Why Am I Not Getting Hired After Interviews?

Today we’re going to answer another great question from a reader of mine, Sam. Sam has been wondering why she is getting no job offer after interviews.

Sam writes:

I know that my resume and cover letter are good. I keep getting job interviews, but I never seem to be able to get a job offer. So my problem is basically: no job offer after interview. I always call afterwards to ask for feedback, and they always tell me the same thing.
 

It’s always something like: “You were great, you interviewed very well, and we loved you, but we went with someone who had more experience.”
 

What is really wrong with me?
 

How can I find out what I’m doing wrong if no one will be honest with me? How can I finally get the question answered: “Why Am I Not Getting Hired After Interviews?”
 
– Sam

Great question, Sam. This is something that we all have wondered at one time or another in our lives, so don’t worry, girl.
 

You’re not alone on this one!
 

We will go through 5 things that you can do to figure out what isn’t quite right and how you can finally get the job offers that you deserve.

First of all, before we dive in, I want to say it’s great that you are getting interviews in the first place. This is huge, and a lot of people have the problem that they can’t even land an interview, so good on you.

Let’s dive into those 5 things you can do:

In this section of the post I will give you some ways to find out how to answer the question: Why am i not getting hired after interviews?
 

There could be many different reasons why any given applicant isn’t having success. It is difficult for employers to answer honestly, depending what the issue is.
 

Try asking for feedback in few different ways. For example like this:

If I could have done one thing differently to change the outcome of your decision, what would it have been?

What specific experience or characteristic did the successful candidate have that I could work towards for future opportunities?

Is there a single thing I could work on to have a better chance next time I apply?
 

I.E. a certification, experience of a specific type in a specific area etc. (Depending on what it is that you have already heard and what applies to you at the time).

By asking for feedback in more specific and targeted ways, it makes it easier for them to answer and pushes them a little bit to give you something a bit more concrete than their usual non-answer.
 

Believe me, this drives me nuts too!

DON’T LOVE READING? Watch video here:

If you do love reading, let’s get back to it…

Film a video of yourself interviewing and watch it back.

Now, I know this is super weird. Trust me, when I first started making these videos, I was totally weirded out by seeing myself on camera, and I still am. I often pretend that it’s someone else I’m watching.
 

This can help you tremendously. I have had people do this, and they have seen light they never would have seen otherwise.

For example: Maybe they are smiling too much or not at all. One client of mine realized she didn’t smile at all and she looked like a robot in interviews.
 

Once she started smiling a bit more her results immediately changed!

Perhaps you are rambling. Maybe you’re using the word ‘like’ too much. Who knows what it could be? This can help you figure it out.

Ask a trusted friend, mentor, or colleague to do a mock interview with you and let them know of the dilemma you’re facing.
 

You can record this interview, or you can just ask them for their honest opinion.
 

Tell them what they might be looking for, and tell them all the people who have passed you up and recruit their help.
 

Let them know how much you trust them to be honest with you, because if they aren’t, no one else is going to be.

Finally (and depending on how many interviews you’ve been on), I really believe that those who get you deserve you, and those who don’t can leave you alone anyways.
 

I know it can be frustrating, but if you’re not getting hired, it’s worth considering the possibility that none of those jobs are right for you and that the right job for you hasn’t come along yet.
 

Perhaps you’re applying to the wrong type of companies that aren’t a good fit for your personality type.

For example: If I were to apply to a bunch of government jobs, I’m not sure I’d do so well myself. Don’t beat yourself up.
 

Find out if there is something to improve by using the tips I mentioned in here, and if you do those things and you don’t glean any insights, then hold your head up high and keep on trucking because the worst thing you could do is give up now.

It’s not a failure – it’s just a test. I love this example:

If a child was trying to walk, but he kept falling down and he finally falls down for the fiftieth time, does he throw in the towel and say, “Well, this is too hard. I guess walking is just not for me?”
 

OR does he keep trying?
 

Maybe he uses something to grab onto this time, or he figures out that his leg was in the wrong position, so he shifts the balance of his foot.
 

There are a thousand different ways he can tweak how he’s approaching it, and he inevitably gets better and better each time.

So, my point here is DON’T GIVE UP!!! If it was easy, everyone would do it, right?

How to respond to not getting a job offer?

The best for how to respond to not getting a job offer is to:
 

Write a follow up note that acknowledges you didn’t get the job but that you are still interested in other opportunities.
 

Now I know that the company usually says “We’ll keep your resume on file… yada yada” But I mean taking it to the next level to show that you really mean it and you are really serious about getting a job there.
 

Perhaps in the future an opening may open up that is even a better fit than the first one. This happened to a client of mine.
 

She went in to apply for a marketing analytics job, it turned out they were looking for someone who was more focused on writing content than the actual analytics behind how the content was performing.
 

This wasn’t her expertise but they had listed the job as marketing analytics anyway.
 

A year later she was able to apply again because she had kept in touch since the first interview.
 

When they had the opportunity to interview her again for this new role, which was much more in her wheelhouse, they welcomed her back and she pretty much had the job already before the interview began.
 

So just because you don’t get the job it doesn’t’ mean you may not get an even better job in the future.
 
 

 
 

In Conclusion

There you have it: How to answer: “Why Am I Not Getting Hired After Interviews?”

Now I’d love to hear from you! Have you ever had an epiphany, of something you were doing that may have been preventing you from moving forward in your career or your life?
 

I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

If you’d like to dive deeper with me, click the link below to download my Free Guide “How to nail an interview you’re unqualified for?”

In this guide you’ll learn:

• How to identify the questions they’re really asking you (things are not always as they appear).

 

• How to tell captivating stories that trigger the interviewer to remember you above all other candidates.

 

• How to proactively identify an interviewer’s concerns, even when they don’t voice them out a loud.

 

• How to steer the interview in the direction you want it to go.

 

• What I say at the end of the interview to wrap it up and seal the deal.

 

Do you know one person who could benefit from the information I shared? If so, help someone out by sharing with them.

And remember, the current way in which most of us look for our IDEAL job these days isn’t perfect by any means, but I know you can outsmart it.
 

I know you have what it takes and I’ve got you covered.

I’ll see you next time and I can’t wait!

In Work & Life

-Natalie