“I’m sorry to tell you that we have made an offer to another candidate”.
It’s the one thing that job seekers really don’t want to hear, you often leave wondering where you went wrong, if you’re fortunate enough to receive feedback then great, but it’s all too easy to leave with that feeling of why, and what it was exactly that turned them off..
Here are 5 common reasons you probably didn’t pass your interview and what you can do to ace your next one! Here are Here
- You weren’t personal enough – Hiring managers want to be able to easily envisage you fitting within their workforce, it makes their job easier and makes them much more confident. Be passionate about the business you are intending to work for as well as the role, understand what it is they are really looking for, not just the qualifications or experience, but what kind of person? You can usually find this information on their recruitment web-pages.
- Your body language gives the wrong message – It’s easy for anyone to talk their way through an interview, but recruiters are savvy to this, if your body is giving off the wrong impression then you’re not fooling any interviewer. They’ve worked with people long enough to understand how people are really feeling.
If you say that you’re good at developing a good rapport with new people, but you sit with your arms crossed and body closed up then that doesn’t really show that. If you say that you’re good at managing people, make sure your body language shows you to be an open and confident individual.
- You weren’t focused enough – Be confident in what you know, not what you don’t know. Don’t try to impress the interviewer with more than you really know… Just stick to what you’re good at, you’ll be able to talk much more confidently and fluently, instead of fumbling around trying to talk about something you just aren’t sure about…
- You didn’t go the extra mile – Recruiters want to easily cut out the fluff and find the perfect candidate as quickly as possible. It can be a tough job wading through dozens of “look-a-like” applicants. Things like consistently (but not overly) following-up, making yourself known & being a good listener as opposed to just a “talker” are all good things to think about.. Put the same amount of high effort into each job you apply for, it can be hard with the knockbacks but with perseverance you’ll eventually get there!
- You weren’t laser targeted – Recruiters are mostly really interested in “what’s in it for them” and an they see you fitting into their business, they don’t have the time to entertain things that just don’t matter to them.. Try to keep your CV and covering letter as closely linked to the job and industry you are applying. Use the “buzzwords” that they use in their job descriptions, use the businesses language and the wider industry language. This will improve their level of trust in your knowledge and make them feel that you clearly understand the role you are looking to take on.
So the next time you go for a job interview, think past the CV & covering letter, think about how you present yourself and whether that matches up with how you talk, be laser targeted, be personal and go the extra mile..