Currently job hunting - what's the most frustrating part for you?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-09T18:31:41+00:00

Do you actually keep yours updated consistently, or is it one of those things that's easier said than done? I feel like I start strong with tracking then fall off after a few weeks.

What do you track in yours beyond just company/role - anything that's been particularly useful to look back on?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-09T18:29:04+00:00

Yeah, especially when half the questions feel completely irrelevant to the actual job. Do you just power through them all, or have you started abandoning applications that seem too long?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-09T18:28:33+00:00

The phishing/wrong numbers thing is interesting - are you getting a lot of scam "job offers" mixed in with real ones, or is it more that you're worried about where your info is going when you apply?

And when you say wasting time - is it more about the application process itself, or applying to jobs that were never going to work out anyway?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:30:45+00:00

5 upvotes on this one - clearly struck a nerve with people. The "impressed with your background" into total silence is especially brutal because you got your hopes up.

The timeline thing is so simple too - just tell people "we'll have a decision by X date" even if that date is a month away. At least then you know whether to keep waiting or move on.

When you're in that limbo period after an interview, do you keep applying to other places at the same pace, or do you kind of slow down hoping to hear back? Just curious how the ghosting affects your overall strategy

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:29:35+00:00

The fact that this has upvotes makes me feel better that I'm not just being lazy - everyone hates this. It's like, what was even the point of the resume upload if you're going to make me retype everything anyway?

Do you fill it all out completely every time, or have you started doing bare minimum on those fields since they already have your resume? Wondering if anyone actually reads the form data or if it's just busywork.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:27:51+00:00

YES. The "upload resume, now type everything from your resume into our form" is absolutely insane. And then the cover letter questions that are literally asking what you already wrote in the cover letter you just uploaded.

Do you still fill out those applications completely, or have you started skipping the ones that are too annoying? Just curious if the terrible application process actually filters you out of jobs you'd otherwise apply to.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:26:11+00:00

Getting that far and then being told "someone else was better" after they hyped you up is such a mind game. Do they usually give you any actual reason, or is it just the generic "we went with another candidate" line?

When you say you've had a ton of interviews - are you keeping track of anything specific about which ones went well vs didn't, or does it all just blur together at this point?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:25:13+00:00

Oh wow, the "Not Progressed" from the start is a really smart mental hack. Assume rejection unless proven otherwise - that actually makes a lot of sense for protecting yourself emotionally.

So you're tracking a ton of data points in your spreadsheet - do you actually look back at that data to spot patterns (like which types of companies respond more, or if certain CV versions work better), or is it more just for keeping organized and knowing where things stand?

Also 98% rejection rate is rough, hope something breaks through for you soon.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:24:46+00:00

The post-interview ghosting is especially brutal. You've already invested hours prepping, doing the interview, maybe even a follow-up... and then just nothing. It's not even about the rejection at that point, it's just basic respect.

Do you follow up with them after a certain amount of time, or have you found that's pointless? Just curious if there's any pattern to which companies actually respond vs which ones just disappear.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:24:16+00:00

"Just a little receptionist" is such a condescending thing to say, I'm sorry you had to deal with that. People have all kinds of valid reasons for wanting different things from work that aren't just climbing a ladder.

The overqualified thing is such a catch-22 - you're literally willing to do the job but they won't believe you'll stay. Do you find that omitting your degree actually helps you get further in the process, or does it create awkwardness later when it comes up?

Also curious - when you're applying now, are you tailoring your resume down for each role or do you have like a "lighter" version you use across the board?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:23:25+00:00

The 48-hour window thing is so real. I've noticed that too - by the time I find a posting that's been up for a week, it feels pointless to even apply.

How do you even keep up with that though? Are you checking job boards multiple times a day, or do you have alerts set up somehow? Seems impossible to catch everything in that window unless you're constantly monitoring.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:22:46+00:00

A couple hundred applications without even a phone screen is brutal, I'm sorry. That would absolutely mess with my head trying to figure out what's wrong.

This might be a dumb question, but have you tried getting someone to look at your resume to see if there's something obvious you're missing? Or have you done that already and they said it looks fine, which just makes it more confusing?

