Anonymous member


Career development 19h
Hello! My boss expects me to be available 24/7. She even calls me after 10 p.m. and on weekends, usually about unimportant things. I feel like she just likes controlling her employees and bothering us even outside of work. Maybe I should just stop answering her calls?

  • Marisela Yi-Delgado

    40m

    Is being “on-call” part of your job description? If not, you need to set boundaries.

  • Lawrence Watsson

    2h

    Is she married? If she not maybe she is just shy to tell you the Xtra service she want. Just thinking. I may be wrong

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Katherine Martin


Career development 2w
I started a job at a small logistics company and on my first day I saw I’m the only woman there. The team is all men and it feels a bit strange. Everyone is polite, helpful and friendly. But I still feel nervous. I keep waiting for something bad to happen. Do you think I’m just overthinking or is something wrong with this company?

3   

  • ELLEN HAYFORD

    2h

    There is nothing wrong you working with men. At where i work now when i was employed there were only two ladies and including myself to make us... three. the rest of the team are were all men and they are very friendly and respectful. we always work together as a team share ideas on the job All you need is to be focus, respectful and hard working lady. for i think they employed only a lady but with her confidence , respect and hard work made the company to employ ladies. more

  • Excellence Osuolale Victor

    2w

    It's a logistic company not skincare

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Ted Setterfield


Career development 1d
Hi everyone! Does anyone else get annoyed when a job ad doesn’t say the salary? Yesterday I had an interview and asked the HR how much they could pay. He said it depends on my skills. So in the end, I still don’t know what salary I can expect. Is that normal?

  • Cynthia Awino

    3h

    Knowing the salary being offered is important, knowing your worth is equally more important, the question is are you ready to take the lowest pay they... are offering. Why employers do not want to disclose this information is unprofessional. Someone once said you should discuss what you are bringing in then negotiate. They already know you are suited for that position hence the shortlisting. Employers please kindly disclose the salary when asked coz you have the budget you can at least give a range, to avoid wasting each others time. more

  • peter elweu

    12h

    But why would you want to know your salary right away, you’ll still have that salary, first focus on what you’ll contribute to the company then... negotiate the salary later. more

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Career development

 5h

Where to find employees when LinkedIn isn't working


What used to be a straightforward professional networking site has been completely TikTokified. Half of the feed is people posting long, emotional essays about what their morning coffee taught them about B2B sales. The other half is a barrage of recruiters and auto-bots. But that's the business model, right?

LinkedIn makes money from everything except helping you hire efficiently. The platform... that was supposed to connect employers with serious professionals has become a content farm with a résumé tab.

And for small business owners and hiring managers, LinkedIn is rapidly losing its utility.

You post a job, and you are instantly hit with a tidal wave of "Easy Apply" bots; candidates who blindly tap a button without reading a single word of your job description.

Even worse, the platform has become a hotbed for ghosting. You reach out to a solid candidate, set up a time to chat and then poof - crickets.

Currently, 52% of employers say their biggest recruitment challenge is a lack of quality candidates, according to ZipRecruiter data. Notice it doesn't say a lack of candidates. There are plenty of warm bodies out there. But finding someone who will show up, do the work and not no-call, no-show on day three? These days, that requires stepping outside the LinkedIn echo chamber.

If the biggest platform on the internet isn't working for you, here is where you actually need to be looking.

When you post on a massive social network, you are a small fish in a giant, chaotic ocean. You are competing against Fortune 500 companies with dedicated employer branding teams and bottomless ad budgets.

Worse, social-first platforms are built for passive scrolling, not intentional job hunting. A candidate might click "apply" because it took zero effort, not because they actually want to work for you.

It's time to shift from posting and praying to proactive sourcing by finding the exact talent you want and tapping them on the shoulder, virtually speaking.

According to a ZipRecruiter survey of U.S. job seekers, four out of five would be more interested in a role if an employer reached out to them directly, and most are more likely to respond to employers who make the first move.

This is where having access to a dedicated talent pool changes the game. In fact, a survey by ZipRecruiter of U.S. hiring decision-makers and influencers, more than 90% of employers say having a database of job seekers for proactive outreach speeds up the hiring process and saves them time.

Instead of waiting for the algorithm to pick your job post, use a tool like ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter's internal data shows that employers gain access to a massive Resume Database of 53 million resumes, with over 320,000 new ones added monthly.

You can enter specific skills, certifications and locations, find the exact person who fits your needs and use the Invite to Apply feature. When you send a personalized invitation to top candidates, you receive eight times as many quality matches.

The results are even better when employers use the Invite to Apply feature. In fact, ZipRecruiter found that throughout 2024, those jobs attracted over 11 times as many candidates in the first 24 hours alone.

With ZipRecruiter, you aren't hoping the right person scrolls past your ad; you are knocking directly on their digital front door.

If you're looking for a specialized skill, stop shopping at the general store. You need to go where the practitioners are:

When you post on a niche board, the sheer volume of applicants will plummet - in the best possible way. You are trading volume for intent.

Some of the best hires don't come from job boards at all, but closed digital communities where professionals actually talk shop.

Almost every industry has a professional Slack channel now. Whether it is a local chamber of commerce group, a specific software users group or an industry mastermind, these are goldmines. People in these groups are usually there to learn and genuinely network, not just blindly apply for jobs. Engage in the channels, offer value, and when you mention you are hiring, you will get warm leads from people who already respect you.

Don't overlook candidates who are currently employed but looking for a change or extra work. According to the ZipRecruiter New Hires Survey, a significant portion of the workforce is juggling multiple income streams or looking for better primary fits. Sometimes, reaching out to someone doing great freelance work in your industry can result in a fantastic full-time hire.

Here's a reality most new hiring managers don't think about: the best candidates for your role might not be job hunting. They're employed. They're reasonably happy. They're not browsing job boards at midnight.

These are called passive candidates, and reaching them requires outreach rather than postings. You have to go find them.

This is where those 53 million resumes in ZipRecruiter's Resume Database earn their money. Search by skills, certifications, location and recent activity to find people who match your needs -- even if they haven't applied to anything. Pair that with the Invite to Apply feature, and you're not waiting for anyone to come to you.

The old model was: Post a job, sit back and cross fingers. The new model is: Identify who you want, reach out and make the case for why they should work for you.

If you want to bypass the ghosting and the bots entirely, look at the people already sitting in your office (or Slack channel).

Your current top performers are the best recruiters you have. "A" players usually hang out with other "A" players. They worked with them in past positions, they went to school with them or they know them from local industry events.

Create a structured, highly incentivized employee referral program.

Now, I don't mean a $50 gift card. If a recruiting agency is going to charge you 20% of a candidate's first-year salary (which can be tens of thousands of dollars), why wouldn't you happily pay your own employee $2,000 for bringing you a reliable, vetted hire?

When a quality employee refers someone, they are putting their own reputation on the line. Chances are, they won't recommend someone they wouldn't be proud to work alongside. They are going to recommend the person who will make their own job easier.

If you're a small business trying to hire on the same platform as Amazon and Goldman Sachs, you'd better be up for a fight. You don't have the budget, the brand recognition or the recruiter headcount.

But here's what you do have: speed, flexibility, and a shorter distance between the candidate and the decision-maker. Big companies take six weeks and four rounds of interviews to hire someone. You can move in days. That is a massive competitive advantage, and most small businesses waste it by copying the same slow corporate playbook.

Reach into niche channels where the big guys aren't looking. And when you find someone good, move fast. Send the offer before they get buried in a corporate hiring pipeline that won't get back to them until September.

Finding employees right now takes grit. If the traditional social networks are draining your energy and wasting your time, stop playing their game.

Go proactive, get specific and put the tools that do the hunting for you to work.

Usually, yes. While a massive platform might give you 500 views and 50 applications that cover the gamut, a niche board might give you 50 views and five highly qualified applications. You are paying for the filtration system. Time is money, and spending $200 on a niche board to save yourself hours of resume screening is a massive return on investment.

Personalization is everything. When you use a tool like ZipRecruiter's Invite to Apply, don't just blast a generic message. Mention one specific thing from their resume that caught your eye (e.g., "I saw you drove 20% growth at [Past Company]. We need someone to do exactly that for us."). Make them feel chosen, not caught in a net.

Sell what the corporations can't. Flexibility, direct access to leadership, faster decision-making, less bureaucracy, meaningful work where their contributions are visible -- these matter to a lot of people. Be upfront about the pay and transparent about what you can offer instead. Candidates respect honesty way more than vague promises about "growth opportunities."

If cash is tight, offer time. Give an employee an extra five days of paid vacation if they refer a candidate who stays for 90 days. For many burnt-out employees, extra PTO is vastly more valuable than a cash bonus.

Extremely. Referred candidates tend to get hired faster, stay longer, and perform better because there's a built-in accountability layer. The person who referred them put their own reputation on the line. Even a small incentive -- $200 to $500 for a hire that stays past the probation period -- can turn your entire team into a recruiting engine.

You want a platform built specifically for hiring -- not one that treats job postings as a side feature. Look for AI-powered matching that proactively surfaces qualified candidates, distribution to multiple job boards from a single posting and tools that let you reach out to candidates directly. ZipRecruiter checks all of those boxes. What's more, ZipRecruiter's internal data shows it is rated the No. 1 hiring site.

Speed is your weapon. Big companies are slow. They have six rounds of interviews, three hiring committees and an HR process that moves like molasses. You can meet a candidate on Tuesday and send an offer on Thursday. That alone will win you talent that a Fortune 500 company would have eventually hired -- eight weeks from now, after the candidate had already moved on. more

Career development

 6h

GroceryAid's Mandi Leonard on rats, air con and shoplifting


What was your first job? My first job was working in my dad's stationery business, which was a wholesale company but also had a retail shop. I worked in the shop on a Saturday from when I was 15.

Then my first full-time job was with Barclays Bank, back in the day of branches on every high street. Both gave me a great understanding of working with the public.

What's been your worst job interview?... I think I have been lucky as I haven't had a bad interview! I quite enjoy interviews and always found being honest, open and showing a real interest in the role made for a positive experience.

"It can literally be a lifeline that keeps someone from going under, and it's a very powerful reason to do what I have the privilege to do"

What was the first music single you bought? Carly Simon, Nobody Does It Better - does that age me?!

How do you describe your job to your friends? GroceryAid offers financial, emotional, and practical support to people working across the grocery industry. My job is to make sure the help we provide meets colleagues' needs and feels genuinely supportive.

Whether someone comes to us for a financial grant, managed by my welfare team, or for emotional or practical help from one of our service partners, I focus on ensuring the experience is empathetic and non‑judgemental, to ensure that the colleague is in a better place than when they first came to us.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Anyone who has ever heard me speak will know my answer to this question; every single day a member of my team changes someone's life for the better. We see this from the 'thank yous' that we receive when we offer a financial grant. It can literally be a lifeline that keeps someone from going under, and it's a very powerful reason to do what I have the privilege to do.

