u/Classic-Regular-713

People's reactions have been harder than the job itself. When I tell people I started working at Walmart, their expressions change immediately. Even my kids seem embarrassed, but I'm a mother with bills to pay, and I don't believe honest work diminishes me in any way.

I was laid off in April after spending nearly 25 years in my field. I have an MBA, but that hasn't made companies answer to me. I've been working since I was 15, and when I was younger, I did a lot of difficult jobs, such as selling kitchen utensils door to door, working in telephone sales, and selling cheap perfume at garage sales.

Unemployment benefits still leave me about $1,800 short every month. I've cut nearly every expense I can, and the only debts I have left are my mortgage and student loans, but my savings won't last forever. The part-time job will bring in about $340 a week while still leaving me time to apply for jobs and attend interviews.

I've been supporting my family on my own for about 19 years, and two of my children still live with me. I contacted everyone I know, asked them to reach out to their contacts, and submitted more than 230 applications. Before this week, all of that had led to only one serious interview.

After I finished my first two shifts at Walmart, I received two interview requests on the same day. Strangely, they came after I removed about 12 years of experience from my résumé. I'm trying not to get overly excited, but it felt good to finally hear back from someone.

Most of the comments from people close to me made me feel terrible, and I nearly skipped my first shift. A former colleague who once worked under my management immediately told me, "I'm proud of you." She was the only person who didn't treat me as though I had failed. I'm not ashamed of working at Walmart, so I'm not going to speak about it in a hushed voice.

After about 19 years of working as an RN, I was fired for the first time. I had been working for an agency that provides in-home hospice care for nearly three years, and this happened after I declined another assignment because I was completely drained.

Over the course of about 12 days, I had handled 8 admissions and 6 deaths, with almost no time to catch up on my work. When they tried to add another patient, I said I needed some time to catch my breath before I could safely take on more cases.

One of the recent admissions also involved a serious APS-related issue that could not be handled in the home. I warned management several times, but they told me that communicating with the family was not their responsibility and that I needed to learn how to deal with difficult people better. During the termination meeting, the manager also said that I did not seem happy working there.

The patients and their families had always treated me well, so I do not believe patient care was the real issue. I set clear boundaries with management and spoke up whenever I felt something was unsafe, and that did not fit the workplace culture. Part of me was relieved, but at the same time, the decision shocked me, and I did not know what my next step would be.

Afterward, the state approved my unemployment claim because the agency could not prove that I had done anything outside the normal course of my job. I only received it for about 10 days, but having someone confirm that there was no legitimate reason to fire me made me feel that I had been right.

In the end, I accepted two PRN positions, each paying about $12 more per hour. Things worked out better than I expected, and I am grateful to everyone who encouraged me while I was still trying to process what happened.

https://preview.redd.it/qll9x1eoccnh1.png?width=1032&format=png&auto=webp&s=640d4c3d7c5ddf7ea88eb32e1807aa19ca7f1181

......

I still can't believe what happened; I lost the job offer just because I had the courage to ask for a slightly better salary. Everything was going perfectly during the interview, and when the recruiter asked me about my salary expectations, I specified a certain range.

They moved quickly and sent the official offer within a few days, but the base salary was the absolute minimum of the range we discussed. I sent a polite email thanking them for the opportunity and asked if there was a possibility to get closer to the middle of the range we agreed upon, which, by the way, was within the budget they had listed in the job posting itself.

I waited for 3 days with no response at all. Then, I received a short message saying they decided to move forward with someone else, and the offer was officially rescinded. No phone call, and they didn't even say "this is our final offer" - the whole thing ended in a moment.

Honestly, this is a very clear red flag. Part of me is upset, but another part is telling me that I likely dodged a bullet with a management team that handles a very normal professional discussion this way.

https://preview.redd.it/a9d5ju296qmh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=e325ea1d3c9222e41f0a2d5bcfc9174ce5bd02ea

...............

Guys! I wanted to share a small win, and maybe it'll give someone here a boost. After I had posted before about all the rejections and the tough moments I was going through, including being rejected after six rounds of interviews, I'm really happy to say that I got an offer and accepted it! The salary is good, and honestly I feel like the role and the team are a good fit. All of this happened after just three interview rounds, and it reminded me how much a good first conversation can make a difference.

Sure, I wasn't perfect. I got confused on a few questions, and there were things I didn't fully know, but the hiring manager clearly saw something in me and gave me space to show what I could offer. I also spoke with the team lead and the VP of marketing, and they were surprisingly easy to talk to, and we felt like there was a bit of a click outside of just work.

The biggest lesson from all this chaos? Please don't give up. Sometimes it only takes one company, one person who's willing to bet on you. I went through around twelve interviews before things finally worked out. Stay interested, prepare well, and keep showing up and trying. Your yes is still out there waiting for you!

https://preview.redd.it/cnj3b5xyfxlh1.png?width=572&format=png&auto=webp&s=ed9c1bbb4537d0c7bdb8164a6bebcb3c14e6e5a5

......

I'm genuinely curious! If yes, what field are you in/what's your job title?

I'm currently working as an Executive Assistant/PA in a very corporate place, and I'm not happy at all. I've started thinking about applying to other places, but I want to move into something different and I don't even know which direction to look in.

For context, this is my first real office job after finishing university in the UK, and I've been here for about 20 months, including getting promoted to my current position.

I've never had a "dream career" or anything like that, but I really want to find something that gives me at least some job satisfaction without taking over my whole life.

Has anyone managed to find something in the middle? Like a job you mostly enjoy despite the annoying parts, while still leaving you with a life and letting you pay the rent?

https://preview.redd.it/5hm2nuvho5lh1.png?width=1027&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7683cddd0184ed752bb7ea6c8c0ce085f77412f

...............

I posted a few weeks ago about a potential role as a Data Center Technician with Microsoft. I spoke with the recruiter this morning, and he told me that my resume caught his attention and that they want to make me an offer!! And I accepted!!!!!!

Honestly, I'm so excited!!! I was able to find something 3 months after graduating, and I'm even happier that someone was willing to give me a chance without any professional experience.

To all the new grads who don't have YOE, don't give up!! Your opportunity is coming!!

https://preview.redd.it/g305lxegbzjh1.png?width=843&format=png&auto=webp&s=194321a4568d4ae7fec0f8d257518769090500c5

......

After a long run in tech, it finally happened to me. I found a meeting added to my calendar out of nowhere with the big boss, heard the usual corporate funeral speech, and then that was it, I was out. My company has been moving tech roles out of the country for a while, so honestly it was more a matter of when, not whether, someone would get cut.

Right now I'm going to sit with it for a bit, but I'm shocked and pissed off. The market is tough, and being more on the senior side probably isn't going to make the search any easier at all!!

What a hell of a week to quit sniffing glue.

https://preview.redd.it/w8op8jfkgrih1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=73701a88d1657c110ce67c6e13f2c9acd1d8ef19

..........

https://preview.redd.it/ekkqm6ld4dhh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=73afc43ed041036adf270db895a30a16a7027b01

......

A few days ago, a job applicant ruined his chance in the first 7 minutes after entering our office. He was curt with the girl at the front desk. She said hello to him, and he barely replied. She asked a simple question to start a conversation, and he answered briefly and with no interest in talking to her. What he didn't know was that "the person at the front desk" was the department lead in charge of hiring.

She took him into the meeting room and told him that every staff member here is important and deserves basic respect. And based on the way he treated "the person at the front desk," she didn't think he would be a good fit for the role. Thank you for coming, but we're going to stop the interview here.

Be respectful and kind to everyone you meet when you enter any workplace.