IIM Kozhikode Graduate Applies To 250 Jobs, Gets Zero Interview Calls: "Straight Up Rejected"

Several Reddit users shared similar experiences, suggesting that even candidates with strong educational backgrounds and years of experience can struggle to secure interviews.

20 Sep 2026, 13:45 · NDTV

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An IIM Kozhikode MBA graduate with 3 years in data analytics got no interview calls.
He applied to over 250 jobs via LinkedIn, Naukri, iimjobs, and cold-emailed recruiters.
Resume scored above 75 on ATS tools, suggesting formatting or keywords were not the issue.

Why are top business grads failing to get interviews?

An MBA from a top management institute is often seen as a ticket to better corporate opportunities. But for one IIM Kozhikode graduate, the degree has not translated into even a single interview call. The graduate, who has three years of experience in data analytics, recently turned to Reddit for career advice after submitting more than 250 job applications without receiving a callback. The candidate said he had been trying multiple approaches to find a new role, including cold-emailing recruiters and hiring managers and applying through platforms such as LinkedIn, Naukri and iimjobs. Despite efforts, most applications were rejected, while many others received no response at all.

"Engineer, worked for 3 years in data analytics, then an MBA at IIM Kozhikode, which I just finished. I don't like my current company (Genman). So I've been throwing everything at the wall, that is, cold emailing recruiters and hiring managers, applying through LinkedIn, Naukri, iimjobs, you name it. I'm past 250 applications now. Mostly straight up rejected, and for a good chunk of them I just... never hear back. Not one callback in all this," he wrote.

The candidate had also checked his resume using several applicant tracking system (ATS) tools and said it consistently scored above 75.

"I've also run my resume through a bunch of ATS checkers and it's sitting at 75+ consistently, so it's probably not a keyword/formatting thing at the base level, which honestly makes the silence more confusing," he added.

See the post here:

3 YOE + IIM-K MBA, 250+ applications, still not a single callback. Anyone hiring?
by u/badnietzsche in MBAIndia

The post sparked a wider discussion about the difficulties many MBA graduates and experienced professionals are facing in the current job market. Several Reddit users shared similar experiences, suggesting that even candidates with strong educational backgrounds and years of experience can struggle to secure interviews.

One user, who said they had more than eight years of work experience and an MBA from a Tier-1 institute, revealed that they had been trying to switch jobs for over a year.

Another said, "The market is really tough now. This will be worsened by GPT6 and further developments."

A third commented, "It's not you, it's the job market. A terrible job market, coupled with your recent graduation, means you don't have a lot relevant of post-MBA work experience, which is making things difficult."

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