What is the least rewarding part? As a charity, we have eligibility criteria for financial grants and there are obviously times when we cannot help and that can be difficult. We never send anyone away with no help, however, and will always offer signposting to another organisation or service that may be better suited to supporting their challenge.

What is your motto in life? A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. A reminder that life's short, and we should do our bit to make the world a good place for future generations.

If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A paid sabbatical to travel - there are so many places I want to visit on my 'one day' list!

Do you have any phobias? Rats - can't bear the thought of them. I'd never be able to go into I'm A Celebrity!

If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? That GroceryAid had even wider awareness across the whole industry - from the largest fmcg manufacturer or supermarket to SMEs and independent retailers - so that everyone who needs help knows we are there to give relief in tough times.

What luxury would you have on a desert island? An air-conditioned tent - I can't sleep when it's hot and my hair is not good in humidity!

What animal most reflects your personality? A dog - I believe I'm warm, friendly, supportive, and always show up for people.

What's your favourite film and why? Terms of Endearment - the story of a family who may not always see eye to eye, but when life gets hard, all that truly matters is standing together.

What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Walking out of a DIY shop with my then four-year-old son who, just as we walked past the security guard, said in a very clear voice: "Mummy, did we steal anything from there today?" as though we were serial shoplifters!

I felt the need to stand in front of the security guard and tell my son why we have never stolen anything and why it would be very bad to do so!

Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? Matt Willis. I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly at a recent GroceryAid event and he was a genuinely sincere, nice guy, and I would love to discuss his in-depth understanding of addiction and mental health challenges with him further. I love his 'On the Mend' podcasts as well.

What would your death row meal be? Prawns or scallops to start, sea bass for my main and I would finish with something like a raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake, all washed down with a glass or two of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - very decadent, but as my last meal I'd go out on a high! more

Career development

 10h

I hid the fact I had children in job interviews - it's the only way to get hired


When author and mother-of-two Davina Quinlivan was interviewing for new roles online five years ago, she would hide all evidence of her two children, moving Mother's Day cards, their artwork and stray Pokemon cards.

Quinlivan, author of recently published Possessions: A Memoir of Transformation in an Era of Precarity, felt she needed to give each interview "the best shot" and couldn't take the... risk of motherhood "impacting me, even a small amount". As an academic who has spent much of her career teaching feminist theory, she found it deeply conflicting.

"It's a difficult feeling, because why would I do that? It's so painful to pretend to vanish [my children] away. Yet I know on some unconscious level that people interviewing are thinking: 'Well, if this child is unwell, our teaching schedule goes down.' Of course, there is support for working carers, but you have to jump through the hoops of getting the job in the first place," she explains. "I wanted to give myself opportunities. I don't think there were vast numbers of mums being interviewed for these jobs, and I knew who would get those jobs in the end - and they weren't mums."

She's one of an increasing number of women who have felt the need to hide motherhood during job interviews. Peanut, the world's largest community app for mums, ran a poll exclusively for The i Paper and found that the majority of mothers - 60 per cent - don't mention caring responsibilities during job interviews, while six per cent actively hide any trace of motherhood until they are offered a role. This compares with 34 per cent of mums who actively mention their children in interviews, the poll of 580 mothers found. "We're seeing more mothers concealing their children from interviewers, which underscores the need for our working culture to catch up. When honesty becomes a hiring risk, the problem isn't with the candidate - it's with the system," Michelle Kennedy, CEO of Peanut, believes.

You might think caring responsibilities should never be discussed in a job interview. But research consistently shows that men can actually experience a "fatherhood premium" - where having children actually increases their chances of getting hired. In one study, professor Stephen Benard at Indiana University sent identical fictionalised CVs to companies from female and male job "candidates", some mentioning their volunteer work for the Parents Teacher Association. Fathers received a slightly higher callback rate than childless men, while employers were 100 per cent less likely to call back mothers than childless women.

Lana Phillips, a marketing assistant from Derby with two children, aged six and four, learnt to hide motherhood after a job interview went wrong. "My children were three and one at the time. The interview was going well and it came up naturally that I had kids. The head of operations asked how old they were. When I told her, she replied, 'They need their mummy at home with them at this stage.' Then explained she stayed at home with her three children until they were school age. I was already back at work. I found it especially shocking that a woman was making this judgment. The interview went sour and ended five minutes later. I received an email saying I hadn't got the job," she remembers.

Since then, she has avoided mentioning her children in interviews. "Then, if I'm turned down, I know it's because of me, not because I have children," she says. She is relieved her employer is supportive and offers flexibility if she wants to watch a school show.

Discrimination against mothers is something that charity Pregnant Then Screwed has been campaigning against for a decade. CEO Rachel Grocott says: "The reality is that many bosses still see motherhood as a burden to business. Women have faced this discrimination for decades - from assumptions they might become parents, to the belief they 'won't come back' from maternity leave, to the stereotype that mothers are less passionate, less talented and less productive. Anyone experiencing it should seek advice on their rights and protections. Mothers are some of the most talented, productive employees and when you discriminate or push them out, you pay the cultural and financial price as parents move to employers who support them. That's the economic truth."

Joeli Brearley, founder of Growth Spurt which gives advice to women returning to work after becoming parents, says: "I spoke to a recruitment consultant who was told by 80 per cent of his clients not to put forward women with children under the age of five. We are seeing pregnancy and maternity discrimination rising year on year. When the economy gets tricky, people feel uncomfortable and revert back to old biases," she explains. "Things are taking a step backwards but we have a government that is making positive changes with the Employment Rights Act last year and the Parental Leave review currently underway."

Many mothers have experienced "ghosting" from recruiters. Florence, who has three children under five, recently started interviewing. "I have multiple childcare options, from nursery to family living closeby," she explains. "I had one recruiter contact me saying I was a perfect fit for a role. They were really positive until I mentioned children, when he asked how I'd manage work and my childcare responsibilities. I never heard from him again."

Brearley says in a job interview it's not illegal to ask a candidate if they are a parent, but it is illegal if an employer acts on that information. "We cannot prove that is the reason for discriminating, though," she says. "More often than not, interviewers ask subtle questions about candidates' personal lives, such as: 'How do you manage your personal life alongside work?' How to react to this depends on where you are in your career; we know that bias exists. For the majority of people, it is better to wait until you are offered a job to ask for flexible working or mention children, then you can prove discrimination. But if you're very senior, have privilege [to choose your role] and power, then ask the questions you want."

She says this is the opposite for men: mentioning children in an interview - as long as there is no request for flexible working - boosts their chance of success as they are seen as "responsible and better employees". Fathers are perceived as five percentage points more committed than childless men at work, according to research by Harvard Kennedy School, while mothers are seen as 12 percentage points less committed than non-mothers.

Sophie Catto, managing director of AllBright everywoman, which supports development of women in leadership roles, and whose children are seven and five, says: "No woman should ever feel she has to hide being a mother in a job interview. There is no lack of ambition in women who are mothers. Motherhood builds skills from prioritisation and decision-making under pressure to resilience, adaptability and problem solving. It strengthens emotional intelligence, empathy and communication, while also sharpening efficiency and the ability to manage competing demands. When businesses recognise and value this, it has a direct impact on confidence, progression and retention, something we have positively experienced in our office.

"I recommend training for line managers who aren't parents and an open calendar policy from business leaders: I have sports days and parents evenings in my diary and this inspires others to do the same. When working flexibly feels normal and doesn't come with a hidden career trade-off, we see stronger retention, deeper engagement and more sustainable long-term progression."

Quinlivan, whose children are now 13 and 10, found the experience of "vanishing" her children so painful that she will never do it again. "It seemed impossible [at that time] to think I had choice. But I did: by giving myself the tools so that I could make my own work," she says. She's built her self-employed creative career over the past four years, while remaining in academia running an online course with the University of Bristol and holding a Research Fellowship.

"Luckily, I've been treated brilliantly - sometimes my children come along and sit at the back in seminars. I now display motherhood in a way that makes it easier [for employers] to understand how my skills are immensely important and translatable to any kind of professional life. Anyone who is a carer knows the amount of creative power, care, love and challenge that goes into raising a human. I bring all those skills to the workplace." more

Career development

 11h

interviewer didn't ask me any questions, people keep asking for unpaid consulting, and more


It's five answers to five questions. Here we go...

1. My interviewer didn't ask me any questions

I just had my second ever job interview (I'm a college student applying to a student job on an editorial team at a big media company). I feel pretty good about it. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed, they seemed enthusiastic about me and my experience, there were no major blunders.

However, what... really surprised me was the lack of questions on their part. Most of the interview time was spent on them telling me about their processes and the duties I would have on the job. I was asked one (!) question by one of the interviewers and it was a very general one. He asked me to tell him about the internship I recently had at a related company and "about my life in general."

I'm satisfied with the answer I gave, but ... I prepared for so much more! I spent hours researching the company, thinking of possible questions and preparing answers to them. Now I feel like there were barely any opportunities to showcase my abilities and interest in the job.

What does the lack of questions mean? Is it normal? Is it a sign that they weren't interested in me after all? Or, to the contrary, is it a sign that they're already set on hiring me and didn't feel the need to ask many questions? Please help clear up my confusion! (In case you're wondering: This is the only interview / final stage, there will not be more interviews that could potentially include actual questions. They said they'll get back to me with their hiring decision in a couple of weeks.)

It mostly means they're a bad interviewer.

It's possible they feel like the stakes aren't that high with a student job and so they're more interested in warm bodies and they figured they'd just tell you about the work and see if you want to do it -- but I'd argue that also falls under the "bad interviewer" umbrella, because even in a very junior level job, there are great candidates and terrible candidates and everyone in between.

Sometimes, too, the person who is charged with interviewing student candidates is fairly junior themselves and doesn't have much/any experience hiring and so they're sort of winging it ... but you can see this with more experienced managers, too.

Chalk it up to a bad interviewer.

2. Wedding gift for my boss

My whole team and few coworkers in other departments are invited to my boss's wedding in August. I wouldn't have RSVP'd yes except that everyone else at work who was invited is going, so I am too. It's a weekend in a very popular midwest summer destination about six hours from where we all live, and the cheapest hotel is ~$400 per night with a minimum three-night stay. Honestly, the money is not an issue and my husband and I are not stretching the budget to attend. That said, I feel odd about gifting my boss cash? Especially with the above costs considered. But is a boxed gift appropriate? They don't' have a registry that I can find (it's a second marriage for both and they have lived together for a very long time). Is cash in an envelope going to be weird when 1) it's my boss and 2) I know that they make three times my salary? Mabye I'm overthinking but the dynamics just feel odd and I'd love some direction.

Yeah, don't give an envelope of cash. Frankly, I think this is a case where it's okay to attend a wedding and just give a card, because this is your boss and the rules about not feeling pressured to give upward are still in play, despite it being a wedding. But if you're uncomfortable with that, can you and your coworkers go in on a group gift based on something you think your boss would like? Everyone else is probably struggling with this problem too and that would solve it for all of you. (Just don't pressure anyone to contribute -- ask other people what they're doing and present it as an option if people want to.)

