Why Aren’t You Getting Interviews

I have talked to a lot of people lately who aren’t getting interviews and who can’t figure out what the problem is. They tell me that they know their resume and cover letter are fine (and often people have looked those over for them and verified that), and they can’t figure out what they’re doing wrong.

I’ve started asking to see their resume and cover letter anyway — despite their confidence that those aren’t the problem. And you know what? Nearly always, those are the problem. The people who told them that they were fine were wrong — they didn’t have the experience or the insight to know what would make a really great resume or letter. As a result, these job-seekers have been continuing to apply with mediocre materials and continuing to not get interviews, and are frustrated because they can’t figure out why.

If you're like most job seekers, the problem is one of these four reasons.

1. Your resume doesn't indicate that you'll excel at the job. 

This is easily the No. 1 reason most job seekers aren't getting interviews. Most people's resumes simply list their job duties at each job they've held (like "processed bank transactions" or "filled customer requests"). That only tells the hiring manager what jobs you've held—it doesn't reveal anything about how you performed at those jobs. The candidates who are getting the most interviews list what they achieved at each job (like "increased Web traffic by 20 percent over 12 months" or "regularly recognized for highest number of customer compliments").

Hiring managers don't care much that you held a string of jobs; they care what you accomplished there and your resume needs to show them that. So if you're wondering why you're not getting calls for interviews and your resume doesn't list accomplishments, that's the first place to start.

2. Your cover letter is bland and uninspiring. 

If your cover letter basically summarizes the information in your resume, it's not accomplishing anything for you—you almost might as well not send one. A cover letter that helps your candidacy adds something new to your application about why you'd be great at the job; it doesn't just recite your employment history. Job seekers regularly report that when they start adding personality to their cover letters, they start getting phone calls for interviews.

3. You haven't asked for feedback from the right people. 

I regularly hear job seekers with bad resumes say, "I've had my resume reviewed dozens of times and everyone has told me it's fine." First, in a crowded job market, "fine" isn't enough; it needs to be great. But secondly, if the wrong people are reviewing your resume, their feedback doesn't matter. Friends, family, and even campus career counsellors don't always know what they're doing; instead, you need people with significant hiring experience to give you feedback. After all, you wouldn't ask a friend with no auto-mechanic experience to tell you what was wrong with your car; you'd ask someone who knows cars. With your resume, you need to go to someone who knows hiring.

(One good test: Give them a resume that's full of duties rather than achievements and see what they say. If they tell you it's a good resume, you'll know that their advice isn't useful on this topic.)

4. You're applying for jobs that aren't connected to your job history. 

If you're applying for jobs that are very different from what you've done previously, you need to explicitly demonstrate for employers why you'd be a great match—don't rely on them to figure it out on their own. Also, keep in mind that in a tight job market like this one, employers have plenty of well-trained candidates who meet all the job's qualifications and have already worked in the field. That means that even though you might feel that you could excel at the job if just given the chance, employers don't have much of an incentive to take a chance on you. As much as you might want to change fields, it's generally very hard to do right now.

I do hope this help and advice will assist you at the start of your career. If you'd like help or advice on your job search, your Professional LinkedIn Profile and your current Resume, Interview tips or any other Career matter, don't hesitate to drop me a line for a confidential discussion. We help clients across Australia with a number of valuable services to help them with their careers.

·       Professional Resumes

·       LinkedIn Profile Updates and Optimization

·       Cover Letters for Job Applications

·       Key Selection Criteria Questions and Answers

·       Interview Tips and Advice

·       Job Matching Aftercare Support and Recruitment Matching Service

I am looking forward to helping any of you in any way possible soon. Good Luck!

Natalie

Roo Resumes