Ask HN: 50 job applications, 15 interviews, 7 onsites, and no offer – what next?

Definitely agree with the above.

Some thoughts.. I'm Indian-bodied but was born and raised in the states. When I was in my early 20s I lived on and off in India for about 5 years (about 6 months at a time). So I've had a decent amount of exposure to Indians of all types (Indian and American born). I've also worked with a fair amount of Indians over the course of the last few years.

These may not be the case with you, but as someone who has had a fair amount of exposure to Indians form India, and as someone who has coached and interviewed a fair amount of Indians for a variety of roles, the following may help:

+A lot of it boils down to personality. I've noticed a very wide spectrum of attitudes coming from Indians. I think a fair amount of introspection and awareness about how you are coming across to the other side is a really powerful tool to employ. I've seen a lot of ego and general lack of sophistication and at times class from some Indians that I've met, and I'm certainly not saying that this may be the case with you, but it may be worth considering if there's something about your mannerism / tone that maybe rubbing people the wrong way.

+Being a FOB language skills can be a natural weakness but judging by your post this doesn't seem to be the case. I think being yourself and honing your personality will have more impact, but taking a little extra care in how you communicate can really work wonders.

+You say you're in a product management role, there's generally an axis of management skill vs. technical ability. Some companies may be looking for one or the other, and in the interview you may or may not be emphasizing the one they're looking for.

+And finally there's leadership ability, particularly important in management roles. Have you led your teams to success in your career? Reflect about what got you to that point, and try and channel that into your interviews.

+Above all, stay the course if you can. If you're convinced you're on the path you want to go, then persist. If you want something else and have the runway to pursue it, then a change of environment is a great first step towards finding your next step into something that motivates you.

No offense intended in any of the above, and best of luck to you!

Looking different and having a different accent can also be seen as attractive. But there are human biases ... I have a theory that if you get a lot of calls from "scammers" (for example Microsoft support, saying you got a PC virus), and they have a special accent, you will form a bias that someone with that accent is untrustworthy.

I am not denying that discrimination is an issue in the US but I think in OP's case in doesn't look like this is his main problem. Here is why not:

- OP is not hiding the fact that he his Indian. It probably shows in his name, on his CV and in his slight accent during phone interviews. Nevertheless, he has been invited for interviews and has even frequently made it to the final round. If being Indian was such an issue, he would not have made it so far so often.

- even in the final round when he didn't get the job, according to OP, he was sometimes offered another role instead. If the HR department was so very racist and didn't like Indians, then why would they do that?

Of course this is not a proof that there was no discrimination at all, but I would say the chances are greater that there is some other issue that is affecting his chances. Apparently an issue that becomes apparent only in the final rounds.

I would definitely not change his name to an americanized version! The problem is that there is something inconsistent between the impression given in his CV and phone interview and what comes out during the final round. Hiding the fact that you are Indian on your CV could only make this problem worse.

Why don't you research the job agencies and find one that says it works with candidates to help them with interviews and the like? Since the agency will be paid only when you are placed in a good role, their incentives and yours would be aligned. They would also have no reason to lie to you or hold back on the feedback they received from the prospective employer.

Even if you go off on your own to find a job apart from the recruiter, the advice they give you on candidate assessment will be invaluable feedback for you.

>This is terrible advice. As soon as you start the job, the people who interviewed you will wonder why your accent is totally different, and it will instantly put you on the backfoot.

Struggling to see why this would be seen as bad advice. The basic human response to a foreign accent is "this is hard work for me to understand them". On a more subconscious level, they're probably wondering if you share the same cultural interests and therefore whether you'd get on. If you are not like this, good on you, but I assure most are not.

Some people can be horrendously unforgiving about accents, the quickest way to experience this is to go to France or China and try to speak French and Chinese to them respectively. (these are the two countries I've found to be the most unforgiving on accent from personal experience).

If someone is presenting you with a solution to a problem (as defined by other people), why is that terrible advice?

In any case, why should the acting classes stop after landing the job? Being able to speak with a native accent in a non-native language should be seen as a virtue...