Also! You don't have to go just because your coworkers are going. A minimum three-night stay six hours away is an enormous ask, and I wonder if she issued invitations without actually expecting most of her colleagues to make it! If you've already RSVP'd, you may feel locked in, but if we could go back in time I'd encourage you to feel comfortable having a conflict that weekend and just sending well wishes.

3. How to say I won't work with a specific child again

I have been dealing with a difficult situation at work, and am considering presenting management with an ultimatum. I work in early years education and for the past few months a child in my class (A) has been hitting me, kicking me, throwing water at me, etc. A has additional support needs and is young enough that they cannot injure me (although I did have one bruise that took two weeks to fade). I am one of several teachers in the class but this energy is only directly at me. We've had weeks with no incidents, or up to four incidents in one day. The stress of this has caused me to break down in tears several times, once so badly I went home for the day.

I was just informed I will "probably" be teaching A's class again next year. I do not know if I will be able to return next year if this is the case. Management have said the right things to me about ensuring my safety and that I can take time away if I need to, but the only measure that's in place is I write down the details of the incidents when they occur and to my knowledge no one has ever looked at this. I have had to fight for acknowledgement that this is a serious problem that requires action and am feeling burnt out and unappreciated. After months of my complaints, the school has started arrangements to hire a shadow teacher to support A but there is no guarantee this will stop this behavior.

I have worked here for several years with consistently glowing performance reviews. I am also uniquely valuable as I possess desirable niche skillset X but without common qualification Y which would entitle me to a 50% higher salary. These things are never certain but I believe they'd be willing to do a lot to keep me. I'm also in the fortunate position of being able to survive financially without this job, although I adore it and would be very sad to leave.

My question is about how to approach this. I read an old letter about presenting an ultimatum and you advised against over-explaining. I agree with this, and am lucky in that there's not really a middle position, just don't make me teach A anymore, which makes things a lot simpler. I work for an extremely small school, there's no HR, and I suspect the reaction I'll get will be confused sympathy. I don't feel that anyone understands how stressful the months constant vigilance and random attacks have been and therefore my threatening to quit will make me look overemotional and unprofessional.

You don't need to go straight to "I will quit over this" -- just ask directly for what you want. For example: "I am not comfortable teaching A again for safety reasons and would like them to be placed in a different class." You might also point out that since A hasn't attacked anyone else, they might be more likely to thrive with another teacher -- but either way, clearly state that you are requesting to have A moved.

If they refuse and you're willing to quit over it, the next step would be a statement like, "I want to be up-front that this is something I am considering leaving over. Is that the best solution or is there anything else we can do?"

Caveat: I don't know enough about early years education to know how often this kind of behavior comes up and if it's something people working with young children are expected to be willing to work around (or for that matter, what the right steps are for the school to be taking, although I imagine other steps do exist since young children are essentially feral creatures). If they see it as something that anyone working with this age group needs to be prepared for, they may feel like the issue is bigger than the situation with A and that it's more of a mismatch with the work. That doesn't necessarily change anything about how you should proceed, but it's something to include in your thinking too.

4. People keep asking me for unpaid consulting after I say no

I'm taking three to six months away from paid employment. I want to move into a new field that's significantly different -- for anonymity, let's say teapot making to space tech. The only way to focus sufficient time and capacity to achieve this is to take time out from full-time employment. I'm making good progress, and one of my actions has been to reach out to my network to see if they have space tech connections or leads. Sometimes they ask for my resume which, while weighted heavily towards the experience I'm building in space tech, also references teapot making.

What I have found is that some connections interpret this as me being available for unpaid teapot consultancy. I am highly experienced in my old field (30 years) and if I was to consult, I'd charge and earn high fees. However, what is most important right now is time. I have a full program of professional activities to build my space tech reputation and knowledge. I am not looking for teapot projects (paid or unpaid) to fill in time.

I state clearly to these connections that I am fully focused on space tech for the next two months and will not take on other projects until then, but I'll bookmark their project and if I decide to refocus on teapots after that, I'll get back in contact. This message does not seem to get through. I get persistent requests to continue to be involved in teapot startups -- like emailing me details of a project (which I haven't discussed or agreed to support) on a Sunday and texting me wanting to speak the same day, then texting me again on Monday morning following up. I've had similar experiences where I decline a project and the requestor keeps asking, or behaves as though I've agreed to do it when I have said no.

Is this usual in business? Do I need to just to keep reiterating the message that I am focusing only on space tech for the next two months, or is this a culture/communication difference and other wording would be more effective? I want to remain professional and keep the option for future business open (if space tech doesn't work out), while also communicating clearly without appearing abrupt or rude. Are there any insights or scripts you can provide?

No, it's not usual, which makes me think something about your wording might not be as clear as it needs to be (although it sounds pretty clear!). I would stop saying that you'll bookmark their project and get back to them if something changes, since that may be muddying the message. Instead, just say, "I'm not currently taking on teapot projects so can't help, but best of luck with it." If you can refer them to someone else instead, you can do that. But otherwise stick with "I'm not currently taking on this work" and don't get into whether you might change your mind in the future.

After you do that, if someone continues to ask for your involvement, say this: "I apologize if I wasn't clear: I am not available to assist with this. I hope you can find someone who can help!"

5. Can my job make me close the store five nights a week?

I am a key holder closing the shop three days a week and the other days I do restocking, customer service, etc. Now my bosses are trying to give me five days to close, which I don't want because it is a lot responsibility and I burn out. Can they force me to do that?

Yes, they can make it a requirement of your job. But you can try pushing back, by explaining that you don't want to or you're not available at those hours that many nights per week or whatever makes sense. They can still decide it's a job requirement for you now, but you can have a discussion about it where you attempt to change their minds. If they want to keep you, they should have at least some incentive to try to find other solutions (if they exist). more

Career development

 2d

Don't chose 11 am slot for an interview, says a career consultant. Google Gemini mostly agrees and gives the reason


Job interview anxiety is common. Career coach Simon Ingari suggests avoiding 11 am interview slots. He believes interviewers may be tired or distracted then. Some internet users agree, preferring mid-afternoon slots. However, other users and AI models like ChatGPT disagree. They argue 11 am can be a peak productivity time for interviewers.

Job interview anxiety is something almost every... professional experiences, whether it's preparing for tough questions, waiting nervously for your turn, or managing stress during the actual conversation. From sleepless nights and overthinking resumes to second-guessing answers and fearing rejection, interview stress can feel overwhelming. The pressure to impress recruiters while staying confident often makes the process mentally exhausting. But do you know that n today's competitive job market, even choosing the right interview time can influence performance? Career coach Simon Ingari echoes a similar sentiment in one of his latest X-posts.

In the post, which received over 14 million views, Simon Ingari made a rather bold claim, stating that when an HR representative of a company asks a candidate to choose an interview time, job-seekers must avoid the 11 am slot. His surprising advice has received several comments, forcing many to rethink their interview strategy.

One user speculated that by 11 am, HR professionals are often already drained from back-to-back morning meetings, overflowing inboxes, and workplace demands. With lunchtime approaching, they may struggle to focus entirely on a candidate, potentially affecting the interview dynamic. Suggesting that mid-afternoon may be a better choice, the user recommended opting for a 3 pm slot instead, when interviewers could be more settled and attentive.

'11:00 AM is dangerous. You are basically being judged by someone whose coffee has worn off and lunch has not arrived,' agreed another. Unable to understand Simon Ingari's advice, an individual asked, 'Why avoid 11:00? something about timing or energy levels around then?' Begging to differ, someone else noted that if a candidate is confident and well-prepared, they have the potential to crack an interview at anytime of the day, be it 11 am or 11 pm.

The hunger factor: By 11:00 AM, interviewers may already feel mental fatigue after hours of decision-making, while hunger and approaching lunch can reduce patience, focus, and mood -- potentially making them more rushed or irritable during your interview.

Mid-morning pileup: Around 11:00 AM, unfinished meetings, urgent tasks, or workplace issues often build up, leaving interviewers distracted or pressured by pending responsibilities instead of being fully engaged in evaluating you.

Serial position effect: Psychologically, candidates interviewed first or last are often remembered best. The 11:00 AM slot can fall into the less memorable middle, where you risk being overshadowed and associated with pre-lunch distraction.

Peak productivity window: By 11:00 AM, many interviewers are fully alert, settled into their workday, and past early-morning distractions, allowing for sharper focus, better engagement, and more thoughtful evaluation than rushed first-slot interviews.

Avoiding early chaos: Unlike early morning slots, 11:00 AM often comes after inbox checks, team updates, or urgent priorities are handled, meaning interviewers may be more present and less distracted during your conversation.

Balanced timing advantage: Positioned before lunch but after the day stabilizes, 11:00 AM can offer a practical middle ground, avoiding both morning grogginess and late-day fatigue while giving candidates enough preparation time. more
2   

  • Paulie Duguay

    1
    12h

    I NOW understand that the 11:00 A.M. Hour isn't exactly ideal EVEN as a business owner operator and will be keeping this in my notes and analyzing... this for my Day-To-Day operations as a business owner! Thanks 👍 more

Career development

 15h

CBA's digital home loan channel becomes its fastest growing


New CommBank data shows more Australians are starting their home buying journey online, signalling a shift in consumer behaviour.

More people starting their home loan journey online

Just as Australians have gone digital for dating, shopping and job hunting, they're now turning online for one of life's biggest milestones - buying a home.

CBA's digital home loan channel, the newest way to apply,... has become the bank's fastest growing application channel.

Executive General Manager of Home Buying, Marcos Meneguzzi said: "We've seen strong growth in the digital channel because customers want more flexibility over how they start the process."

"As Australia's largest lender, we can see this trend across all types of customers. People are blending digital and personal support to get the experience that suits them best."

The data shows a broader shift in behaviour, with more people comfortable researching their options, checking their borrowing power and learning what's achievable before applying for their home loan online.

Younger Australians are leading the shift, with people in their twenties the fastest growing cohort for online home loan applications, while those in their thirties make up the largest share of digital applicants. But it's not just younger buyers embracing the change, more experienced customers are joining them, with applications from people in their fifties also growing in the same period.

First home buyers' behavioural shift

First home buyers are showing one of the most striking behavioural shifts in CBA's digital home loan channel. Despite having never been through the process before, many are now choosing to start their home buying journey online before being connected with a lender.

"Traditionally, first home buyers have preferred a face-to-face experience, but that's starting to change," Meneguzzi said.

"Just as they're comfortable researching and shopping online for everyday purchases, they're now applying the same habits to bigger decisions like buying a home.

"This isn't about moving away from our existing channels - it's about providing choice and additional support through lenders once an application is submitted," Meneguzzi said.

"Some customers prefer to begin online, others want to talk in person. What matters is that they can choose what works best for them."

