Why is it that sometimes the candidates who are clearly more qualified and have more relevant experience often get interviews, but not jobs? Or, what goes wrong when you make it to the top two and then lose the offer to the other candidate? It's within this place that we often hear candidates talking about age, race, gender, or any other type of discrimination. As much as we all like to spend most of our energy concentrating on how we will prove we have the most relevant work experience and qualifications, it's a rare day when hiring managers will choose one candidate over another simply based upon one candidate being more qualified to do the job than the other.
In fact, less qualified candidates often get the job offer, leaving the more qualified ones feeling relatively perplexed and distressed.
I am not going to say that no discrimination takes place because it does – as illegal as it is. But that's not what is going on in most of these cases.
To explain this more clearly, please follow along with this scenario.
Let's say you are married and are planning a trip of a lifetime – just you and your spouse. If there is a place in the world you really want to go but you fear you may never get the chance, that's exactly where you are going. You plan the trip a year in advance and you are staying there for three weeks. Imagine yourself talking about this trip with your friends and family.
As you share the details, picture the excitement that you will have in the tone of your voice (or that will pour out in exclamation marks as you write) and the passion that would exude out of every energy channel in your body. You likely end these conversations with, “I can't wait!!!"
Now imagine that three months before you leave on your trip, your spouse tells you that he or she wants to separate. This is very unexpected and devastating. However, you realize there is a chance you two could work it out, so you aren't canceling the trip – yet. Although if you can't work things out, the trip is off.
You decide that outside of 2-3 very close friends, you are going to keep this under your hat and not talk about any of it. You want to work on things and don't need the world to know.
In the upcoming days and weeks, many people are asking you about your trip. Of course, you doubt it is still on, but you aren't saying anything so you just play along in hopes that everything works out.
Just last week, you were talking about and saying things like, “Oh yeah! And we are staying three nights in this awesome hotel then going here and staying at this cool place, then we are going to be here where there is a pool off our balcony! I can't wait!"
What does it sound like now?
Probably something like “Ahh... yea... it's going to be a lot of fun. It's coming up soon... really looking forward to it..."
Even though you didn't tell that person that you may not even be going, he or she may now become suspicious that something is up just based on you expressing yourself with much less emotion.
#1 Reason You Get Interviews But Not Offers
And that should help you understand why a person who may be less qualified than you gets a job you don't get. It's all in the presentation. Oftentimes, you say all the right things but if your presentation is flat, it will fall on its face. If you don't really want the job or you aren't excited about it, it shows even if you say, “I want to work here more than any other company."
Can The Hiring Managers 'Feel' Your Words?
Enthusiasm, presence, and passion – these qualities excite hiring mangers and they will always tip the scale in someone else's favor if you don't show up with them in your interview. When you are expressing those qualities, people can't help but love you and be engrossed in everything you say.
Most people know these qualities are important and say they have them, but if you don't really feel excited and are putting on a show, it won't come off as authentic - especially when compared to someone else who authentically does have them.
This is especially important to remember when you consider that many hiring managers conduct back to back (or close together) interviews. I cannot express in words how often candidates get tossed out of the candidate pool simply by deficiencies in their overall presentation that only become apparent when running multiple interviews back to back or close together.
There have been many times I have thought a candidate interviewed well and was a good fit for a job – but only up until the next interview where that candidate's presence blew me away making the previous candidate appear flat.
The truth is, if you don't come off with a positive attitude exuding with those three qualities, hiring managers don't even tend to think you have a neutral attitude. They tend to err on the side of caution and assume you might actually have a negative and bad attitude. Never underestimate the power of a positive attitude. Hiring managers will almost always say they would rather train hard skills than try to train an attitude.
People can feel other people's true passion and excitement and you simply can't compare to someone who walks in with a ton of passion and excitement if you do not – even if you have more skills and qualifications than that person has.
Be conscious of how you think as you prepare for your job interview (and make sure you really do want to work for the company!) Before your interview, take about 10 minutes to sit quietly and don't think at all with your head about what you will say or not say.
To help chase your thoughts away, take six slow deep breaths and only concentrate on your breath going in and out. Then, imagine yourself working at this company and experiencing all the good things you think you will experience there. Let yourself truly feel the excitement you would have if you got the job. Visualize it, feel it, and get immersed in it.
Now that you have done this, when you go to your interview and are waiting to be taken in, take some deep breaths and mentally put yourself back in those thoughts and in that place. Focus on staying there and when you get in your interview just start speaking from your heart. There is no excitement, enthusiasm, nor passion that can come out of your head – it all comes from your heart. If hiring managers can feel that energy coming from you (not just hear words) it will give you a huge edge in winning the job offer.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Jessica Simko is a personal/career branding strategist, job search expert, and senior level human resources professional with over 15 years of experience in recruiting, hiring, staffing, and career management. Please feel free to download her FREE report on “The Job Interview Game."
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.