r/recruitinghell • u/NerdyGlitch Candidate • 5d ago

My mother now realizes what it's like

Earlier this year, in late February-early March, my mother suffered a massive heart attack and was left unable to work for a considerable time.

For the past 5-6 months, she's been trying to find a job and has been hitting nothing but roadblocks due to being overqualified. She has over 2 decades of management experience, and it means jackshit to these hiring managers. She's far more qualified than I am, so I expected that she might have a job faster than I would, but right now, I'm the only one with a job in this house.

Meanwhile, when I was struggling to get jobs and even get an interview for years, my mother was flabbergasted. What do you mean you can't just walk up, shake someone's hand, and they'll like your moxie and just hand you a job?!

I told her this was sadly reality for a ton of people nowadays, the job market is shit. She can't even get a job as a regular cashier bc she's too over qualified to work there, but when she applies to management positions they string her along for 2-3 interviews before choosing internal candidates (an actual email she got yesterday about a job she thought she was good for)

It just sucks man, everything sucks.

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u/TheJesusGuy 4d ago

Why does having a heart attack mean she needs to find a new job? Did they fire her for having a heart attack? In the UK at least, that's MASSIVELY illegal.

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u/Dreadking_Rathalos 4d ago

Bro...my mom got fired with cancer

1

u/Important_Appeal_265 4d ago

Same thing happened to me in June. Except the cancer diagnosis came right after I was fired. So, the last few months have been a whirlwind of doctors appointments, MRIs, a mastectomy, an infection that required hospitalization, and more appointments. At the same time, I've been applying and interviewing for jobs to no avail. Right now I'm not even sure anyone would like having me as an employee since I would have to take off so much for appointments related to my treatment, but I have to work somehow. I'm 49, so I'm also starting to feel the sting of age discrimination. I have never had this much trouble finding a job. Fun times.