CBA's digital channel allows customers to apply online for a range of products, including the Standard Variable Rate, Fixed Rate, Simple, and Digi Home Loans. Tools like the borrowing power and stamp duty calculators are also helping people estimate costs and feel more confident when applying online. more

Career development

 18h

Despite low unemployment, recent college grads face tough job market


* Hiring rates remain near post-2008 recession lows despite steady economic growth and low unemployment.

* Artificial intelligence is changing both hiring decisions and how employers screen job applicants.

* Entry-level workers and recent college graduates face rising unemployment and underemployment.

* Health care is one of the few sectors adding significant jobs while tech and white-collar... hiring slow.

The American job market is behaving in a way that economists are struggling to explain. The economy is growing. Unemployment is low. And yet, for millions of workers, finding a job has become harder than at almost any other point in decades.

Amanda Munro, 32, followed every rule she had been taught. She earned a graduate degree, cultivated expertise in data science and environmental policy, and began establishing a track record as a policymaker, negotiating line by line with foreign governments over rules designed to protect sharks and rays on the high seas. When she was laid off last year as part of the federal cuts imposed by the U.S. DOGE Service, she expected to find another job quickly. Instead, she ended the year sorting packages in a warehouse in Portland, Oregon, earning $19 an hour. "It feels like the rules changed," she said.

The struggle is felt across the U.S. workforce, but for the millions of students graduating this spring, it arrives at the worst possible moment.

A 'low-hire and some-fire' economy

The first clue that something unusual is happening: Companies are not bringing on new workers the way they normally would in an economy this strong.

"It is weird for us to have GDP growing at the rate it is and the hires rate be this low," said Laura Ullrich, chief economist at the job search platform Indeed.

The hiring rate -- the share of the workforce that starts a new job in a given month -- has hovered well below pre-pandemic levels for more than a year, running at 3.5% in the most recent month, a level more typical of the sluggish years following the 2008 financial crisis than a growing economy.

The headline unemployment rate, at 4.2%, looks healthy. But that figure has been buoyed by a shrinking labor force: Fewer people are actively looking for work, which keeps the rate down even as hiring slows.

Layoffs remain low by historical standards, but they vary widely across sectors. "In some narrow sectors, certainly tech and media included, it is low hire and some fire," Ullrich said.

The pattern is most visible in tech, where some of the largest employers have shed staff. Amazon (founded by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos) laid off 16,000 corporate workers in January. Oracle followed in March with cuts affecting as many as 30,000 jobs. Meta said in April it would eliminate 10% of its workforce, roughly 8,000 jobs. PayPal announced another 4,800 in early May.

To an extent, these companies are trying to recalibrate after their hiring sprees of 2021 and 2022, when many had raised pay, offered flexible schedules and signed people quickly. Ullrich says she's hearing from companies: "We hired too many people, so we don't need to hire a lot of entry-level people. We still have people here."

Higher interest rates have also made expansion more expensive, pushing many firms to invest in technology rather than headcount.

The AI hiring trap

Another reason hiring has slowed is uncertainty about artificial intelligence. Even though the technology has not yet replaced large numbers of workers, it is already shaping how companies think about hiring. "I don't think this is AI displacement," said Ben Zweig, chief executive of Revelio Labs, a workforce data company. "What we're seeing is anticipatory." Instead of rushing to bring on new workers, some firms are waiting to see how the technology evolves and which tasks it will eventually take over.

AI is also reshaping the hiring process itself. Recruiters say they are being overwhelmed with applications, many generated by AI, making it harder to identify strong candidates. "Everyone knows it's a problem," Zweig said. "We're getting flooded."

For job seekers, the hiring process can appear to offer little feedback and even less recourse. Paula Sales Corpuz, an 18-year-old business and accounting major at Montgomery College, a community college in Maryland, has never met an employer in person in a year and a half of job searching, she said. Instead, she was screened through automated video interviews.

"The platform gives you a question, and then you just have to record yourself answering it," she said. So far the approach has led mainly to silence. "I feel like they haven't taken the time out of their day to look over the résumé or the application. They just say, 'We've picked another applicant.' That's about it."

On the other side of the screen, automated systems scan incoming applications for keywords before a human reviewer ever sees them, turning the résumé into a puzzle to be solved rather than a record of experience. Job seekers say tailoring each application to match those terms has become almost mandatory, with little guarantee it will work.

Entry-level jobs are vanishing

Samantha Gilstrap, 28, graduated from journalism school in 2019 and has barely caught her breath since. She entered the job market as the pandemic began, later lost a digital reporting job at WUSA9 during industry consolidation, and has since applied for hundreds of jobs. Most applications have led nowhere. "The only times I've been able to interact with humans is if it's a who-you-know basis," she said. She is now couch surfing to save money. "At some point, if things don't work out, I will be walking into the nearest McDonald's."

Her experience reflects a broader pattern among recent graduates. The unemployment rate for people ages 22 to 27 who recently completed college hit 5.6% in the final months of 2025 -- well above the 4.2% rate for all workers, according to national data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Nearly half of that age group was underemployed, meaning people were working in jobs that did not require a degree, the highest share since 2020.

The squeeze is hardest on those just starting out. At one point last summer, new workforce entrants made up a larger share of the unemployed than at any point since the late 1980s -- higher even than during the Great Recession.

When hiring slows, the door closes first on those without an existing foothold. For the class of 2026, the timing could hardly be worse.

Shifting goalposts

Even when jobs are available, the bar has shifted.

Positions once considered entry level now often require several years of experience, technical expertise and familiarity with artificial intelligence tools. With fewer openings and more applicants, companies are holding out for candidates who can do the job immediately and need little training. "Because they can," Ullrich said.

Employers are also looking for a different mix of skills. An analysis of millions of job postings by Indeed found that communication skills now appear in nearly 42% of all listings, while leadership skills feature in nearly a third -- capabilities that are harder to prove on a résumé and harder still to demonstrate without an existing professional network.

Christine Beck, a career coach who works with early-career job seekers, said employers are asking more of the people they do hire. "Companies are trying to do more with less," she said, pointing to a growing emphasis on candidates who can lead projects and expand an organization's capacity without adding headcount.

Meanwhile, the technical skills required for many jobs keep shifting, making career planning difficult.

Where the jobs actually are

Lance Hebert, 39, of Seattle, has applied for jobs in two very different markets. Between 2015 and 2020, when he worked as a physical therapist, it took him fewer than five applications to land every role he held. But his most recent job search, as a web developer, involved 453 applications to get a handful of interviews and two offers. He eventually accepted a role helping health care companies set up new software systems. "When I pivoted out of physical therapy into tech, that's when the job search became much harder."

The care economy appears to be the only engine still running smoothly. Of the net 369,000 positions added across the entire economy since the start of 2025, health care alone accounted for nearly 800,000 -- meaning every other sector, taken together, shed jobs.

Adding to workers' sense of disorientation is the fact that different corners of the workforce are weakening at different times: federal workers facing mass layoffs, logistics and manufacturing contracting after their pandemic surge, white-collar hiring quietly freezing up.

Kevin Gordon, head of macro research at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, has a name for it: "rolling labor recessions." Instead of a broad downturn that triggers a national crisis, the pain hits one group after another. more

Career development

 19h

The Gospel of Professional Suffering, With Engagement Metrics


There is a new kind of religious experience available to us, and like most religious experiences it requires nothing of you except your attention and, if the spirit moves you, a click. It takes place not in cathedrals or revival tents but on a platform designed primarily for the exchange of recruitment opportunities, and it has produced a clergy whose vestments are business casual and whose... scripture is the personal essay about the time everything went wrong and what it taught them about showing up as their authentic selves, a phrase that would have embarrassed a Victorian child.

Nobody asked for this. It arrived anyway, with engagement metrics.

LinkedIn, in its less spiritually ambitious incarnation, was a digital repository for résumés. A place where professionals connected with other professionals in the transactional hope that one of them might one day be useful to the other. This was not an elevated purpose, but it was an honest one. It did not dress itself up. It did not ask you to feel anything. It did not require you to perform. Then someone, at some point that historians may one day circle on a calendar and weep over, discovered that vulnerability outperformed accomplishment. That a post about personal crisis generated more engagement than a post about professional achievement. That an audience of professionals, apparently so starved for authentic human feeling after years of corporate communication so thoroughly sanitized it had ceased to resemble language, would respond to public confession with the enthusiasm of a crowd that has been standing in the rain for three hours and is genuinely grateful someone finally opened the door.

The prophets identified this opening and walked through it carrying a ring light and a content calendar.

The LinkedIn prophet is a specific and now aggressively proliferating species, and one should study him the way one studies any organism that has found an evolutionary niche: with detachment, with mild horror, and with the unshakeable suspicion that something has gone wrong at the level of the ecosystem.

He has suffered. This is the foundational requirement, the non-negotiable credential, the LinkedIn equivalent of a medical degree. Without suffering there is no gospel, without gospel there is no prophet, without prophet there is no post, and without the post the suffering will have been, in the most literal professional sense, wasted. Unmonetized. Left on the table like a business opportunity that lacked the vision to recognize itself.

The suffering arrives in several formats. The business failure is the classic, the suffering equivalent of a blue chip stock. The firing is reliable, particularly if it came without warning, ideally from someone who lacked emotional intelligence, a term the prophet will deploy at least twice. The divorce is riskier, more personal, but pays well in comments from women who use the word journey unironically. The health scare is the premium product, the suffering that comes with a photograph of a hospital wristband and the implicit suggestion that the prophet looked death in the face and death blinked first, and what death taught him was that we need to have more honest conversations in the workplace.

The post begins with a hook. It is always a hook. A confession stripped of context, engineered to arrest the scrolling thumb with the precision of a speed bump. I lost everything. Or: Three years ago I was fired and I want to tell you why it was a gift. Or, for the genuinely committed: The worst day of my life turned out to be the best day of my life, which is the kind of sentence that would prompt a welfare check if delivered in person but on LinkedIn earns a verified badge and a ghostwriting deal.

What follows is the story, and here one must admire, despite everything, the craft. The paragraphs are short. One, two, three sentences. Then a line break. Then one more sentence, alone, for emphasis. This is not an accident. This is not how literate people naturally write. This is a response to data, specifically the data that tells you where the average LinkedIn reader's attention expires, which is apparently somewhere around the fourth sentence of an unbroken paragraph, at which point they experience something indistinguishable from a medical episode and must immediately look at something else.

The prophet lost the company. He lost the house. He sat in a parking lot and wept, and he will tell you about the parking lot with a specificity that is oddly absent from the part where he explains what actually went wrong with the company. Then, at the bottom of the arc, something happened. A phone call. A book. His child said something. The precise mechanism of the turning point is always slightly soft, slightly vague, because the point is not the turning point. The point is the arc. The fall. The darkness. The improbable and photogenic resurrection. It is the oldest story available to the human imagination and the prophet has optimized it for Thursday morning posting because Thursday morning, the data shows, is when you are most receptive, and the prophet knows this because he paid for the analytics.

