What’s the dumbest interview question you’ve gotten? Once I got "If you could only use one word to describe yourself, what would it be?". Well, I was very tempted to choose "unemployed", though I wasn't sure it'd maximize my chances.

Have a second interview Thursday. Definitely not my first rodeo but the longer I go unemployed, the less confident I feel. That being said this company is specifically going to use the STAR interviewing Style. I've done my research on the history of the company, etc but I am finding it so difficult to memorize my answers in the STAR format, I'm going to have to use my notes. Tell me I'm not the only one struggling w/this 🙏🏻

At what point should one lose "hope" and expect a rejection? Honestly, I mentally check out the second the company or HR miss their own deadline. If a recruiter says "we'll have an update by Friday" and Tuesday rolls around with crickets, my hope is gone. When I was younger and more naive, I used to do the whole slow burn thing... Refreshing my inbox for weeks, making excuses for them, assuming someone was just on PTO. As if! In the end, you need to let go of emotional baggage to stay sane.

Submitting dozens of applications and never hearing back - or hearing back every 1 in 10 to get a form rejection - is awful. How do you stay motivated??

I'm an out of work SWE manager with 1.5 YOE and a math master's. I've searched 15 months, getting interviews and 4 final rounds, just to be rejected. I have a freelance gig which barely covers anything, savings are gone, and I'm terrified of ending up on the streets. I've updated my resume, networked my ass off, built projects, and tried freelancing... nothing works. I did everything right. Given the brutal market, what are my chances yo land a role anytime soon?