Four Reasons Why You Didn't Get the Job

We've all been there done that. After pounding the pavement and proceeding with office interviews after acing phone interviews, you're waiting. You think you did well. Check that -- you know you did well. And then silence. What's the deal? Well, there are several reasons why you may not be negotiating an offer just yet... 1. They're just not that into you. Suffice it to say, maybe they felt you were overqualified. Maybe they felt you were underqualified. Whatever the reason, it's all about you. Don't take it personally though but do take it as a cue. If you've landed three interviews and haven't landed any job offers, there's probably something going on here. Maybe you're fumbling during behavioral interview questions like, "Describe a situation that didn't go as planned. How did you handle it?" Evaluate your interviewing skills and your overall presentation right down to your shiny shoes. What can you improve? 2. The job is no longer available even though it's still online and you think it's available. Let's say you aced the interview and all of the interviewers commended you, expressed interest and basically hinted an offer is on its way. If you're hearing crickets, do not take it personally. When we worked in recruiting it was understood jobs get pulled because they lack approval by finance. Or it's year-end and the department will have to "get by" for the time being without a full team. So many different situations occur behind the scenes. Even when a job is advertised and a company seems like they're hiring, they may actually be in the midst of a hiring freeze. 3. Someone else got the job who is less qualified. This situation arises time and time again! The hiring manager owes a favor to another department who forwarded their niece's resume even though your background and experience is more relevant. Again, as the candidate you won't know the true reason why you're not landing that coveted job offer but just remind yourself situations such as this happen all of the time. 4. Someone internally got the job. When you're interviewing it's not exactly likely that you'll know the full story. If you're an external candidate you may not know that three internal candidates have all been interviewing for the job. Again, even though you may have a stronger CV and more impressive background, they're internal. This equates to less ramp up time. Plus, all hiring managers really have to do to get a referral is call their current boss and pull performance evaluations from human resources to get the scoop. When self-doubt creeps in, refer back to point number 2. In many cases, it's all about them. Their needs, their process, their hiring goals.

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Four Reasons Why You Didn't Get the Job

Vicki Salemi

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Vicki Salemi