He ends with a question. What has your hardest moment taught you? Or: Who showed up for you when it mattered most? Or simply: Drop a one in the comments if this resonated. The ones arrive. Hundreds of them. Thousands sometimes. Integers, offered as testimony. The prophet has reduced the human response to suffering to a single keystroke, and the congregation has accepted this reduction without complaint, which tells you something about the congregation that we will get to shortly.

Now. The audience.

These are, it must be stated, not stupid people. They have navigated performance reviews and reorganizations and the specific, sustained humiliation of attending a mandatory team-building exercise run by someone with a certification in something called Positive Leadership Dynamics. They are not without experience of the world or its disappointments. And yet they receive the LinkedIn prophet's curated testimony with a credulity that they would not, if we are being honest, extend to someone delivering the same material in person.

If your actual colleague Dave sat down across from you at lunch and said, unprompted, that his business failure had taught him that vulnerability is a superpower and that he was grateful for the journey, you would assume he was either having some kind of episode or attempting to sell you something. You would eat faster. You would remember an appointment. On LinkedIn, Dave gets fourteen thousand impressions, a feature in a newsletter about authentic leadership, and three podcast invitations from hosts whose shows are downloaded primarily by other podcast hosts.

The platform has achieved something genuinely strange: it has made the performance of sincerity more persuasive than sincerity itself, because sincerity delivered in person comes with a face and a history and the inconvenient context of everything you already know about the person, while sincerity delivered through a screen arrives pre-formatted, professionally photographed, and stripped of everything that might complicate it.

The congregation's hunger is real. Let us be fair about this before being unsparing about everything else. The modern workplace has spent several decades methodically removing every space in which a human being might express an authentic feeling without career consequences. You cannot tell your manager about the parking lot. You cannot describe the darkness in your mid-year review. The feelings exist, stubbornly, because people have them, but the container for those feelings has been optimized away by HR departments and liability concerns and the creeping corporatization of every human interaction, and into that vacancy the prophet has inserted himself with the precision of a man who has correctly identified an underserved market, because that is, stripped of all the therapeutic language, precisely what he has done.

The hunger is legitimate. The response to that hunger is a content strategy.

And the congregation, bless them, cannot tell the difference. Or can, slightly, somewhere below the level of conscious thought, and has decided that it does not matter, because the feeling of being seen is sufficiently similar to actually being seen that the distinction seems, on a Tuesday morning before the nine o'clock, not worth pursuing.

This is the saddest thing about all of it. Not that the prophet is performing. But that the performance works. That people are so comprehensively starved for genuine connection that a man with a ring light and a parking lot anecdote can provide what the actual humans in their actual lives apparently cannot. We have built workplaces and cities and social structures so inhospitable to authentic feeling that the LinkedIn prophet, of all people, has become the closest thing available to a confessor. And he charges for the premium newsletter.

The platform itself deserves its own sentence in the indictment, though not a long one, because the platform is simply doing what platforms do, which is to say it is doing whatever makes the number go up.

LinkedIn did not invent the performance of vulnerability. It did something more elegant: it built an environment in which vulnerability would be performed, measured the performance with granular and slightly unsettling precision, showed the performers their numbers in real time, and then showed the best performers to larger audiences, because larger audiences meant more time on the platform, and more time meant more data, and more data meant better advertising products, and better advertising products meant money, and money is how the platform knows it is good.

It genuinely believes it is facilitating authentic professional community. It is also selling advertising against someone's cancer scare. These two things coexist within the platform without apparent friction, which is either a remarkable feat of institutional compartmentalization or a description of sociopathy, and the difference, from the outside, is not always legible.

Which brings us, finally, to you. Yes, you. The one reading this on your phone while pretending to pay attention in a meeting.

You have read the posts. Do not pretend otherwise. You have stopped scrolling for the parking lot. You have pressed the heart button, or possibly the lightbulb button, which is LinkedIn's way of letting you indicate that something has made you think without requiring you to specify what you thought, which is a convenience the platform offers and which you have accepted. You may have left a comment. Something real. Something that cost you a small and genuine piece of yourself to type, and which you then posted publicly on a professional networking platform so that an algorithm could classify it as high-engagement content and a stranger could screenshot it as social proof.

Perhaps you follow the prophet. Perhaps his posts arrive in your feed on Thursday mornings and you find in them something that feels, if not exactly like wisdom, then at least like the memory of wisdom, like a photograph of a meal rather than the meal itself, nourishing in the way that photographs of meals are not nourishing, which is to say not at all, but convincing enough in the moment that you forget to notice.

Understand what you are doing when you press the button.

You are not comforting a fellow human being who went through something difficult. You are the metric. You are the data point that completes the transaction, that tells the platform this content performs, that tells the prophet his suffering has found its market, that tells the algorithm to surface more of it so that more suffering may be formatted and posted and measured and rewarded. You are the congregation, the product, and the revenue source simultaneously, and you are performing this triple function for free, in your own time, on a device you paid for, while the prophet converts your attention into sponsorship deals and the platform converts your attention into quarterly earnings.

The prophet did not create your loneliness. He did not build the workplace that produced it or the culture that made it normal or the economic conditions that ensure you spend more waking hours with your colleagues than with anyone you actually chose. He just noticed the loneliness before you named it, bought the domain name, practiced his cadence in the mirror, and had the audacity, or the emptiness, or some compound of both for which we do not yet have a clinical term, to monetize it.

He hopes it resonated.

He is checking the numbers.

He will post again Thursday.

He already knows what the suffering will be about.

He outlined it last Tuesday. more

Anonymous member


Career development 5d

My boss recently reduced my salary. I'm totally very confused because their was no clear reason for doing that. Kindly advice me on the way forward.

  • Mason Hollandbeck

    20h

    It is actually illegal for any employer to reduce your pay without notice or it being written into a position acceptance letter that if certain... criteria is not met a reduction in pay will take place. If the company reorganization took place and your position changed this must also be in an acceptance letter agreeing to the position and title change with a reduction in pay because said position changed. The department of labor takes this type of behavior of employers very seriously  more

  • Foster Music

    1d

    Always make a back up plan.

    Write down your schedule and your ideas, organize them and start with yourself before requesting others to join.

    Get... yourself in order before presenting yourself to others and take it slow.

    One day at a time. Include lots of rest and wind down time.

    Make a five year plan, and budget your funds.
     more

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Career development

 21h

The producer, the job hunter, the interview - and live television's greatest cockup


Louisa Walters is Features Editor at the Jewish News and specialises in food and travel writing

What's a bad day at the office for you? Coffee spilled over your laptop? Documents not saved and having to be retyped? For Elliott Gotkine, a day which started out just like any other in his role as a BBC television producer involved him putting someone who had turned up for a job interview live on air... to be questioned on a subject about which he knew nothing and ended in.... well, losing his own job.

Gotkine has enjoyed an illustrious career in broadcasting, both as a producer and as a journalist. The former Habs boy went to Nottingham University, took a year out, went travelling and then got his first job as a runner on London Tonight. A fluent Spanish speaker, he also worked for Euro Money Publications and as the BBC's South America correspondent based in Buenos Aires. He came back to London in 2005, doing on-air shifts and production shifts for the BBC's Business and Economics Unit. On 8 May 2006 everything changed for him.

"Everyone thinks they know this story," says Gotkine "but there are only two people in this world who know what really happened that day - Guy and me." And now you too, if you read Gotkine's just-published book The Wrong Guy.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

On 8 May 2006 Guy Goma arrived at the BBC for a job interview as a data support cleanser. Technology expert Guy Kewney also turned up at the BBC to be interviewed on air about a dispute between Apple Inc and Apple Corps. Crucially, they checked in to different reception areas.

Ten minutes before Guy Kewney was due on air, Gotkine phoned down to reception to ask if he was there. The receptionist said yes. "I hang up the phone, run out of the newsroom, burst into the lobby, but I can't see any sign of my guest Guy Kewney. I'd looked him up a few moments earlier and I'd seen a picture of a white guy with a red beard. I couldn't see anyone fitting that description, so I said to the receptionist, which one is Guy Kewney and she points to a black guy. It's now five minutes before we are on air, and I have to have my guest."

Gotkine took (the wrong) Guy upstairs to the newsroom, handed him over to the makeup artist, then he went into the studio. Elliott went into the news gallery. "The interview begins, the lights go up. The penny drops when he sees his face on the monitor and he does the most indescribably dexterous and joyous and memorable facial expression I think that's ever been seen on the small screen."

This was the moment Guy Goma realised he was on live television. And down in the other reception area, on the tv screens, the other Guy, the right Guy, is horrified seeing someone that isn't him being asked all these questions.

In trying to make sense of it all, Gotkine hit on a fun and very important fact. Guy Goma is from the Congo and his mother tongue is French. In French, Guy is pronounced 'Gee', which is how he would have introduced himself to the receptionist when he checked in. 'Gee' also rhymes with 'Kewney' which was, of course, the surname of the person who was supposed to be on air. So when Gotkine asked the receptionist if Guy Kewney was there she heard the 'ee' and thought he said 'Guy' (pronounced Gee) and said yes.

He describes it as "a concatenation of cockups - each one individually was a million-to-one shot of happening, and they all conspired together to create this marvellous moment of joy, but also this incredibly embarrassing moment of epic fail".

Gotkine was told he wouldn't be allowed back on air for the foreseeable future. He now lives in Temple Fortune and has two kids aged 13 and 15. In 2013 while working for Bloomberg Television he was posted to Tel Aviv to be the Middle East editor. The family lived in Israel for 10 years but Gotkine eventually brought them back here because he felt the education opportunities were better.

To mark 20 years since that fateful day Gotkine decided to write a book. "You're supposed to drift off into the sunset after your 15 minutes of fame, but Guy's story has somehow endured for two decades. Another journalist managed to track him down and we met up."

Gotkine told Guy he wanted to write a book and that they would split the royalties. They've spent a lot of time together since and Gotkine has "met his whole family to try and get to know the real Guy - aka the wrong guy. We come from very different backgrounds but somehow our lives came together. Our outlooks are surprisingly similar in terms of our sense that things happen for a reason."

Could it still happen today? "In live television, whether it's the BBC or another news organisation, these aren't machines. To err is human," says Gotkine. "I think today the story would have gone viral. But at the same time, because there is so much out there it's very easy for things to get lost. I'm not exaggerating to say that hundreds of millions of people around the world must have seen this.

"I didn't expect there to be wars raging or an energy crisis when my book came out but in these dark scary times if this story can be an antidote for people I'm happy for that. Although at the time it was very chastening for me and had negative repercussions in the short term on my career, there are very few people who can say that they've made millions of people around the world laugh." more

Stuart Harper


Career development 1w
I had a job interview last Wednesday. The HR person said they’d call me back in a few days. I know a week is normal to wait, but how long does it usually take to hear back? If they didn’t call soon, does that mean it’s a no? Thanks
1   

  • Kevin Kirby

    1d

    This has happened to me multiple times during my on going job search. It seems that alot of companies are using third party recruiters to perform... initial screening interviews. This person does not work for the company you are applying to, they simply are vetting your application based on requirements provided for the job. They tell you someone will contact you within a few days to further discuss your application, but then the actual contact at the workplace you applied to receives the vetted applications, and choses to contact only those whom they wish to potentially hire. It's a pain, for sure, but not much you can do about it. I've tried, calling back myself, sending emails, and even texts to find out my status in the application process, to no avail . more

  • Tonya Carpenter

    2d

    Old school way is to call them and not wait for them to call you..

