Not getting hired? Why? Sometimes the truth hurts

You have been job searching forever with no bites. Why is no one offering you a job? I have 5 hard truths to swallow if you’re ever going to get off the couch and end your unemployment streak.

1. You are probably not trying hard enough on your application

Applying for jobs is hard. It is like a job that has no clock-out time. Where the unspoken instruction is that you are always supposed to do more work than is asked and you are not paid. Even though everyone has heard “finding a job IS a job,” the number one reason most people I know have trouble finding a job is lack of effort. I think part of the problem is that people misunderstand what hard work means when it comes to job applications. It does not mean that you just need to send out more applications.

I call this resume spamming. It happens when someone spends five hours a day sending resumes to every company on LinkedIn or job boards all over the internet. I would rather you apply to half the jobs with double the effort.

Consider this; most job applications get an average of 250 applications. Is yours really going to stand out without a little extra oomph?

That is why you need to research each company that you are considering sending an application to. You need to send out applications as soon as they are posted and ideally early in the day. You need to look for unique ways to demonstrate you have the skills and the drive to rock that job. This also means customizing each application to the job poster rather than sending out generic emails.

You should be exercising creativity in looking for jobs to apply for as well. Did you know that only about 20% of open positions are even listed online?

The other 80% are filled through referrals, internal hires, and preemptive applications. The only way you will have access to those jobs is by getting your name out there, shaking hands, and networking with people at companies you like until they give you an interview.

Sound like a pain? It is. However, it will be worth it when you land that dream job.

2. You are probably not trying hard enough in your interviews

When was the last time you really, I mean really, prepped for an interview? I am not talking about some googling the night before.

I am talking about a week of research. Practicing questions in the mirror. Figuring out who will be interviewing you and examining their work history on LinkedIn. Getting a friend to pose as that interviewer.

Many people go to those sorts of lengths while trying to find your first job but wind up shelving these proven tactics for later in their career. They treat a job interview like a pickup basketball game. They will pop in, field a few questions, joke around a bit, and try to take it easy.

Then they will wonder why they are not being called back. Every interview, even the seventh personality fit interview at a company you are feeling iffy on, deserves your full effort. Job seekers fall into a similar trap after the interview. They will shake some hands, and move on to the next thing the second they walk out the door.

Moreover, they will lose points compared to other candidates who do the things you probably know you should be doing. Like sending thank you notes to all your interviewers and following up if you have not heard back after a week.

So, let me ask you, are you really giving your all to your interviews?

3. You probably need to add to your resume

To get the job you really want, your resume needs to be better. It may need to be reformatted, but what it really needs is the content that will be noticed. As in, you do not have the right experience.

Statistically speaking, that is the most likely reason you did not hear back on your last application. According to one study, hiring managers throw out 98% of the resumes they receive for a typical job post due to lack of qualifications.

If that is the case, no amount of hustle or brown nosing is going to land you the job. You need to go get more experience. If you have the experience and neglected to put it on your resume, then you need to reevaluate your resume and have a professional look it over.

4. You need to start looking at “Safety Schools”

Putting extra effort into interviews is not the only lesson that people seem to forget once they are more established in their careers. Listing out some safety schools is another one.

If you have gone through the college application process, you know that it is foolish not to include some safety schools. Ones that might be your first choice, but that you are fairly sure you can get into.

The same logic applies to jobs. If you are spending months applying to jobs and not hearing back, it is probable that you are only applying to your “Ivy Leagues.” Time to find some safer picks. Tumblr posts and airline commercials love to tell people to chase their dreams, and you should do that, but you also need a paycheck and health insurance. That is especially true when you consider that employers start to count long periods of unemployment against you after about nine months.

Bottom line is; you need a job. Nothing will stop you from continuing to chase the dream once you have a gig that pays, because the best time to look for a job is when you already have one.

5. You are Overqualified

It is a waste to apply to jobs that you are overqualified for. This is a tricky Catch 22. It is painful to admit to yourself that you need to aim a bit lower, only to be turned down from a job you secretly think you are too good for.

Underemployment happens all the time. In the United States alone, 13.7% of the workforce is considered underemployed. That does not mean it is easy to hang up your executive name tag and move down the career ladder a few steps. Employers have practical reasons not to hire someone who has dramatically more experience than the role calls for. Some of those include:

1. Salary expectations may be higher.

2. That person is likely to leave if given the chance at a position closer to their experience level.

3. That person may be tougher to manage if they have an experience level on par with or greater than their manager does. Therefore, if you are wondering why that position you thought you would be a shoe-in for is not calling you back, you might be looking too deep in the bargain bin.

6. You are too far away

A local candidate will always have an edge over a non-local candidate. There are actually tons of reasons why a hiring manager will be biased towards someone living right down the street. These are some things I have heard from HR pros that I know:

1. Someone local is likely to be able to start faster because they do not have to move.

2. They will not need to be flown in for the in-person interviews.

3. They are more likely to be plugged into the local community, which means more referrals.

4. They have more flexibility to run down to the office for last-minute interviews or projects.

5. The emotional investment in the employee will be less because the concept of moving someone out for a job and potentially letting them go on a later date is stressful.

Therefore, if you are trying to find a job in New York from Dayton, all these forces are working against you. You can solve this problem in two ways.

First, you can refocus your search to jobs that are nearby you. Consider looking at large national firms with offices in other cities that you would like to work at so you can request a transfer later.

Alternatively, if you know you want to find a job in a particular city, it might be time to move. That is definitely the riskier, more expensive path. However, you will be amazed at how much easier your job search will be once you are on the ground.

7. Lack of patience.

Let us talk about why you clicked on this article. Are you actually failing in your job search, or are you just looking for a reason to toss in the towel because you are discouraged? Giving up is the easiest way to turn a few months without a job into a year, and no one can afford that. It is important to keep in mind that the average length of a job search in between jobs is 22.5 weeks. That is almost six months. Anyone who gets a job in less time than that is above average. Many conditions will cause you to be outside the average. The average job search times vary hugely depending on the time of year, the city you live in, and more. If you are sincerely trying your best and have not found a new job yet, you may just need a little patience.

Discretion is the better part of valor

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” -Churchill

Admitting failure is not a weakness, it is a strength. It is also a critical step to moving on to a new strategy that is going to work.

That is why I encourage you to take every botched interview and every rejection letter as a tool to use in your effort to fine-tune your job-search. Use your failures rather than denying they ever happened and always remember that you’ve only lost once you’ve stopped trying.

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