Reddit Experience · Apr 2026 · Austin

Worked as an SDE at a fintech startup (in home country) now struggling for US callbacks in 2026 — what am I missing?

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Interview Experience

I don’t really know where else to say this, so putting it here. I graduated a few months ago and I’m still not able to land a job. Not even getting callbacks at this point. I apply, tailor my resume,

Full Details

I don’t really know where else to say this, so putting it here. I graduated a few months ago and I’m still not able to land a job. Not even getting callbacks at this point. I apply, tailor my resume, reach out to people, try to stay consistent… but it mostly feels like silence. What’s been getting to me more lately is comparing with people around me. I talk to seniors or classmates and even if they struggled, they at least got some interviews or callbacks. I don’t even get that, and it makes me wonder if something is fundamentally wrong with my profile. For context, I have \~2 years of experience at a fintech startup, worked on backend systems, APIs, scaling, etc. I graduated from a decent university here in the US. The only thing I keep coming back to is: I don’t have US internship experience, and my previous company isn’t very “well-known.” Now I’m stuck in this loop of overthinking: Is it my resume? Is it lack of internships? Is it the market? Is it because my previous company isn’t recognized? Or is it just bad luck? It’s honestly exhausting. Some days I feel motivated to keep going, other days it just feels like I’m doing everything right and still getting nowhere. If you’re someone who came from a non-reputed company/background and still managed to land a job in 2026, I would really appreciate if you could share your experience. I genuinely want to understand what worked for you. Also, if you’re going through something similar, you’re not alone. This process has been way harder than I expected. Thanks for reading.

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