You are full in job search mode and your resume seems to be doing well with most employers you send it to. You are getting interviews but somehow you never actually get the job offer. You are a great candidate with a great resume but someone else always ends up with the job. You are not sure what is going wrong, but something clearly is.
Here are 6 reasons you might be having trouble landing that job:
- You´re having trouble speaking in public
You might be shy or just not good with people you have just met, but speaking in public can be a bit scary for you. It´s completely normal to be nervous, especially for something important like a job interview, however, you need to make sure you don´t let the nerves get the best of you. Practicing how to respond in interviews and how to present yourself in the right way can be a great help here. You might be the best candidate with the best resume but you do need to sell yourself in the actual interview as well.
- You´re not memorable
With your application, you need to tell your story. It starts with sending your resume, but then when you get invited to an interview, you need to live up to the expectations that your resume set and leave an actual impression. You need to stand out! Make yourself memorable by being truly engaging and authentic, by being specific in the examples you give and by telling your story (not just the story you think they want to hear!).
- You didn´t ask questions during the interview
This is a big no-no, you can do a really good interview but if you don´t ask questions during or at the end of the interview that´s usually a guaranteed no. Be prepared and have a great list of questions for the hiring team / interviewer. Show them you have done your homework and that you really want to work there by asking interesting and insightful questions. Smart questions are a great way to finish an interview and make sure the last impression is a great one.
- Your salary expectations are unrealistic
You might be having a great resume and doing good at your interviews but maybe your expectations are just not realistic. Maybe you are too junior for the positions you are applying for. Maybe you are asking for salary and other benefits that are too high and not in line with industry standard for the position you´re applying for. Even if you are the best candidate, if your salary requests are way out of line, you will most probably not land the job.
- Your resume is a bit exaggerated
You might be getting invites to interviews however during the interview the hiring team realizes your resume might have been a bit exaggerated and not completely true. Your resume is indeed to sell yourself and to land that first interview, however, you can´t lie or invent things just to achieve that. Therefore, always be honest and only mention things on your resume that you can actually defend with true examples during the interview.
- Your social media presence is not good for your image
This one might be common sense but always make sure that your presence online is not hurting you. Professionally you might be completely on point but never ever post things online that you don´t want (future) employers to see. These days every single employer does their research and drunk pictures on Facebook with your friends might seem innocent, everybody has a party once in a while right, but they won´t give the impression you want to give.
What other reasons do you think are negatively influencing your ability to actually land the job you have applied for? We would love to read about in the comments section.
