One reason why some fail to secure jobs despite being interviewed! This could be the reason why you are unable to convince hiring managers!

This observation is something many may not be aware of. If you have been attending interviews (I meant a few interviews) but still fail to secure a job, there must be something wrong somewhere. From the many applications a company receive, sometimes it can be in huge volume, but somehow, miraculously you were shortlisted and invited for an interview. I know of candidate who attended 3, 5, 8 or even 10+ interviews but still could not score a goal! From my recent chats with job seekers, some were lucky to be invited not one but to a few interviews, but luck just don’t seem to be on their side. They remain jobless. What could be the issue then? Is this an act of God? Or is it something we inflicted upon ourselves? The answer is obvious. Read further to unravel this simple mystery that could be your biggest hurdle!

Typically, hiring managers would only call you in for an interview if your profile meets their requirements or to some meet their minimum expectation. In my experience, hiring managers would not simply shortlist a resume for the sake of trying their luck or to give you a chance for an interview. There is no room for charity. Hiring managers can be nasty and mean, so don’t expect them to give you an easy way out. They too want the best in their team. He/she would have studied/scrutinised your resume and gave the nod to call you in for a chat/interview. And you get all excited, gearing up for the interview as though it is the biggest day of your life. Having attended the interview then, you now have high hopes to be offered the job and start to dream of the future, the happy days ahead, etc. But days after the interviews, you probably receive a call (or email) saying, it was a pleasure meeting you but we regret that your application is not successful. And there goes the bomb! You find the world is up against you! After reading this article, you will be better prepared for your next interview and give yourself a higher chance of nailing it.

Go with a convincing narrative in your next interview! If you are shortlisted for an interview, you have won half the battle. But what could be the other half?

As an experienced candidate, you would have already acquired experience, knowledge and skills over the years in your career/job. This, you cannot go wrong. If you screw up at this during the interview, then, it is “Tiada maaf bagimu”. Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. No one can help you here. You got to be the best in your past jobs, be able to share your success story with the hiring managers, sell your expertise, your value ad and so on and so forth.

This write up is relevant for those who have the below issues;

1. Job hopping (whatever your reasons are)
2. Gaps in employment (at time numerous and huge gaps)
3. Not completing degree based on natural progression/timeline of one’s life (ie. completing degree during mid-career)
4. Having multiple academic qualifications (ie, diploma, degree, masters, post graduate diploma, etc) – too many can be perceived negatively
5. Leaving a job without a job in hand
6. Acquiring qualifications that is not in tandem with your profession/career scope
7. Change job scopes frequently (be it in the same company or at different companies)
8. Starting a business and wanting to get back into employment
9. Accepting a VSS during the peak of your career
10. Not growing (vertically) in your career
11. Stayed in a company for too long (eg. 8-10 years or even more and now looking for a change)
12. Applying for a job with a lower salary/lower position
13. And many more… but I think this is good enough to give you some ideas.

I believe, the above issues is familiar to many. I am no angel myself. I too had difficulty to secure a decent job for almost a year during my early days. I even went to the extent of applying for a job that pays a quarter of my last drawn salary back then out of desperation. This was years ago. Today, being more experienced and a little wiser, I am able to piece this together and came to this point that the narrative (the career story line) that we share in the interview wasn’t convincing enough for the hiring manager to give us the chance to prove our capability. Many of us are not as lucky as some who secured jobs in good/stable company, had good bosses and grew their career along the way. We had to settle for jobs in smaller/less known companies (don’t get me wrong, I did not say small companies are bad), settle for jobs that pays raw salary and little/low benefits unlike in large/MNC companies. Some of the companies we worked for don’t even pay salary on time. And we keep on moving from company to company in search of a better paying job, stable careers, better benefits and so on. And in this particular scenario, we are called a job hopper. Other scenarios could be someone who could not afford a university education started of working as a clerk or sales and then slowly moving upwards, completing their diploma and then degree, and then they came to realise, they are much older today and their peers (people in similar role/level) are much younger than them and they lose out due to their age.

There is no point crying over the split milk We can’t undo the past, but we can definitely work on the future. Your first hurdle is to get yourself shortlisted for an interview. Work on your resume (an effective resume should not exceed 2 page), review it, rework where necessary, highlight your experience but more importantly magnify your achievements/success story. If you happen to have the issues highlighted above, or any other issues, you need to be convincing enough to assure hiring managers on why transpired back then, what pushed you into such a situation, why you deserve a chance to prove your capability, what would you do differently today?

You must go with an acceptable story line of your past career movement. Why you quit that job? Why you move to a lower paying job? What made you take up a job in another country and that too only for a few months? Why you started a company and now wanting to get back in to employment? Why you took a VSS?

It is important to ensure the hiring manager is convinced with you and your narrative before you walk out of the interview room. You got to learn the art of reading the hiring manager’s body language, the tone of his words, the lines of his questioning, etc. By doing so, you will be able to make a decent guess, where he/she is uncomfortable with you (or your background), and you can quickly address it and make it constructive, leaving no room for the hiring manager to have further qualms on you.

Sometimes during the interview, it is fine to be open and honest. I have seen some candidate who are truthful which I have to applaud them. Be open to talk about your past, your mistakes and your past challenges and how you would address them and how they can be a lesson to you today and what have you learnt form it. How would you apply these lessons today etc. There are companies out there who might adopt an unconventional method of hiring. Eg. There are companies who prefer to hire candidates who have failed in the pass (with a caveat of course). Read this: https://hbr.org/2011/12/why-i-hire-people-who-fail. If you still fail to secure the job despite you having the right narrative to address your past, don’t be sad about it. That hiring manager don’t deserve you. That company is not the right one for you. Continue searching. A company that hires you after listening to your narrative would be a better employer and might be chosen one for you!

 Back to my statement on “Tiada maaf bagimu”. Things that you cannot be forgiven for are;

1.    Poorly prepared resumes

2.    Not competent in your job(s). Fail to acquire the right skills/knowledge.

3.    Not keeping abreast on latest trends, knowhow on your industry

4.    Tardiness during interview, etc.

The above are things that you have to score high if not 100%. But the narrative (or your career story line) is something you must work on and this is where the missing link that has been the blocking point in your past interviews.

Hope you find this write up helpful and gives you a different perspective on attending interviews!

All the best in your job search!