    1
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Career development

 1d

Future of Dating Apps 2026: 5 Best Radical Shifts


The era of the "swipe-industrial complex" has finally collapsed under the weight of its own ambiguity. In its place, the future of dating apps 2026 is anchored by a quiet, radical shift from mindless interest to documented intent. Your screen no longer demands a reactive thumb flick; it asks for a roadmap.

While global dating app installs dipped 4% in 2025 amid widespread dating app fatigue,... Day-30 retention rose from 5% in 2024 to 6% in 2025 as platforms began prioritizing substance over the scroll. We are living through the "Great Recalibration," where apps are evolving from digital slot machines into sophisticated architects of intimacy, trading the chaos of the hunt for the precision of hyper-intentional connection.

The Rise of Hyper-Intentionality: Clarity as Currency

In 2026, modern dating is no longer about collecting endless matches; it is about finding people who can clearly say what they want and act like they mean it. Clarity has become the new currency of connection, and ambiguity now feels less romantic than exhausting.

The Death of the Situationship Economy

The situationship did not die because romance became easier. It died because people finally ran out of patience for guessing games. In 2026, clarity is no longer a bonus feature in dating. It is the entry fee.

This is where the Future of dating apps 2026 starts to look different from the swipe-heavy years before it. Modern daters are not only asking, "Do I like this person?" They are asking, "Are we even trying to build the same thing?" That question now matters more than a perfect photo, a witty bio, or another suspiciously curated travel gallery.

Apps Are Moving From Attraction to Accountability

The new dating app logic is brutally simple: attraction gets attention, but intention gets priority. A vague profile once felt mysterious. Now it feels like unpaid emotional labor.

Hinge has leaned into this shift with Dating Intentions, while Bumble has expanded intention-based features to help users move from endless chatting to clearer offline plans. Dating platforms are slowly realizing that users do not need more matches. They need fewer dead ends.

Communication Is the New Compatibility Test

Height, zodiac signs, and favorite pizza toppings have not disappeared, but they no longer carry the same weight. Modern dating apps are becoming more interested in what happens after the match.

Do you reply with effort? Do your conversations go anywhere? Do you follow through on plans? A person who communicates clearly is now more attractive than someone with a polished profile and the emotional range of an airport vending machine.

Static profile data is becoming less powerful. Active engagement is becoming the new benchmark.

Yearner Energy Replaces Playing It Cool

This shift has also created what many call Yearner Energy: the rejection of the "playing it cool" persona. For years, dating rewarded detachment. The person who cared less seemed to hold more power.

In 2026, that script feels tired. The new flex is not pretending you do not care. It is knowing what you want and saying it without turning every message into a psychological escape room.

Green Flags Are Becoming Profile Currency

The old dating profile was built around performance: good photos, clever prompts, and impressive hobbies. The new profile is becoming more like an emotional résumé.

People are signaling whether they can communicate, respect boundaries, self-reflect, and show up consistently. Mental health awareness and emotional availability are becoming green flags, not awkward first-date detours.

The New Rule: Certainty Wins

Ambiguity is expensive. It costs time, energy, confidence, and sometimes months of pretending a talking stage is becoming something meaningful.

People are not necessarily dating less. They are dating with sharper filters. The future is not anti-romance. It is anti-confusion. And after years of swiping through uncertainty, that feels less like a trend and more like a correction.

The AI Situationship: Emotional Rehearsal and Outsourcing

AI is now the quiet third person in many dating stories. People use it to test messages, rehearse hard talks, and understand their feelings before a real date.

It helps with clarity. It also raises one uncomfortable question: are you preparing to be honest, or outsourcing your personality?

The Bot Before the Date

The strangest third party in modern dating is not an ex. It is the chatbot sitting quietly before the first date.

In 2026, some singles are using AI as a private rehearsal room. They test a hard message. They ask how a confession might land. They practice saying what they actually mean before saying it to a real person. happn describes this as an "AI situationship," where chatbots act less like romantic replacements and more like emotional mirrors for people trying to understand their own feelings.

This matters for the Future of dating apps 2026 because the app is no longer just a place to meet someone. It is becoming a place to prepare yourself before you meet them.

The Rise of the Shadow Dater

AI matchmaking apps are also changing the work required before the date. Amata's AI matchmaker, for instance, skips the endless swiping phase entirely. It introduces compatible people, arranges the date, and even books the venue. The pitch is remarkably simple: no profile theater, no dead chats, just show up.

Iris takes a different approach, utilizing AI to learn individual attraction patterns and predict mutual interest. Users train the system through a series of documented likes and dislikes, eventually receiving highly curated recommendations based on those subconscious preferences.

While developers market these tools as a way to significantly reduce first-date anxiety by eliminating the buildup, the long-term psychological impact of outsourcing this initial emotional labor remains to be seen.

The Honesty Problem

Here is the delicious hypocrisy of AI dating. People want help, but they do not want to feel fooled.

Coffee Meets Bagel found that 80 percent of surveyed daters were comfortable with AI helping in dating tasks, such as improving profiles or answering common questions. Nearly half had already used AI in their dating lives. Yet 76 percent worried AI could make dating feel inauthentic.

That is the new tension. AI is acceptable when it helps someone sound clearer. It becomes suspicious when it makes them sound like someone else.

So the real question is not whether AI belongs in dating. It already does. The question is whether it is being used as a mirror or a mask. In 2026, that difference may decide who gets trusted and who gets unmatched.

Dating App Fatigue and the Slow Tech Response

Dating apps are no longer winning users by showing them more people. They are winning by making the process feel less draining. In 2026, the smartest platforms are slowing things down with curated matches, limited conversations, and built-in breaks that protect users from endless scrolling.

The Curation Pivot

Dating app fatigue is no longer a fringe complaint. It is now a product problem. Endless choice made people feel busy, not closer.

That is why Coffee Meets Bagel has become a useful signal for the Future of dating apps 2026. The app leans into slower dating with curated daily matches instead of endless browsing. It also uses a seven-day chat limit to push people toward real conversation, not another dead thread sitting in digital storage. Coffee Meets Bagel says 92 percent of its surveyed daters want marriage or a long-term partner, while 99 percent see emotional connection as either necessary or desirable.

The Return of Human Judgment

The next phase of dating tech is not just smarter AI. It is AI acting more like a careful matchmaker.

That means fewer matches based on vague "vibes" and more focus on shared values, life goals, communication habits, and real intent. Facebook Dating moved in this direction with its AI dating assistant and Meet Cute feature, which gives users a weekly algorithmic match for those tired of swiping. Bumble is also moving away from its signature swipe model and toward AI-driven matchmaking. Its CEO said users feel exhausted and believe the swipe has degraded their love lives.

Digital Wellness Enters the Chat

The most honest dating feature of 2026 may not be a better match. It may be a break.

Call it the Airplane Mode response. The verified version already exists in quieter forms. Bumble's Snooze Mode lets users hide their profile for 24 hours, 72 hours, a week, or indefinitely without deleting their account. Hinge also lets users pause their profile, which keeps existing chats open while stopping the profile from being shown to new people.

This is slow tech entering romance. The app is finally admitting what users already know. Love does not improve when you scroll through it at 1:17 a.m. Sometimes the healthiest match is with your own attention span.

Safety as a Baseline: The Zero Trust Era

Safety is no longer a bonus feature in online dating. It is the first filter.

In 2026, users expect apps to detect scams, verify real identities, and protect personal data before a match ever reaches the chat box. Trust now has to be built into the system, not requested after something goes wrong.

Predictive Safety Comes First

The next dating app flex is not a hotter match. It is a safer one.

In the Future of dating apps 2026, safety is moving from reporting after harm to spotting risk before the user sees it. Bumble already uses Deception Detector, an AI-powered tool that identifies fake, spam, or scam profiles. Bumble says its testing showed the system helped block 95 percent of flagged spam and scam accounts automatically. It also uses human moderators when closer review is needed.

That is the real shift. Safety is no longer a help center link buried in settings. It is becoming part of the match logic itself.

Verification Moves Beyond the Blue Check

The old blue check was a comfort blanket. Useful, but not enough.

Tinder's Photo Verification now asks users to submit a short video selfie that is compared with profile photos using facial recognition technology. Its Video Selfie Verification process can also use facial geometry, which may count as biometric information in some places, to confirm a user is live, real, and not using someone else's likeness.

That does not make dating risk free. Tinder itself says a verified badge is not a guarantee that every detail a user shares is true. But it does raise the cost of pretending to be someone else. In 2026, "human hype" needs proof.

Privacy Becomes Part of the Romance

Here is the uncomfortable trade. Dating apps need personal data to match people well. They also hold some of the most sensitive information users ever share online.

Mozilla's 2024 privacy review found that 22 of 25 dating apps reviewed came with its Privacy Not Included warning. It also found that most dating apps may share or sell personal information for advertising, while many collect deeply personal details, including identity, sexuality, location, habits, and in some cases biometric information.

That is why privacy-centric dating is becoming more than a niche concern. Users want control over their dating bio identity. They want to know what is stored, what is inferred, what is shared, and what can be deleted.

The future of safer dating is not just better moderation. It is consent, verification, and data control working together. Trust is no longer assumed. It has to be earned before the first message.

Dating Apps Already Building the 2026 Playbook

The industry leaders and emerging disruptors are already shifting their architecture to mirror the Future of dating apps 2026. These platforms have moved beyond the "swipe-first" mentality to embrace intent, safety, and the "Slow Tech" movement.

* Hinge: Leads the clarity trend with its Dating Intentions feature and deeper profile signals that force users to state exactly what they're looking for.

* Bumble: Prioritizes digital wellness and safety through Snooze Mode and its AI-powered Deception Detector, while shifting toward AI-driven matchmaking.

* Coffee Meets Bagel: A champion of the slow-dating movement, offering curated daily matches and a strictly enforced seven-day chat limit to prevent dead-end conversations.

* Tinder: Reinforces the "Zero-Trust" era with Face Check and identity verification, ensuring that proof of personhood is a baseline requirement.

* Facebook Dating: Targets swipe fatigue directly with its Dating Assistant and Meet Cute feature, which provides a single, high-quality algorithmic match per week.

* eharmony: Remains the gold standard for value-based matching through its deep-dive Compatibility Quiz.

* Match: Continues to capture the segment of serious relationship seekers who prioritize stability over the scroll.

* Amata: Pioneering the "concierge" model by using AI to skip the swiping phase entirely and book real-world dates at verified venues.

* Iris: Focuses on biological and visual attraction, using AI to learn attraction patterns rather than just reading text-based bios.

