Long time lurker here. I’ve been unemployed for almost a full year in a couple of months. I was working for a start up and I got laid off without warning after quitting a job to work for this company. It really sucked.

For the last year I’ve been trying to find a job, and I am not having trouble getting interviews for the roles I want but I have noticed this thing where I show up and I don’t even get “interviewed”.

The last several interviews I’ve had I have shown up and the interviewer (usually a small business owner) will seem to be quite disorganized and they will explain the role to me along with the duties and expectations and I will typically get shown around the facilities and introduced to other workers. Most of the time during this process I don’t get asked a single question about myself or my experience and the only question I do get asked is if I have any questions for them. And I will always ask them an engaging question like what an average day to day work flow looks like, or what a great candidate would demonstrate during the first month.

The interviews always seem to go well and from what I notice people usually seem to like me but it’s always the same story of, “we will be in touch” and then a few days later receiving an email that they’ve gone with a candidate with more experience. These roles are not roles that require loads of industry specific experience, either. They are jobs that I am very much qualified for.

I know the job market is a hot mess right now, but I’m starting to take this personally and it’s doing a number on my self esteem. It’s hard for me to not feel like I’m being discriminated against for my identity, or if I am coming across as weird during my interviews.

I just wanted to scream into the void a little, thanks for reading.