Planning

I was recently laid off from my position after applying for an internal role at my company. I had an informal chat with someone in the department I was interested in, and I was waiting for the HR interview to be scheduled before informing my supervisor. Unfortunately, he found out about my application before I could tell him, and he ended up terminating my employment. I was actually planning to leave the company anyway once I found a better work environment, but this was not how I expected things to unfold. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced something similar and would appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thanks!

I just signed a contract with a temp agency for a new job in Oregon, which starts immediately. The pay is good, and I really need this work since I've been unemployed since January. However, my wife is pregnant and due in less than three months, and I'm feeling torn about how to handle this situation. I didn't mention anything about my wife's pregnancy during the interview because I read that it's usually best to keep that information private until hired. Now that I've signed the paperwork, I'm wondering if I should inform my agency recruiter right away or wait until I've proven myself at the job. I want to be there for my wife and support her when the baby arrives, but I'm also aware that as a temp worker, I might not qualify for FMLA or any parental leave. I'm concerned about how to communicate this without jeopardizing my new position. I'm looking for advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation or from HR professionals on the best way to approach this.

It’s been a little over a week since I was laid off from my sales position at a tech company. I had a feeling something was off when our new CSO came in and started throwing around terms like 'hunters and farmers.' It felt like every sales manager had attended the same conference and got brainwashed by this jargon. My previous director, who was also on the chopping block, kindly gave me a heads-up two months in advance to start looking for new opportunities. I prepared my resume and started scanning LinkedIn, but I hesitated to apply anywhere, hoping I wouldn’t be affected. My market was performing well, but unfortunately, I was one of 50 sales team members laid off, including several area managers with over a decade of experience. I know some of them had better work ethics and market performance than I did. When I learned about my layoff, my attitude shifted completely. I stopped pushing myself at work, started going to the gym at 10 AM, and made sure to leave the office right at 5 PM. I might sound lazy, but I realized there was nothing I could do to change the situation. On the bright side, I received a severance package that I wasn’t expecting. Years ago, my spouse and I read a book called 'How To Quit Like A Millionaire,' which emphasized the importance of having 'F You money'—enough savings to give you the freedom to leave a job you dislike without financial stress. This mindset has been a game-changer for us. Over the past year, I only had to dip into those savings for two months, and we didn’t feel a significant impact on our lifestyle. We even traveled to Japan, Hawaii, and New York between jobs. After my layoff, the first thing I did was book a flight. I just returned from Korea, where I spent time job hunting and enjoying delicious food. I recognize my privilege in this situation, but it’s important to note that my background is far from privileged. It took discipline and teamwork with my spouse to save money and avoid being tied down by jobs we hated. We chose to build our future together and let time work in our favor. We’re all in this community because someone else prioritized their profit over our well-being, but I believe we can weather these tough times, emerge stronger, and refuse to play into their scarcity mindset.

I just got kicked out of my home after standing up to my abusive parents, and now I'm trying to figure out my next steps. I'm 18 years old and have been couch surfing with friends across the state, but I'm running out of places to stay and money for food. I need to find an entry-level job that can help me start saving up. I've worked part-time in retail before, but I don't have a car for transportation, which makes it tough to land a decent job. I've looked into online positions, but they usually require a degree or more experience than I have. I don't even have a laptop to make remote work easier, so I'm considering telemarketing positions instead. I'm hoping to find some advice or hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation. Any suggestions on jobs or strategies that could help me get back on my feet?

I am a Data Engineer with about 3 years of experience, currently working at a multinational company in Bengaluru. My responsibilities include building and maintaining production ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure technologies like ADF, ADLS Gen2, Databricks, and PySpark, following a Medallion architecture for data processing. My work mainly supports sales, forecasting, and supply chain analytics, and I've gained experience in dimensional modeling as well. Lately, I've been applying for new positions but have found that genuine job opportunities have significantly decreased. I typically receive about one interview invitation per month, but many of the calls I get are not legitimate—either the roles are misrepresented or they are from consultancies looking to gather profiles. To improve my chances, I'm now focusing on leveraging referrals. If anyone knows of any openings for Azure Data Engineer or Data Engineer roles in Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, or even remote positions, I would greatly appreciate a referral or guidance on the right job ID. I'm open to opportunities in both product and service companies, and I have a 30-day notice period. Any help from the community would mean a lot to me. I'm also open to feedback on my resume or profile if anyone has suggestions.