* Thursday: Drives the offline renaissance by hosting singles-only events in major cities, effectively turning the app into a ticket to a real-world party.

* The League: Combines exclusivity with curation, utilizing selective matching and limited daily batches to keep the experience high-value and low-noise.

* Tawkify: Bridges the gap between tech and tradition by adding a human matchmaking layer, providing coaching and feedback for a more personalized introduction.

2026 Dating App Snapshot: The New Pillars of Modern Love

The Future of dating apps 2026 is no longer defined by the technology itself, but by how that technology enforces human accountability. These five shifts represent the new industry standard:

* Mandated Transparency: Documented intent is now the "entry fee" for interaction, effectively replacing the low-effort swipe with algorithmic clarity and "Yearner Energy."

* Pre-Date Emotional Rehearsal: AI "shadow daters" serve as safe rehearsal spaces, allowing users to navigate high-stakes vulnerability before their first physical interaction.

* Engineered Scarcity: To solve dating app fatigue 2026, platforms have pivoted to "Slow Tech" mechanics like daily match caps that prioritize cognitive ease over infinite choice.

* Proactive Security Baselines: Verification has evolved into predictive AI that identifies toxic behavioral patterns and "ghosting" tendencies before they ever reach a user's inbox.

* The Speed-to-Meeting Metric: A platform's success is now measured by its efficiency as an invisible concierge, facilitating rapid, real-world exits rather than digital "stickiness."

Beyond the Algorithm: The 2027 Romantic Renaissance

The paradox of 2026 is almost funny. We're using the most sophisticated machines ever built to find something that still depends on eye contact, timing, trust, and that strange little spark no algorithm can fully explain. We have deployed neural networks to solve a puzzle that has remained unchanged for millennia: the simple desire to be truly seen.

The Future of dating apps 2026 has proven that while AI can act as a mirror for our vulnerabilities and a shield against digital burnout, it can't replace the chemistry of a shared glance or the weight of a physical presence. This "Great Recalibration" suggests that the coming years won't be lived on a screen, but in the world. The hyper-intentionality we're seeing today is the precursor to an offline renaissance. We are moving toward a reality where apps transition from being digital destinations to invisible concierges, facilitating curated, hyper-local meetups where the technology finally fades into the background.

The strongest platforms won't trap users in endless chats; they'll help people move from profile to plan, and from match to meeting. By 2027, this shift will likely push romance back into the real world through smaller singles events and app-guided social spaces where people can meet with more purpose and less pressure. The machine may help with the search, filter the noise, or even rehearse the first message, but love still has to happen in human time.

As we navigate this strange new romantic landscape, the metric of success has shifted. We no longer measure a platform's power by its "stickiness" or its ability to keep us scrolling into the early hours of the morning.

"In 2026, the most successful dating app is the one that gets you off the app the fastest."

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Future of Dating Apps 2026

What is the "AI Gap" in modern dating compatibility?

The AI Gap is the ideological divide between users who use AI for communication and those who demand raw authenticity. Compatibility now requires aligning on your specific comfort level with AI-assisted romance.

Will dating apps cost more to use moving forward?

Monetization has shifted from charging for "unlimited swipes" to premium subscriptions for curation, biometric safety, and AI assistants. You are no longer paying for high match volume, but for connection precision.

How are platforms forcing users to meet in real life?

Apps are deploying "Slow Tech" like expiring chat limits and AI concierges that automatically book local date venues. The goal is to eliminate digital small talk and push users into physical meetings within 72 hours.

Are dating apps being used for professional networking in 2026?

Career-minded individuals are repurposing dating app location filters for authentic, local professional networking. This shift bypasses the sterile nature of traditional job sites in favor of organic, human-centered connections.

How are algorithms adjusting to protect users' mental health?

Algorithms are replacing infinite-scroll mechanics with "daily drop" models that limit users to a few highly curated matches. This reduces cognitive load and mitigates the anxiety associated with gamified validation loops.

How are platforms addressing the problem of "ghosting"?

Dating platforms are now actively penalizing ghosting by flagging repeat offenders and drastically reducing their visibility in the algorithm. Conversely, users who utilize app features to send respectful closure messages are rewarded with boosted profile engagement.

What is "freak matching" and why is it trending?

"Freak matching" is a new trend where users bypass generic small talk to bond over highly specific, niche quirks and interests. It highlights how modern daters prioritize deep, unusual authenticity over traditional, surface-level attraction markers. more

Career development

 1d

Why the U.S. job market is so hard, especially for recent college graduates


The American job market is behaving in a way that economists are struggling to explain. The economy is growing. Unemployment is low. And yet, for millions of workers, finding a job has become harder than at almost any other point in decades.

Amanda Munro, 32, followed every rule she had been taught. She earned a graduate degree, cultivated expertise in data science and environmental policy, and... began establishing a track record as a policymaker, negotiating line by line with foreign governments over rules designed to protect sharks and rays on the high seas. When she was laid off last year as part of the federal cuts imposed by the U.S. DOGE Service, she expected to find another job quickly. Instead, she ended the year sorting packages in a warehouse in Portland, Oregon, earning $19 an hour. "It feels like the rules changed," she said.

The struggle is felt across the U.S. workforce, but for the millions of students graduating this spring, it arrives at the worst possible moment.

The first clue that something unusual is happening: Companies are not bringing on new workers the way they normally would in an economy this strong.

"It is weird for us to have GDP growing at the rate it is and the hires rate be this low," said Laura Ullrich, chief economist at the job search platform Indeed.

The hiring rate -- the share of the workforce that starts a new job in a given month -- has hovered well below pre-pandemic levels for more than a year, running at 3.5 percent in the most recent month, a level more typical of the sluggish years following the 2008 financial crisis than a growing economy.

The headline unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, looks healthy. But that figure has been buoyed by a shrinking labor force: Fewer people are actively looking for work, which keeps the rate down even as hiring slows.

Layoffs remain low by historical standards, but they vary widely across sectors. "In some narrow sectors, certainly tech and media included, it is low hire and some fire," Ullrich said.

The pattern is most visible in tech, where some of the largest employers have shed staff. Amazon (founded by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos) laid off 16,000 corporate workers in January. Oracle followed in March with cuts affecting as many as 30,000 jobs. Meta said in April it would eliminate 10 percent of its workforce, roughly 8,000 jobs. PayPal announced another 4,800 in early May.

To an extent, these companies are trying to recalibrate after their hiring sprees of 2021 and 2022, when many had raised pay, offered flexible schedules and signed people quickly. Ullrich says she's hearing from companies: "We hired too many people, so we don't need to hire a lot of entry-level people. We still have people here."

Higher interest rates have also made expansion more expensive, pushing many firms to invest in technology rather than headcount.

Another reason hiring has slowed is uncertainty about artificial intelligence. Even though the technology has not yet replaced large numbers of workers, it is already shaping how companies think about hiring. "I don't think this is AI displacement," said Ben Zweig, chief executive of Revelio Labs, a workforce data company. "What we're seeing is anticipatory." Instead of rushing to bring on new workers, some firms are waiting to see how the technology evolves and which tasks it will eventually take over.

AI is also reshaping the hiring process itself. Recruiters say they are being overwhelmed with applications, many generated by AI, making it harder to identify strong candidates. "Everyone knows it's a problem," Zweig said. "We're getting flooded."

For job seekers, the hiring process can appear to offer little feedback and even less recourse. Paula Sales Corpuz, an 18-year-old business and accounting major at Montgomery College, a community college in Maryland, has never met an employer in person in a year and a half of job searching, she said. Instead, she was screened through automated video interviews.

"The platform gives you a question, and then you just have to record yourself answering it," she said. So far the approach has led mainly to silence. "I feel like they haven't taken the time out of their day to look over the résumé or the application. They just say, 'We've picked another applicant.' That's about it."

On the other side of the screen, automated systems scan incoming applications for keywords before a human reviewer ever sees them, turning the résumé into a puzzle to be solved rather than a record of experience. Job seekers say tailoring each application to match those terms has become almost mandatory, with little guarantee it will work.

Samantha Gilstrap, 28, graduated from journalism school in 2019 and has barely caught her breath since. She entered the job market as the pandemic began, later lost a digital reporting job at WUSA9 during industry consolidation, and has since applied for hundreds of jobs. Most applications have led nowhere. "The only times I've been able to interact with humans is if it's a who-you-know basis," she said. She is now couch surfing to save money. "At some point, if things don't work out, I will be walking into the nearest McDonald's."

Her experience reflects a broader pattern among recent graduates. The unemployment rate for people ages 22 to 27 who recently completed college hit 5.6 percent in the final months of 2025 -- well above the 4.2 percent rate for all workers, according to national data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Nearly half of that age group was underemployed, meaning people were working in jobs that did not require a degree, the highest share since 2020.

The squeeze is hardest on those just starting out. At one point last summer, new workforce entrants made up a larger share of the unemployed than at any point since the late 1980s -- higher even than during the Great Recession.

When hiring slows, the door closes first on those without an existing foothold. For the class of 2026, the timing could hardly be worse.

"It is getting increasingly clear that young people are being more affected by AI than older workers," Zweig said. Companies are not eliminating jobs at scale, but many are slow to hire junior workers. At the same time, older workers are staying in the labor force longer, leaving fewer openings for new arrivals.

Even when jobs are available, the bar has shifted.

Positions once considered entry level now often require several years of experience, technical expertise and familiarity with artificial intelligence tools. With fewer openings and more applicants, companies are holding out for candidates who can do the job immediately and need little training. "Because they can," Ullrich said.

Employers are also looking for a different mix of skills. An analysis of millions of job postings by Indeed found that communication skills now appear in nearly 42 percent of all listings, while leadership skills feature in nearly a third -- capabilities that are harder to prove on a résumé and harder still to demonstrate without an existing professional network.

Christine Beck, a career coach who works with early-career job seekers, said employers are asking more of the people they do hire. "Companies are trying to do more with less," she said, pointing to a growing emphasis on candidates who can lead projects and expand an organization's capacity without adding headcount.

Meanwhile, the technical skills required for many jobs keep shifting, making career planning difficult. A certification or course can take months to complete, only for demand to move elsewhere by the time it is finished.

Lance Hebert, 39, of Seattle, has applied for jobs in two very different markets. Between 2015 and 2020, when he worked as a physical therapist, it took him fewer than five applications to land every role he held. But his most recent job search, as a web developer, involved 453 applications to get a handful of interviews and two offers. He eventually accepted a role helping health care companies set up new software systems. "When I pivoted out of physical therapy into tech, that's when the job search became much harder."

The care economy appears to be the only engine still running smoothly. Of the net 369,000 positions added across the entire economy since the start of 2025, health care alone accounted for nearly 800,000 -- meaning every other sector, taken together, shed jobs.

At the Goodwill Excel Center in Baltimore, where adults come to earn their diplomas and retrain for new careers, coordinator Joe Binder knows exactly where to point his graduates. "We're seeing tons of spaces still being opened in health care," he said.

