Not getting enough interviews- improve your skills along the path to career success

Not Getting Enough Interviews? 4 Tips to consider.

Job hunting is a difficult journey filled with lots of time-consuming side trips and negative feedback. A 2021??Pew Research Center found that half of unemployed, furloughed, or laid-off Americans were pessimistic about future employment. One-third said they felt more stressed than usual, and 56% said they experienced more emotional or mental health issues while unemployed.

The job search is full of stress, with record inflation driving more and more Americans to seek higher-paying jobs, plus recent news of hiring freezes and layoffs affecting multiple sectors. These factors make it more important than ever to have a specific career direction and path so you can mark your progress and learn the new skills required for success. You want to know how well you are doing and that means having a plan.?

WHAT IS THE JOB SEARCH PLAN?

We all know The job search plan is the plan that helps you learn new skills step by step in order to succeed. For most people, it takes 90+ days to master these skills, but I’ve seen people land a job in as little as 6 weeks and as long as 6 months.?

Most of the mistakes people make are assuming they can go it alone and then applying online for hundreds of jobs without getting any interviews or very few. So, what are you doing wrong???You haven’t built the foundation you need to move forward so all the energy is wasted because you aren’t building a solid foundation that will lead you in the right direction. You have to begin by knowing yourself and then establishing your career direction. This requires hard work consisting of interviewing and getting 360-degree feedback, understanding your personal values and motivations, and how you like to work with others. It also requires an understanding of what activities and tasks you enjoy. Once you understand these you can move on to identifying possible career job titles that meet your requirements. From there we move on to resume writing and keyword optimization, LinkedIn profile rewrite, and learning how to network. Now it’s time to increase your interviewing skills and negotiation skills and finally, you are ready to decide which offer to accept.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE PATH TO SUCCESS -WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK??

There are four common mistakes that most people make.?

#1: I’m applying online, but not getting interviews.

If you’re not getting interviews, the first question to ask yourself is whether you’re applying for the right role. You should have narrowed your search to a few roles and then written your resume to show you have the expertise in this role. If your resume doesn’t meet most of the requirements in the job description you won’t be considered. You need to optimize your resume for the “keywords” used to describe the requirements of the role to increase your chances of being considered.?

The next step is to be sure you are customizing your résumé and cover letter in order to show that you are a qualified candidate. Where possible, mention someone you know in the company who will be able to talk about you and recommend you to the hiring manager. The cover letter is meant to summarize your experience and grab people’s attention by highlighting relevant experience based on the job description.??If someone only read your cover letter, and never looked at your résumé, would they consider you a strong match for the role??

The next step to consider is your resume able to be read by most of the online tracking systems. If you are using a special format with tables, and icons most likely your resume isn’t readable. Use a tool like?www.Jobscan.co ??to be sure your resume is machinereadable . If not, put your resume in a different, plainer format that can be read.?

When it comes to your résumé, focus on the outcomes of what you have accomplished-not just the tasks. What did you do, what were the quantifiable results??

#2 I’m applying through my connections and still not getting interviews

Since 80% of new jobs are found through networking and referrals this is the place to be spending more of your time.?When you are applying through your connections be sure to follow up and be sure your connection has sent your resume to the right hiring manager. Secondly, be sure you have seen the job description and written your resume to reflect what is on the job description. In general, apply through the online system as well as using your connection to pass your resume along.?

At the beginning of the interview process, most companies only consider internal candidates. This means there may be a waiting period before outside hires are looked at. Be patient but follow up to see where you stand and see about getting an interview so you can tell them why you are a great fit.??

#3: I’m booking screener interviews, but failing to make it to the next round.

If you’re going to job interviews but not getting offers chances are your résumé,??LinkedIn profile and personal connections are creating a strong enough first impression to get you into the consideration set.??However, not making it to the next round means your interviewing skills are not where they need to be.?

When you are answering interview questions consider using the STAR technique.??Situation:?Describe the situation. Use who, what, where, when, why and how to help you structure the information. Describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. This situation can be from a previous job, a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.

Task:?What goal were you working toward? What were you being asked to do?

·Action:?Describe the actions?you?took to address the situation with an appropriate amount of detail and keep the focus on YOU. What specific steps did you take and what was your particular contribution? Use the word “I,” not “we” when describing actions.

·Result:?Describe the outcome of your actions and don’t be shy about taking credit for the outcome. Be sure to mention measurable or quantifiable results. Was there an increase in performance, efficiency, profitability, or impact?

This helps you structure your responses so they are more effective and helps you reduce the amount of time and details you are spending on each question. In general, you should be practicing each question so you can follow this structured format and answer the question in 1-3 minutes maximum. The STAR technique helps you create short stories to help you communicate your accomplishments in a clear and concise way. Remember to tailor the answer to the level of the interviewer so you are understood.?

Interviewing effectively is a skill that takes a while to learn. Practice with others (or your career coach). Record your responses using your cell phone so you can play them back and hear how you sound. This will help you identify things like using the word um, giving long and confusing answers, not speaking clearly, and using insider jargon.?

#4: I’m making it through multiple rounds of interviews, but not getting job offers.

The job-hunting process is a lot longer than it used to be. Companies are concerned that they hire the right person, since they have been ghosted, and had more unsuccessful hires in the past few years. They are more nervous than they used to be about making the right match so more people will actually interview that before.?

You do need to follow up between interviews to understand what is going to happen next and the time period for this event. You can use text, email, and phone calls to find out. Of course, it’s a pain for you to spend so much time in the job-hunting cue but it’s a necessity. Always follow up, with personal notes that show your interest and what you learned from the other person. Even if you have made it through multiple interviews and don’t always get an offer. Sometimes an internal hire is discovered or the company determines another person is more qualified.?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that it’s not always a reflection of your skills and experience. Oftentimes, it’s simply a situation where other candidates were more of an exact fit than you. Take time to think about the types of jobs you are applying to. Do you need to expand your job search? Was this position a good fit for you?

Another major mistake candidates make in interviews is not coming prepared with questions about the position or company. Failing to ask questions gives the hiring manager the impression that you’re not interested in the role. Do your homework before the interview so you don’t ask questions you could answer by going to their website. Instead, ask insightful questions that show you’ve done your research and you are interested in the position, and want to be sure you’ll be successful. Interviewing is a 2-way street so you are interviewing them and they are interviewing you.?

Finally, don’t forget to ask for feedback about why you didn’t get the role. Companies can’t always give you a specific reason based on legal concerns. However, you might receive valuable insights or realize there were factors out of your control. The worst that can happen is they don’t provide feedback, but it’s worth asking anyway. You can’t improve if you don’t know.?

Although the job search is difficult you have the option of switching paths, improving your job hunting skills, and getting a career coach to help you. Success takes work and learning new skills. If you are feeling frustrated and depressed during the process, be sure to take mental health breaks, like walking your dog, listening to your favorite songs, meeting with friends for some positive feedback, meditating, and giving back to your community. Just because you don’t have a job -doesn’t mean you aren’t a great person. Things will work out and you will find success if you keep focused, and are open to feedback so you can improve your job hunting skills. After all, the skills you use to be great at your job are not the same as those used in the interviewing process so there is a learning curve for everyone.

Darcy Bevelacqua, CEO, SuccessworksCX-career coach for people over 50.