Three Reasons You're Not Getting Interviews and How to Fix It
Why many candidates do not get called for job interviews
The tips I shared in Preparing for job interviews 101 were well received by many of you, my subscribers. I’m very excited about all the insights you took away and the questions that the article inspired. The most recurring question I got was “how do I even land a job interview in the first place?”. This made me realize that many people do not make it to the interview stage which can be frustrating and demoralizing. In this article, I examine some of the common reasons for not getting called for interviews and ways to boost your chances.
There are several reasons why applicants do not make it to the interview stage. Based on my knowledge and experience, here are my top three reasons:
1. Lack of relevant skills or experience
Every job requires some specific skills and/or experience. These skills/experience are detectable by reading the job description thoroughly, Google searching, and speaking to people in the role.
Many people make the mistake of applying for roles that they do not have the skills to execute and this almost immediately disqualifies them. A person who lacks empathy, dislikes speaking to people, and has poor writing skills should not be found applying for roles that require heavy documentation, patience, and customer interaction. In the same vein, a new grad should not be applying for a leadership role that requires 10+ years of industry experience. However, many people apply for roles that they obviously do not possess the skills to execute thereby setting themselves up for disappointment.
When a job requires specific experience or skills that you don't have, it makes it difficult to get an interview. To increase your chances, consider gaining relevant experience through personal projects, internships, volunteer work, or part-time jobs.
2. Poorly written resume or cover letter
If your resume or cover letter is poorly written or doesn't effectively highlight your relevant skills and experiences, it may be hard to get an interview. It is very important that you tailor make your resume and cover letters for the roles you apply for. This helps the recruiter easily connect your skills and experience to the role, helping you land an interview.
A good resume format is also a crucial part of writing a resume. You can get great templates from Zety, Canva or any other resume building software. If you’d like to see the resume that has helped me land over 20 interviews in my career, drop a comment or reply to this email.
3. Poor social media profiles
It is 2024 and one of the places recruiters check candidates out is social media. I strongly advise that you update your LinkedIn profile and highlight information that shows that you qualify for the roles you are applying to. Take advantage of the various LLMs available to build a strong LinkedIn profile (feel free to reach out to me if you need help with this). If you’re a technical talent, please utilize Github and always add the link to your Github profile on your resume.
Also, please do a Google search of your name from time to time so you can see what other people will see when they search for you online. If you don’t like the results you see, feel free to reach out so we can work on it together.
4. Competition
In the current job climate we’re in, there are not a lot of jobs out there so competition for available jobs is really high. This is why you would, sometimes, have the relevant skills, a great resume and online presence yet get declined an interview. To reduce the odds of this happening, consider networking and reaching out to hiring managers directly after applying for roles to make yourself top of mind for them. Getting referrals from employees at companies you’re applying to can also be very helpful.
We’re in tough times and it is important to keep your head up and try again after every application rejection. Remember, you need just one “yes” to get your next role.
I hope these tips help you increase your chances of landing interviews and your next role. Best of luck in your job search!
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