Jobless HK father says he was rejected for $20,000 jobs for being overqualified

A 42-year-old Hong Kong father has sparked online discussion after revealing that he has been unable to find work despite lowering his salary expectations following five months of unemployment.

The man said he previously earned between HK$50,000 and HK$60,000 a month but has failed to secure even a job paying about HK$20,000.

He said he had sent out about 50 resumes and received only four or five interview invitations.

According to the social media post, the father has become increasingly withdrawn and avoids meeting friends as repeated rejections have taken a toll on him.

He also said he felt he had become "a negative role model" for his son and worried about the impact on his family.

The man said he had applied for more junior positions but was turned down after interviewers told him they were looking for less experienced candidates.

He added that he had even considered removing seven to eight years of work experience from his resume to improve his chances of finding a job.

The post attracted hundreds of comments, with many netizens sharing similar experiences of mid-career unemployment and advising him not to delete his work history.

Others suggested taking freelance work, upgrading his skills or accepting temporary jobs while continuing his job search.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