Interest in the retraining program has surged: Jonathan Balog, who handles marketing for the school, said roughly 400 people are on the waiting list. "The demand is tremendous," he said.

Adding to workers' sense of disorientation is the fact that different corners of the workforce are weakening at different times: federal workers facing mass layoffs, logistics and manufacturing contracting after their pandemic surge, white-collar hiring quietly freezing up.

Kevin Gordon, head of macro research at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, has a name for it: "rolling labor recessions." Instead of a broad downturn that triggers a national crisis, the pain hits one group after another.

Even organizations that have spent more than a century helping people find work say the path forward has become harder to predict. "Everyone is unclear what the labor market will be," said Katy Gaul-Stigge, president and chief executive of Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey.

Munro, the ocean policy expert, spent her months working in the warehouse alongside a former graphic designer and an ex-IT contractor whose job with the Forest Service had ended when his contract ran out, each with their own version of the same story.

In January, she was rehired by the federal government. The return brought relief, but did not erase her fear that the ground was still shifting. more

Anonymous member


Career development 1mo
I talk to clients a lot because I’m an account manager at a bank. After one call, a company director said there was “a spark” between us and started asking me out.
I’m not interested at all, and his wife even works as an accountant in his company. I’m trying to say no politely and avoid any problems at work.
What’s the best way to handle and end this situation?
Thanks

1   

  • Kisakye Mariam

    1d

    Be you and stand your no.

  • Kahutia Hernandez

    3w

    Hi there. How are you doing today. I just need a lil’ help connecting me to your school colleagues 🔴. I wanna assist them to crush their assignments... and get top grades ‘cause I’m solid in:

    Marketing
    Psychology
    Econometrics
    Social work
    Nursing/Health Sciences
    Engineering
    Business/Management
    English/Literature/Creative Writing

    You wanna hook me up with them so I can help ‘em soar with my assignment writing skills.

    Regards     more

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Career development

 1d

Why the in-person interview still matters when it comes to hiring


Analysis: As AI becomes better at imitation, organisations must become better at recognising authenticity, and that begins by bringing people back into the room

A recent WIRED investigation offered a disturbing glimpse into one of the darker consequences of artificial intelligence. It reported how North Korean operatives allegedly used AI tools to create fake identities, generate convincing CVs,... build fraudulent company websites, and assist candidates during remote job interviews in efforts to infiltrate firms and steal millions.

The story was primarily about cybersecurity, but it also exposed a broader truth about modern employment: when recruitment becomes too remote, too automated and too dependent on screens, it becomes easier to deceive.

For years, employers have embraced technology to streamline hiring. CVs are filtered by software before a human ever sees them. Candidates complete one-way video interviews. Assessments are delivered online. First-round interviews are often conducted entirely through Zoom or Teams and increasingly, AI is being used to screen applicants, rank candidates and automate communication.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, how to answer the all important strength's and weakness questions during job interviews

In Ireland, this shift is accelerating rapidly. Recent surveys suggest that almost eight in ten employers now use AI somewhere in the recruitment process, while remote interviews have become routine for many medium and large organisations.

Digital hiring is no longer the exception. It is becoming the norm. There are obvious advantages: recruitment can be faster, cheaper and more convenient, employers can process hundreds of applications quickly, candidates can interview without travelling, and administrative burdens are reduced. But efficiency is not the same as judgment. The danger is not simply foreign fraud or organised cybercrime, dramatic though those headlines may be. The deeper concern is that employers may increasingly struggle to know who they are really hiring.

Artificial intelligence can now write polished cover letters, optimise CVs for applicant-tracking systems, generate model interview answers in real time, and coach candidates during online interviews. It can help create highly impressive digital versions of applicants that may bear only partial resemblance to the person behind the screen. Even where there is no dishonesty, something important can still be lost.

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From RTÉ 2FM's Jennifer Zamparelli, Susan Keating talks about how to succeed when doing job interviews

Candidates can become over-prepared, scripted and generic. Interviews become performances rather than conversations. Employers may learn a great deal about a candidate's digital fluency, but far less about their character, and character still matters.

The qualities that often determine success in the workplace are rarely the ones easiest to measure such as judgment, integrity, empathy, curiosity, resilience and self-awareness. Not to mention the ability to build trust with colleagues and clients, calmness under pressure, good listening, and professional presence. These are deeply human qualities and no algorithm can fully assess them.

That is why employers should reconsider the rush away from physical interviews. Meeting a candidate in person still provides insights that no software can replicate. How someone enters a room, greets others, listens carefully, thinks aloud, responds when challenged and engages naturally with people often reveals more than any AI-assisted application form ever could.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business, Louise Campbell discusses what's changed when applying for a job and how much of it is the fault of AI.

The in-person interview is not old-fashioned, it is a safeguard. It allows employers to test authenticity and helps assess cultural fit. It offers a more rounded sense of how an individual may function in a team environment. It reminds both sides that recruitment is not merely a transaction but the beginning of a professional relationship.

This matters especially for graduate recruitment. Many students today are highly capable digitally. They can build strong online profiles, communicate confidently by message, and navigate digital platforms with ease. But increasing numbers have had fewer opportunities to develop face-to-face professional confidence. That is not a criticism of graduates, but a reflection of how education, technology and post-pandemic habits have evolved.

If interviews increasingly happen online, and if communication increasingly happens through screens, then many young people simply get fewer chances to practise the interpersonal skills employers continue to value most. This creates a challenge for universities and colleges.

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From RTÉ Radio One's Drivetime, how to answer the all important strengths and weaknesses

Higher education cannot focus solely on technical competence and academic content. It must also place renewed emphasis on soft-skill development: communication, teamwork, confidence-building, presentation skills, professional etiquette, networking and interview preparation.

Mock interviews should become standard. Oral presentation should matter. Students should be taught how to hold eye contact, structure answers, read a room, ask thoughtful questions, and communicate with warmth and professionalism. These are not secondary skills. In many careers, they are decisive skills.

Graduates entering an AI-shaped labour market need to become more human, not less. None of this means technology should be abandoned. AI can improve recruitment in sensible ways. It can reduce administration, widen reach and help identify talent efficiently. Remote interviews can also be practical and inclusive in many circumstances. But employers should be cautious about allowing convenience to replace judgment.

The lesson from the WIRED story is not simply that bad actors can misuse technology. It is that as AI becomes better at imitation, organisations must become better at recognising authenticity.

That begins by bringing people back into the room.

Use technology to support hiring by all means. But when it matters most, meet the candidate, shake their hand and have the conversation face to face, as some of the most important things an employer needs to know still cannot be downloaded.

Follow RTÉ Brainstorm on WhatsApp and Instagram for more stories and updates

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ more

Career development

 1d

How new outfits are getting students ready for life after school


Ditching their school uniforms for tailored pants and blazers, year 12 students have been learning how to make a good first impression.

A group of eight female students travelled more than an hour from Brisbane Waters Secondary College to the Dress for Success Newcastle branch for National Careers Week on Wednesday, May 13.

Several students owned nothing they could wear for a job interview, and... wanted to learn more about how to prepare for corporate workplace.

Dress for Success NSW offers styling services and career support to help women overcome bias and discrimination when entering or re-entering the workforce.

Isabelle Summers said she had attended only one job interview when she was younger, and she hoped to feel more confident in future interviews after Wednesday's program.

"I really want to see how other people dress for interviews so I can be ready for the future," she said.

Ms Summers said she was thinking about a career in childcare, but she wanted to consider other options as well.

"I'm excited to get a new outfit and try and figure out my style."

The charity sent each student away with a free new corporate outfit from a personalised styling session, as well as teaching them interview skills.

Demi Crawford said she was thinking about a career in fashion and she wanted to learn how to be successful in getting a job after school.

"It is going to be hard when I leave school and so I'm trying to take it in slowly," she said.

"I'm hoping to learn how to be less nervous in going for an interview and improve my speaking skills."

The initiative with the Central Coast school was part of the Department of Education's educational pathways program, which aims to improve education and career outcomes for young people.

The head teacher for careers across the south Central Coast, Sarah Cutting, said the southern peninsula was a lower socioeconomic area and she wanted to make sure students had equitable access to entering the workforce.

"They are amazing girls, they have amazing talent and abilities, and we just want to make sure that those hurdles are limited," Ms Cutting said.

"Normally they may not have had that opportunity to be style into what's most appropriate and what suits their figure, style and job," she said.

Newcastle Dress for Success operations manager Kelly-Anne Kent said they extended their offerings to school students to help as they transition away from school.

"They're now starting to really think about their career and what they want to do and further study," she said.

She said their volunteers talked to students about first impressions and what was appropriate to wear to work.

"Often they are very quiet when they first arrive and they are a little bit shy, but then you see the transformation happen," she said.

The organisation stocks donated clothes and is looking for formal dress donations for later in the year when school formal season begins. more

Career development

 1d

How new outfits are getting students ready for life after school


Ditching their school uniforms for tailored pants and blazers, year 12 students have been learning how to make a good first impression.

A group of eight female students travelled more than an hour from Brisbane Waters Secondary College to the Dress for Success Newcastle branch for National Careers Week on Wednesday, May 13.

Several students owned nothing they could wear for a job interview, and... wanted to learn more about how to prepare for corporate workplace.

Dress for Success NSW offers styling services and career support to help women overcome bias and discrimination when entering or re-entering the workforce.

Isabelle Summers said she had attended only one job interview when she was younger, and she hoped to feel more confident in future interviews after Wednesday's program.

"I really want to see how other people dress for interviews so I can be ready for the future," she said.

Ms Summers said she was thinking about a career in childcare, but she wanted to consider other options as well.

"I'm excited to get a new outfit and try and figure out my style."

The charity sent each student away with a free new corporate outfit from a personalised styling session, as well as teaching them interview skills.

Demi Crawford said she was thinking about a career in fashion and she wanted to learn how to be successful in getting a job after school.

"It is going to be hard when I leave school and so I'm trying to take it in slowly," she said.

"I'm hoping to learn how to be less nervous in going for an interview and improve my speaking skills."

The initiative with the Central Coast school was part of the Department of Education's educational pathways program, which aims to improve education and career outcomes for young people.

The head teacher for careers across the south Central Coast, Sarah Cutting, said the southern peninsula was a lower socioeconomic area and she wanted to make sure students had equitable access to entering the workforce.

"They are amazing girls, they have amazing talent and abilities, and we just want to make sure that those hurdles are limited," Ms Cutting said.

"Normally they may not have had that opportunity to be style into what's most appropriate and what suits their figure, style and job," she said.

Newcastle Dress for Success operations manager Kelly-Anne Kent said they extended their offerings to school students to help as they transition away from school.

"They're now starting to really think about their career and what they want to do and further study," she said.

She said their volunteers talked to students about first impressions and what was appropriate to wear to work.

"Often they are very quiet when they first arrive and they are a little bit shy, but then you see the transformation happen," she said.

The organisation stocks donated clothes and is looking for formal dress donations for later in the year when school formal season begins. more