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Ilona Baliūnaitė

41 Of The Smartest And Sneakiest Things You Can Do At Interviews To Land A Job

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The job market is in a bizarre place right now. Mass layoffs are happening across many sectors, including Big Tech. Meanwhile, many graduates are finding it difficult to land even entry-level jobs. And it feels like, no matter who you are, the chances of you even landing a single interview are getting slimmer by the day.

Internet users spilled the beans online about the most unhinged, sneaky, and smart hacks that they’ve successfully used during interviews to land a job, and it’s a ride. We’re featuring some of their best insights, some of which are low-key unethical (but useful if you’re getting desperate). Scroll down to check them out, and be sure to send this list to your unemployed friends.

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Being a recent college graduate is tough, even if you're trying to land just an entry-level position.

According to Investopedia, the job market has been particularly challenging for recent graduates. They face higher unemployment rates than other workers. Specifically, those most affected are in the fields of anthropology (9.4% unemployment rate), physics (7.8%), and (somewhat surprisingly) computer engineering (7.5%). Other massively affected graduates are those studying commercial art and graphic design (7.2%) and fine arts (7%).

However, not all specializations are impacted the same. For example, nutrition science graduates have a tiny unemployment rate of just 0.4%. Meanwhile, construction services majors had an unemployment rate of 0.7%, while special education, civil engineering, and animal and plant sciences graduates had a rate of 1%.

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Investopedia suggests that graduates who struggle to find employment should try their best to stay open to all opportunities. That’s more realistic than getting stuck on the idea of immediately landing a ‘dream job’ right out of college.

In a nutshell, you want to stay flexible and focus on developing transferable soft skills like communication, problem-solving, project management, etc. These skills are what help you stand out and stay competitive no matter the sector.

Meanwhile, if you don’t have any serious job experience that you could promote on your resume, you could focus on your internships, part-time employment, and volunteer work.

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It’s not just recent graduates who are having a difficult time at the moment. Layoffs in Big Tech companies, like Amazon, Meta, Epic Games, Dell, Pinterest, Atlassian, Oracle, Block, and others, are ramping up. The reasons, while complex, are mainly twofold.

On the one hand, companies are using the spread of AI tools as an excuse to lay off employees due to overhiring, falling profits, cost-effectiveness, and to keep the shareholders happy. On the other hand, as the BBC notes, some companies are actually investing so much into AI tools that is reshaping how much work can be done with fewer employees.

As per the BBC, Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are planning to invest a collective $650 billion (yes, ‘billion’ with a ‘b’) into AI in the coming year.

For example, Amazon is planning to spend a whopping $200 billion on AI investments. The same firm has laid off tens of thousands of employees since October 2025.

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Which of these job interview hacks have you used before? Which tips would you be willing to try out in real life?

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give someone who’s completely new to the job industry and can’t seem to land a job, let alone an interview? How do you keep your pre-interview nerves under control?

What are the best and worst job interviews you’ve ever had?

We’re pretty sure that many other readers want to hear all about your experiences, so if you’re feeling social, share your thoughts in the comments.

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I was 16-17 and wanted to work at the drive in movie theater for the summer, found out the owners had a granddaughter, and she was my age, I shot my shot and then mentioned I wanted to work there, had the job immediately.

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I was going for an office job when I never had one. I told them I used to work at a bank and have them a number to my friend, who I told them was the manager. They actually called and answered all like "yeah dude he used to work here. He's the best. A real bright young man. I wanna marry my daughter off to him, I love that guy so much." Then he went on about me being a legend and whatever. They knew it was nonsense but they liked the initiative I took, so I got the job