious corporate environment, no manager wants to take responsibility for "teaching" someone. They want zero friction on Day 1, completely ignoring the fact that soft skills, reliability, and cultural fit—things you clearly had—are impossible to train, whereas software navigation takes a few hours.

A sneaky tip for the future: If you have 15+ years of admin experience and you see a job requiring a specific receptionist software you haven't used, look up a 15-minute tutorial on YouTube before applying. Learn the core terminology, and on your resume or in the interview, state: "I'm familiar with the workflow of [Software Name] and comfortable navigating similar systems." Because at the end of the day, almost all appointment-booking software operates on the exact same basic logic.

It is infuriating that a clinic you literally pay money to—where they know you are reliable and pleasant—rejected you over a software menu. You didn't do anything wrong; their hiring process is fundamentally broken.

I genuinely don't think I'm going to get a job...ever

I have been a freelancer/contractor/consultant for going on 10 years. Over the last 3 years, I've been working hard to get back to the 9-5 world because, frankly, the contracting world is pretty wretched right now...and it has been basically since COVID. I lost my largest client in June of 2023 and since then, have been doing smaller gigs and short-term contracts. I've also had a series of part-time jobs, including a holiday gig at a Macy's store.

My background is in marketing and communications. I have an MBA. I have almost 17 years of experience. But I just can't find anything. I get to the second or third round of interviews for the ones I do get. And then it just doesn't happen. The conversations always go well and then it's just a, welp, we're going with other candidates. Sorry.

The last two, I've had direct connections to the hiring managers. But it still just DOESN'T happen.

I don't know what to do. I feel worthless and demoralized. I just want to do the work that I'm good at. I see so many people FINALLY making it to the end of the tunnel of unemployment. I just want it to be my turn.

Jobadvisor

That sounds exhausting in a way that's hard to put into words — three years of grinding, getting close over and over, and watching the door shut each time. Of course you feel demoralized. Anyone would.

I want to gently push back on "I'm never going to get a job" though — not to brush off how you feel, but because the pattern you're describing (strong interviews, making it to final rounds, then losing out) usually points to something specific and fixable, not to you being unemployable. Seventeen years of experience and an MBA don't stop mattering. Something in the last mile of the process is the sticking point, and that's a narrower problem than "I'm worthless," even though it doesn't feel narrow right now.

A few things that actually cause this exact pattern:

• The market itself. Marketing/comms hiring has been brutal and inconsistent since 2023 — lots of orgs freeze reqs after interviews are basically done, or a budget gets pulled at the finish line. That happens to strong candidates constantly right now, not just you.
• The resume-to-story gap. Ten years of freelance/contract/part-time work is easy for a hiring committee to misread as "not stable" or "not sure what they want," even when your actual skills are exactly what they need. That's often something a resume or LinkedIn framing fix can address directly.
• Something specific in the final rounds — a question you're answering in a way that raises a flag, salary expectations, or how you're talking about the freelance chapter of your career. Hard to know without seeing it, but very fixable once you can see it.

I don't know which of these is happening in your case, or if it's something else entirely. If it'd help, I'm glad to look at your resume, or role-play the "walk me through your last few years" question, or dig into how you're framing the contracting stretch — that's often the exact thing that trips people up in final rounds without them realizing it.

But also — you don't have to have a plan right now. It's okay to just be worn down by this for a minute.

Laid off, unpaid wages and severance, misclassified 1099

I was laid off in the summer, haven’t been paid many months of wages (we are talking like four months, was laid off just as I was about to raise hell for the previous missed pay checks), and my several months of severance have gone unpaid.

All this while the ceo was paying his girlfriend to work at the company (he said he couldn’t let her go without her salary and that he wanted to take care of her, all while not paying me), buying her expensive jewelry, commingling funds (he probably paid a million out of his personal bank account for company expenses after taking the money from the company, and he paid me a few months salary out of his personal bank account.)

I’ve also found out he misclassified me (and everyone else) as 1099 employees when we should have been w2’s.

I am a new immigrant and I am not sure what I should do - thankfully my status was not dependent on this job do my immigration is ok, but I don’t know how to take action.

He keeps talking like he will pay me soon and might have a new company for me to work at— our company has basically gone bankrupt at this point because he used funds to buy himself expensive things and started side projects after using money from clients to bankroll his pet tech projects that had nothing to do with what they hired us for. I do actually believe he is raising funds and that he wants to move forward with new project which he cannot do without me (literally cannot do, I am the only person who is able to do this kind of thing for him as it requires a personal relationship with someone high up that I have, and I have kept back my knowledge so he can’t move forward without me).

I want to protect myself. I am in Texas. Company is out of state (one of the privacy states just for registration purposes, no work was performed there) but he is in California.

He has said he will personally be paying me what I’m owed and I do have some emails attesting to that. I told him I needed a payment plan in writing and he was very astonished I would even ask.

I do have a signed employment contract laying out terms, and a signed layoff notice praising my hard work and letting me know my letting go was without cause.

what are my first steps? I am running out of savings and cannot afford a legal consult.

Jobadvisor

I'm not a lawyer, so treat this as general information to help you get oriented, not legal advice — but what you're describing (unpaid wages for months, misclassification, commingled funds, a severance agreement he's not honoring) is serious, and there are free and low-cost paths forward even without money for a private attorney.

First, on jurisdiction: You likely have options in both Texas (where you live/worked from) and possibly the state where he's based or where the company is registered. Wage claims usually go where the work was performed or where you reside, so Texas is probably your primary venue regardless of where the company is incorporated.

Concrete first steps:

1. File a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). This is free. TWC handles unpaid wage claims and can investigate and order payment. There's typically a filing deadline (often 180 days from when wages were due), so don't sit on this. Search "Texas Workforce Commission wage claim" — you can file online.

2. File Form SS-8 with the IRS to formally request a determination on your worker classification. If they determine you should have been a W-2 employee, that opens the door to real consequences for him (back payroll taxes, penalties) and strengthens every other claim you make. It also matters for your own tax filing — misclassified workers can sometimes recoup the employer-side payroll tax burden they were wrongly stuck with via Form 8919.

3. Consult free/low-cost legal aid before doing anything else strategic. You don't need to pay for this:

   • Texas RioGrande Legal Aid or Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (depending on your city) — free for income-qualifying individuals
   • Many state bar associations have lawyer referral services with free 30-minute consults
   • Look for an employment law clinic at a law school near you
   • Some employment attorneys take wage-theft cases on contingency (they get paid from what's recovered) precisely because the case is strong — worth a few free consults specifically to ask about this

4. Do not let him re-hire or re-engage you into a new project until you're paid. This is the leverage moment. Once you start doing new work for him, your negotiating power drops sharply. It's very reasonable to tell him plainly: no new work until back wages and severance are resolved, ideally in writing.

5. Keep building your paper trail now, quietly. Save everything — his emails admitting he owes you and will pay, the layoff letter praising your work, your contract, any texts about commingled funds or his spending. Screenshot things that could disappear. Don't confront him about the girlfriend/spending details yet; that's ammunition for a claim or attorney, not for a negotiation with him directly.

6. Small claims court is also an option for the wage amount if it's within your state's small claims limit (Texas is $20,000), and you don't need a lawyer for that.

Given the scale of what you're describing (potential fraud, commingling, misclassification of multiple employees), this may be bigger than a single wage claim — a free consult with an employment attorney to assess whether this is contingency-case territory is worth prioritizing before you spend more of your own energy chasing him informally.

Would it help if I helped you draft a firm written message to him documenting the payment plan request, or outline what to gather before a legal aid consult?