Ten Reasons You Weren’t Hired
Your Resume was prepared at the best by you or by a professional, you did all the necessary groundwork before the interview and you thought the interview went extremely smoothly.So why aren’t you celebrating an offer letter yet? Here, are the top ten reasons job seekers often fail to secure the job of their dreams.
1. Your Resume missed the mark
Many jobseekers make the mistake of using the same generic unfocused Resume to apply for very different positions in different companies.Your Resume should be tailored to the specific job position you are targeting and should refelct skills, qualifications and experiences that directly come to bear on the given job position.If you are targeting a number of different job positions have different Resume for each job position type so that your resume can be customized to the unique requirements of each company. Find out what skills and qualifications to showcase in each Resume by looking at the job description, researching the position and compnay and talking to people in the company if possible,then highlight the skills and expertise that make you a perfect match. Job providers want to hire people who are focused and specifically interested in their company or group, so having a generic unfocused Resume with a very vague objective statement and skills inventory will fail to capture the job providers attention or convince them that you are the best fit for the job.
2. You omitted a cover letter
Every Resume should be accompanied by a cover letter to personalize your Resume which communicates in a precise, specific manner about your objectives and the specific value you will bring to the job position. The cover letter should be short and specific and should leave the job provider in no doubt about your interest in the company and your unique qualifications for the job position you are targeting. Cover letters, like the Resume, should be tailored to the company and should communicate in no uncertain terms the suitability of the experiences or qualifications listed on your Resume to the job position at hand as well as your enthusiasm to work for the specific company. A Resume sent without a cover letter will lack the ‘personal touch’ and will likely be lost in the fray.
3. Poor follow up on Resume
An average job provider is inundated with Resumes’s on an ongoing basis and is more likely than not to add your Resume to the pile, pending possible future follow-up.To ensure your Resume is acted on and does not get buried with the rest, you MUST follow up in a diligent manner. Remember, the purpose of the Resume and cover letter is to get an interview so call each job provider shortly after you send the resume and cover letter, ensure receipt and arrange for a face-to-face interview.Prepare a very short ‘soft sell’ for the phone conversation to ‘educate’ the job provider as to who you are and why you are uniquely suited to the job position and ‘excite’ him to want to meet you in person in an interview situation to talk further details.
4. Lack of preparation for the interview
Many job seekers make it to the interview stage and disappoint the job provider with their obvious lack of preparation for the meeting scheduled. Poor preparation includes slovenliness in researching the company, not being up-to-date on industry or that perticular subject related news, not understanding what the job requirements are and not having answers to common interview questions .You must enter the interview armed with the maximum amount of knowledge about the company, subject and specific job position so, you can then tailor your answers specifically and position your skills in a manner that demonstrates your unique suitability for the job position and the valuable contributions you can make to the company.
5. Unprofessional attire for interview
First impressions go a long way and you may be hard-pressed undoing the damage if you send out a wrong message with your interview attire. Dressing too casually or completely inappropriately for the interview may communicate a lack of respect for professional norms of conduct as well as an unprofessional non-conformist attitude overall. Always aim to err on the conservative side in your attire with crisp, clean professional attire and avoid tight, casual or loud clothes as well as unnecessary accessories and excess make-up for women.
6. Unprofessional behavior during interview
The interviewer is screening you during the course of the interview ,for suitability to the job position at hand and is assessing you in terms of your ability to fulfill the requirements of the job position and the company culture;any unprofessional conduct will reflect negatively on you and is likely to immediately take you out of the running. This includes any behaviour that shows a lack of respect for the interviewer or job provider and professional norms of conduct such as arriving late, arriving unprepared, aggressive or unprofessional body language, being unfamiliar with your Resume or Cover letter, treating the interviewer in a overly familiar manner, talking at length about your personal life and problems and/or obvious exaggerations or outright lies about your knowledge history. It is very helpful to read some literature about body language and interview skills if you are relatively new to the interviewing scene and unfamiliar with the basics.
7. Lack of interest in the company
It is surprising how many jobseekers will make it to the interview stage and then demonstrate a total ambivalence and lack of interest in the company not to mention an obvious failure to research it in detail.Employers want to hire people who are keen, enthusiastic and will carry the company banner with pride; You must show a familiarity with and interest in the company and ask intelligent, relevant questions, prepared beforehand, that demonstrate you have done your homework and are very excited about joining the team. Any reluctance you have about joining the company should be kept to yourself at this early stage of the process; concentrate your efforts during your interview on securing the job position.
8. Unclear about value-added to company
If you are not clear about the value you can add to the company, it is less than likely that you will be able to convince the job provider.Make sure as you sit in the interview seat that you are intimately aware of the requirements of the position and can directly relate your knowledge history, aptitudes, qualifications and skills to the requirements of the position.Imagine yourself already on the job and communicate with the job provider on how you will contribute significantly in record time and how you will excel in performance and their expectations. Make sure to include every skillset and past success in bringing to bear how you will positively impact the company’s performance.If you already see yourself on the job and can mentally apply your past successes and skills inventory to achieving your new position expectations you are more likely to convince the job provider across the table.
9. Poor follow up after interview
Many job seekers make the mistake of assuming the ball is outside their court following the interview stage and fail to follow-up, thereby losing what was a viable job opportunity.At times job provider is simply waiting for you to follow-up to determine your proactivity, energy level and interest in the job.Immediately after an interview while the questions and answers are fresh in your mind write a thank you letter to the job provider which leaves him in no uncertain terms as to your interest in the institution and your unique suitability for the job position. Reiterate the qualifications and past successes that are immediately applicable to the position and emphasize any points that support your case and add gravitas to your application. If you would like to make up for any important facts that were missed out during the interview process or if you feel there are specific strengths you want to highlight following what your learned during the interview, this is your opportunity.
10. Poor reference checks
Before giving a prospective job provider names for references make sure you are very familiar with their professional opinion of you and there will be no unpleasant surprises. Many successful job application has ground to a halt because of unsatisfactory or outright negative feedback from references at or after the job offer stage. Wherever possible, get the references in writing so that you are intimately aware of the feedback your reference source has on you and there is no margin for error.