I recently cleared the final interview round for an embedded marketing role with a major client, but I would technically be employed by an agency. During the initial recruiter call, I mentioned my current salary of ₹1.15M/year, and they stated their maximum budget for the role was ₹1.2M/year, which they described as a hard cap. I later requested ₹1.5M, but they reiterated the ₹1.2M limit. After a six-week interview process, HR informed me that I’m likely their preferred candidate. Now, I’m contemplating whether to negotiate for a higher salary before accepting an offer, despite the hard cap they set. I’m torn between accepting the ₹1.2M, trying to negotiate again, or waiting for a written offer to discuss it then. I don’t want to jeopardize this opportunity, but I also don’t want to miss out on potential leverage.

I'm currently working a full-time hybrid job, but I'm actively searching for new opportunities and even considering weekend nanny jobs to boost my income. As I browse various job boards and nanny forums, I keep seeing posts from people who have full-time work-from-home (WFH) positions, and it's left me curious. I thought most companies had shifted back to hybrid models or required employees to return to the office. It's been a while since I came across a fully remote job listing, so I'm wondering what types of jobs or companies are still offering these options and where to find them, especially in the US. Some comments I've seen suggest that startups without physical offices and certain sectors like medtech are still heavily remote. I've also heard about remote roles in health insurance agencies, particularly with Medicaid programs, which allow for work from anywhere in the state. I personally was fully remote during COVID, but after returning to the office, we transitioned to a hybrid model, and then they started pulling back on WFH days, which was disappointing. Now, I'm back to two days of WFH a week, but I can't think of any tasks that require me to be in the office. It seems like remote jobs might become more common again. I've found some remote roles on LinkedIn and Indeed, but I'm still holding onto my current position from when remote jobs were more abundant.

I recently made the tough decision to leave my retail job after just 3 months. I had been let go from a previous position close to home due to surgery complications and not qualifying for FMLA, but I managed to find another retail job with a slight pay increase. With over 11 years of retail experience, mostly from one company, I thought I could make it work. However, the management at my current job was really poor, and it started to negatively impact my mental and physical health. Now, I'm in the process of applying for new roles, but I'm unsure whether to include this short stint on my resume. I've decided to leave it off for now, as I feel like it might raise red flags. I'm applying to various positions, including those that offer training, but so far, I've faced a lot of rejections, even from hotels. I just want to find a job that I won't dread going to and that's relatively close to home.

I had an interview for a position that I was really excited about. On August 17, I completed my interview with the hiring manager, who seemed eager to move forward quickly. By August 25, I received a call from HR confirming that my profile was selected for an offer and that I would receive it by the end of the following week. I felt optimistic! However, as September 2 approached, I decided to send a polite follow-up since I hadn't heard anything. Unfortunately, I received no reply. Then, on September 3, the deadline they had given me passed, and there was still complete silence from their side. I had previously communicated my higher salary expectations during the HR screenings, so I’m left wondering if this delay and lack of communication mean that the offer is off the table. I’m starting to think I should assume it’s over and continue my job search.

I recently filed a claim in Alabama and have been actively applying for jobs through various platforms like Indeed, Glassdoor, and the Alabama workforce website. I'm trying to understand the requirements for reporting my applications. Specifically, do the three jobs I need to report weekly have to be exclusively from the state workforce website, or can I include applications from Indeed and Glassdoor as well? For instance, I applied to a university through Glassdoor and two other positions through the workforce site. Do I need to apply to an additional job on the state site to meet the requirements, or is my current application count sufficient? I'm a bit anxious about potentially getting disqualified for the week, so any clarity would be appreciated!