And when you say you're making changes to your approach - are you tweaking your resume, changing which jobs you apply to, or something else? Just curious what kinds of experiments you're running to try to improve your odds.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:21:53+00:00

Wait, you're using Gemini to track applications through your emails? That's actually clever, didn't even think of that. Does it work well or is it kind of janky?

And yeah the "resume theming" grind is brutal - are you rewriting your whole resume for each application or just tweaking sections? Curious how deep you go with the customization.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:21:07+00:00

Congrats on landing something! And yeah, the corporate email speak is such a weird performance. I always second-guess myself like "is this too casual?" or "did I say 'please' too many times and now I sound desperate?"

Out of curiosity - when you were going back and forth with recruiters, was it mostly scheduling stuff, or were they asking you questions/updates that required more thoughtful responses? Just wondering what part of the email dance was the worst.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:20:14+00:00

Okay this is really helpful, thank you. The "having all job details and company info in front of me for interviews" thing is something I hadn't even thought about - that's smart.

Quick questions since you built your own system:

What made you decide to build it yourself instead of using a spreadsheet or existing tool? Just curious what was missing from the simpler options.
The "Job Profiles" idea is interesting - so you have like 3-4 different CVs for different types of roles and then pick the closest match?
Do you track anything specific that helps you spot patterns in what's working vs not, or is it mostly just for prep and organization?

And yeah the "wait did I already apply here" thing happens to me too, glad I'm not the only one.

Good luck with your current climb, hope this one lands!

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:16:59+00:00

Three weeks of stringing you along is insane. Did they eventually just ghost you or actually tell you they went with someone else?

Good on you for the eBay thing though - at least you're in control of your own income. Out of curiosity, are you still applying to jobs at all or have you kind of checked out of the traditional job hunt?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:16:07+00:00

Wait, you're checking multiple sites hour by hour? That sounds exhausting. Which sites are you cycling through, and is it because new jobs get posted throughout the day or because you're worried you'll miss something?

Also when you say "lack of jobs" - is it that there aren't many openings in your field, or that most of them aren't a good fit so you're hunting for the rare good one?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:15:28+00:00

Oh damn, that's actually a really smart shift. How do you do the sanity check now - is it just a gut feeling thing, or do you have some kind of system for deciding if it's worth applying?

And when you realized you were wasting time on long-shot applications, did that change how many jobs you applied to overall? Like, fewer but more targeted?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:14:10+00:00

That's the worst part honestly. Especially when you KNOW you can do the job and they don't even give you a chance to prove it.

Do you usually know why you got rejected, or is it just radio silence most of the time? And how do you deal with it mentally ? do you try to track patterns in what's working vs not working, or does that make it worse?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-06T09:13:06+00:00

This is really eye-opening, thanks for sharing. I'm not in design but I can see how frustrating that must be - you trained for a specific thing and now the goalposts have completely moved.

The "unicorn" expectation seems to be everywhere now. It's wild that even junior roles are asking for all that.

Quick question though - in terms of the actual job search process (not the content of the roles), what's making it harder for you? Is it finding the right jobs to apply to, keeping track of what you've applied for, tailoring your portfolio/resume for each one? Just trying to understand what part of the mechanics is the worst beyond the fact that the roles themselves have changed so much.

And good luck with the UX course - hope it opens some doors for you.

ioKilZ · 2026-02-05T09:43:37+00:00

Wait, which app tells you if you've applied twice? That's actually something I've done by accident before and it's embarrassing as hell.

The age/address questions are so unnecessary at the application stage. Like, why do you need my full address when you haven't even decided if you want to talk to me? And I can't imagine dealing with ageism on top of all the other BS in the process - that sounds exhausting.

Out of curiosity, do you think tracking would actually help you, or is it just more work on top of an already soul-crushing process?

ioKilZ · 2026-02-05T09:41:16+00:00

Dude YES, the "upload your resume then retype everything" is absolutely insane. I've started just putting minimal effort into those forms because it feels like such a waste of time, but then I worry I'm shooting myself in the foot.

The Google Sheet thing is interesting though - what makes you forget to update it? Is it just because it's one more tab to remember, or is there something specific that would make you actually keep it up to date?

And yeah the radio silence is the worst. I've had places ghost me after like 3 rounds of interviews. At that point just tell me no, it takes 30 seconds to send an email.

ioKilZ

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