u/Visual_Technician724

I've been a nervous wreck for the past 48 hours because of this interview. Public speaking and interviews are my biggest anxiety triggers; I almost always have a panic attack in the middle of them, and I'm generally terrible at selling myself. To make matters worse, this was a bilingual position, and I knew they would test my French. I was so worried about my accent and that I would mess things up and look like an idiot.

I was literally on the verge of canceling. I spent the morning texting my sister a million reasons why the job wasn't a good fit anyway and why I shouldn't bother going. But guys, I'm so glad I pushed through.

My hands were shaking a little at first, but I didn't have a full-blown panic attack! I wasn't stumbling over my words like I usually do, and I felt confident in my answers. And the best part? When they had me speak with the native French speaker on the team, he told me my accent was great, and after he left the room, the hiring manager said he is a very hard person to please and has never been impressed by any candidate's French before!!

Usually, I leave an interview and replay every stupid thing I said in my head for hours. Not this time. I genuinely feel good about my performance. I really hope I get this job (the office is gorgeous, the benefits are amazing, it's a four-day work week, and the salary is a 20% increase from my current one), but honestly, even if I don't get it, I'm just so proud of myself for showing up and facing my fear instead of running away like I wanted to.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this achievement with you all because I'm over the moon right now. Wish me luck to get accepted!

I was hired as a hybrid employee. We got a new president a few months ago, and now he's saying that 4 days in the office are mandatory for everyone. Honestly, I wouldn't have accepted this role if it had been mostly on-site.

How do I tell him that this isn't something I can do?

I've been a manager at my company for 3 years. There are no real raises, no bonuses, nothing except more work. On top of all that, my manager monitors every tiny detail I do, which is very strange because I'm literally a manager too.

Now I got an offer from another company. It's not a manager role, more like a regular staff position. But they're offering me a salary close to double, plus bonuses on top of that.

So should I just take the money and stop caring about the "manager" title for a while? Especially since I'm still in my mid-20s. Or should I stay on the career path, keep the manager title, and continue job hunting until I find a manager position that pays better?

I'm genuinely wondering if I missed something about how much resilience one needs for the job market these days. Honestly, every interview, and every automated email that says 'Thanks, but no thanks,' all of it feels like a punch to the gut.

Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but my self-confidence has taken a huge hit lately. I genuinely believe I have a lot to offer, but this whole experience makes one doubt everything, and it's really hard not to dwell on every small mistake one made or felt they made.

I just finished a virtual meeting for a job I really wanted, and I can't stop replaying every awkward pause or strange answer I gave. My stomach has been hurting all week from the stress, and I just want this chapter to be over, even though I only recently started looking seriously.

Any advice on how to keep one's spirits up? What strategies helped you get through this stage, or how did you eventually find a job?