I am currently considering asking for my old job back as a barista at a local cafe after having left earlier this year. I had to quit to help my father move out of state after he retired and then got injured, which required me to spend more time with him than I initially anticipated. The situation at work was tough, as we were severely understaffed, leading to burnout for me and my coworkers. I left in good standing, and since returning from my family obligations, I've noticed that the cafe has continued to struggle. I've been job searching, but I feel that the pros of going back to my old job outweigh the cons. I received an email last week indicating that they are hiring for shift leads, which I believe I could qualify for since I wouldn't need training. I'm unsure how to approach them about getting my job back. I’ve considered just walking in and speaking with the manager directly, as I think they might appreciate my return given their staffing issues. I’m also contemplating reaching out to former coworkers to gauge the situation further. Any advice on how to word my request or approach them would be greatly appreciated!

I recently had a tough experience where I got fired on my second day at a commercial warehouse job for being "not a good fit." It was frustrating because I felt I did nothing wrong. However, I didn't let that setback discourage me. I had an interview for a position I've been eager to get into for a long time, and it went really well! The company is a local HVAC business run by some very nice, older owners. I’ve been in touch with them before through my union, but things didn’t work out at that time. This time, I was able to reconnect and went in for the interview. I shared that I have one month left in my HVAC school and talked about what I’ve learned so far. I was honest about my lack of experience, but I expressed my eagerness to learn and grow with them. They appreciated my local background, and we discovered that we live just 8 minutes apart! I mentioned that I finish school in October and asked if I could start the first Monday of that month, which they agreed to. I left the interview feeling hopeful and grateful for the opportunity. I’m really hoping to land this job and finally kickstart my career after that rough first experience.

I’ve been feeling really stuck in my job search lately. I suspect I might be on the autism spectrum, which adds to my social anxiety. I’m physically small, so many jobs, like those in warehouses, are out of reach for me. I really want to work, but I struggle with back-and-forth conversations and customer interactions, which rules out fast food and retail positions for me. What I really enjoy is sorting things and creating systems—like quality control or assembly line tasks where I can focus on repetitive actions. I also have this idea of solving small problems that people face daily, like fixing tripping hazards or updating broken links on websites. But I’m not sure if those kinds of jobs even exist or if anyone would hire someone for that. I’ve looked for warehouse jobs, but most require lifting more than I can handle, and stocking positions seem to involve customer interaction, which I know I won’t manage well. I just want to find a role where I can sort and organize without the pressure of customer service or heavy lifting.

I got fired last week on a random Monday, and honestly, I'm still processing it. There was no warning, no performance improvement plan—just a sudden meeting where they told me I was done. I was the second most senior person on a small team, which makes it even more baffling. This isn't my first time facing job loss; I was also laid off at my previous job, so this is round two for me in under two years. It feels like a pattern, and not a good one. The timing really threw me off. I had no heads up, no chance to mentally prepare; it was like they did it on a regular Monday as if it were routine for them. I have about 1.5 years of experience, primarily working with TypeScript, NestJS, AWS, PostgreSQL, and Redis, along with some experience in Go, Python, Kafka, and GCP. I've also been building RAG/AI projects on the side. I graduated with a BTech in 2025. I’m not looking for pity, but I needed to vent. If anyone has leads on backend openings or has gone through something similar, I’d love to connect. I'm open to any location and would consider both funded startups and larger, stable companies at this point. Thanks for reading.

I recently submitted my EDD application in California and I have a sinking feeling that I might have entered my Social Security number incorrectly. I think I accidentally flipped two digits, which has me really worried. I'm not completely sure if I made a mistake, but I want to address it before it potentially delays my benefits any further. I'm looking for advice on what steps I can take to correct this situation. Any help would be appreciated!

