The Top 10 Reasons Why You Didnt Get the Job

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Didnt Get the JobThe Top 10 Reasons Why You Didnt Get the JobHave you ever struggled with a job hunt and asked Why cant I get a job? Sometimes its just bad luck, but often there is something youre doing wrong in your job search. Here are 10 reasonswhy the recruiter is rejecting you. 1. Youre Underqualified You dont need to have 100 percent of the skills and qualifications listed on a job description, but you do need to have a high percentage. Aim to apply for jobs where you fit at least 90 percent of the qualifications. (That number drops for highly specialized jobs.)If the job description asks for someone with three-five years of experience, your 2.5 years of experience may qualify you for the job if youre strong in all of the other areas. Six months of experience isnt going to cut it. 2. Youre Overqualified It can landseem illogical that employers would reject you for having too much experience or too many degrees. But remember that recruiters and hiring managers are looking for people who will thrive in the job they have available.If you have an MBA and are applying for an inbound call center job, people will assume that youll find the job boring, so they wont hire you. If you think you would enjoy a job for which youre overqualified, make aya you acknowledge this in your cover letter and explain why youre applying for this position. 3. Youre Focused on One or Two Companies Your dream job is at the company across the street, so you apply for everything that comes up there. Its fine to apply for a few positions at the same company, but people sometimes want a job at a particular place so badly that they apply for 10, 20, or even more positions.When your name pops up that frequently, youre actually lowering your chances of getting a job. Companies want to hire people that want a specific job. If you apply for too many positions, they assume that you just want any job and wont necessarily be happy if they hire you. 4. Y our Resume Is Sloppy In real life, a typo doesnt make a huge difference. In your resume? A typo can constitute the difference between whether you get an interview or findyour application automatically rejected. Never submit a resume that you havent run through a spell checker and a grammar checker.Always make sure that your resume welches reviewed by a human with a good command of grammar rules. Your formatting is also important. Recruiters dont want to see fancy resumes, they want to see resumes that are easy to read. 5. Your Cover Letter Stinks (or Is Missing) Not every job posting asks for a cover letter, but if it does, and you dont include it, youll lose out on the job. If it doesnt specify, include a cover letter anyway. Make sure that your cover letter doesnt just re-hash the information in your resume- thats a waste of the employers time.Your cover letter should focus on why you are a great fit for the position. It should take the employers stated needs and match them t o your credentials. Remember, dont claim that you are the best person for the position- you dont know that and it makes you look foolish. 6. You Cant Explain Why You Were Fired Lots of people lose their jobs- some through no fault of their own and some because they did something stupid. Regardless of the reason youre unemployed, youll need to explain what happened and why (if it was something you did) it wont happen again. Its hard enough to get hired when youre unemployed, but if you simply blame your former babo for being a jerk, companies wont want to take a chance on you. 7. You Have an Unstable Job History If youre a student or a recent grad, its okay to have multiple short-term internships and summer jobs. Otherwise? You should work at each job for at least 18 months, and preferably three or four years. If your last job was for 14 months, you better prepare to stay at the next one for at least three years. Otherwise, your record tells recruiters that you wont stick aro und long enough to make training you worth the cost and time. 8. Youre Trying to Change Careers Lots of people successfully change careers, but it isnt easy. If youre trying to change career paths make sure that your resume and your cover letter detail why youre changing careers and why youre qualified for the new career path. Employers wont make the connection without your help. 9. You Have Unrealistic Salary Expectations Lots of companies require you to list your targeted salary on your job application, along with your salary history. If youre applying for jobs that pay $30,000 a year, but youve listed your target salary as $45,000, the employer will reject you immediately. No one wants to waste time interviewing you when they know you wont want to take the job at the available salary.Additionally, even though you are willing to take the right job at $30,000, if your last salary was $45,000, the recruiter will assume you wont want to take a big pay cut. (Massachusetts jus t passed legislation prohibiting companies from asking about your salary history, so this is no longer a problem in MA. Watch for additional states to follow suit.) 10. Youre Annoying Applying for a job can induce anxiety, and your application or interview is important to you, so you are tempted to call repeatedly and follow up when you dont hear from the employer. Recruiters and hiring managers dont have the time to speak to every applicant, and they especially dont have the time to talk to every applicant multiple times.Its okay to follow up after youve had an interview, but its not okay to follow up multiple times unless they specifically ask you to call back. It can turn the prospective employer off big time. If youre struggling to find a job, take a look at this list and see if you can eliminate a few of these problems to increase your chances of job searching success. - Suzanne Lucas is a freelance writer who spent 10 years in corporate human resources, where she hired, f ired, managed the numbers, and double-checked with the lawyers.