I recently experienced a mass layoff at my company where I worked for 1.5 years. During my time there, I faced some uncomfortable interactions with the HR director, who I believe acted in a discriminatory manner towards me. As a Palestinian, I felt her comments and behavior were inappropriate, especially after she inquired about my ethnicity shortly after I started. During a company event, she made a remark about Israel being beautiful after discussing the Dead Sea, which left me in disbelief. I didn't want to jeopardize my job, so I kept my response civil. I also suspect that I was overlooked for a promotion in favor of a coworker due to her influence, despite receiving positive feedback from my manager and director. Now, with the layoff, I have 60 days of mandatory pay under the WARN Act, plus a week of severance for each year of employment. However, the severance agreement includes a clause that prevents me from disparaging the company or pursuing legal action. I’m considering negotiating for a larger severance package, perhaps 4-6 months, while expressing my discomfort with the release of potential harassment and discrimination claims. I understand this could lead to a 'take it or leave it' situation, but I'm prepared to take that risk. I'm also contemplating seeking legal advice to better navigate this process.

Today, I reflected on the tough lessons learned from my time in Big Tech after being laid off recently. It’s been eye-opening to see how no one is truly safe in this industry, regardless of their position or experience. Watching others share their experiences during layoffs has been informative, yet it also feels a bit disheartening. Many stories of recovery seem to lack inspiration, making it hard to stay optimistic about the future. I’ve noticed a trend where everyone seems to want to pivot into content creation, which raises questions about the necessity of traditional roles like documentation assistants, especially with the rise of AI. The landscape is shifting rapidly, and I find myself contemplating what my next steps should be in this evolving job market.

I’m currently in a tough spot and need help finding work in the South Metro Atlanta area. I've been unemployed since August of last year after leaving a job for a better-paying opportunity in trucking that didn't work out due to conflicts with my trainer. Since then, I’ve been relying on rideshare gig work, but I recently received two speeding tickets and more traffic violations, which have disqualified me from most gig opportunities. I've been deactivated from Uber, Lyft, Spark, and Veho, and I'm worried about losing my last option with DoorDash as they are about to re-run my background check. In total, I’ve submitted around 400 job applications since my unemployment began, but I’ve only had about 50 applications in the last few months after feeling discouraged. I have six years of experience in warehousing, having worked for companies like DHL Supply Chain, Walmart Distribution, and Tory Burch, with skills in management, floor operations, office work, and forklift operation. I also hold a Forklift certification and a currently active CDL License, although my driving record may hinder my chances. I’m looking for any warehousing roles such as supervisor, inventory, shipping/receiving, forklift operator, or dock worker. I’m also interested in transitioning into supply chain/logistics/dispatch roles, but I’m struggling to find entry-level positions. I live in Clayton County and have reliable transportation, so I’m open to any leads or referrals within the South Fulton, Clayton, and Henry County areas. I didn’t want to ask for help, but I’m running out of options and need to pivot quickly. I appreciate any assistance or connections anyone can offer. To others in similar situations, I believe we will find stability again. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I just received an offer for a new role that comes with a $25k salary increase, which is a huge deal for me at 25. However, instead of feeling excitement, I’m overwhelmed with guilt. I've been unhappy at my current job and have been actively searching for new opportunities, but the timing of this offer is stressful. They want me to start on September 14, which means I won't be able to give a full two-week notice. I’m worried about how my current team will react, especially since I manage some great people who I will miss deeply. Despite my frustrations with my current job, I find myself feeling bad about leaving them without proper notice, even though I know they haven’t treated me well either. It’s frustrating because I’ve been waiting for this moment for 11 months, dreaming of the day I could resign. I realize I need to prioritize my own career and well-being, but the thought of disappointing my team weighs heavily on me. I’m reaching out for advice on how to handle this situation. Should I just suck it up and give my one-week notice? I’m worried about how emotional I might get when I do it. Any thoughts?

I recently faced a situation regarding my employment history after the hotel I worked at was bought by another management company last June. Although my position remained the same and I continued to work there until I was let go, I wasn't sure how to accurately reflect this on job applications. I'm looking for guidance on how to indicate this change in ownership on my employment history. Specifically, should I note the new company's name, or is it sufficient to list my original employer since my job role did not change? Also, I'm trying to find out how to look up the date of the purchase and the new company's name for accurate reporting. Any advice would be appreciated!