Why Can’t I Even Get An Interview?
By Amy @BubbleJobs
Yes, yes we know that in 2012 getting a new job is almost as impossible as avoiding the results of the X Factor on a Sunday night or resisting that last Magnum in the bottom of your freezer… but it must be possible, after all, the jobs you’re applying for are getting filled by someone – unfortunately it’s just not you!
Life’s a strange thing. You can follow all the rules and do the ‘right thing’ over and over again but sometimes, against all the odds and no matter how unfair it may seem, things just don’t work out.
And it’s no different with a new job. You’ve followed all the advice articles out there on whether your CV should be in blue or black ink and whether you should wear high heels or flats for an interview, but time after time you’re not even making it to the interview stage.
It really doesn’t make any sense – you know you’ve got the right skills and experience, you’ve tailored your CV to make it sound like it was actually created for the job in question and you were ridiculously enthusiastic in your cover letter, so what’s going wrong?
This one’s tricky – because everyone is in a unique situation, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer, however there are some common things that seem to keep cropping up when it comes to failed job applications.
1. You’re just not qualified for the job: Remember when the job spec said you needed five years of experience but even though you only have two you thought you’d apply anyway? Jackpot! Believe it or not, someone has spent a lot of time creating that job spec, they didn’t just make the requirements up – they know what kind of candidate they’re looking for so the qualification requirements are there for a reason. OK, in all honesty you’ve got nothing to lose from applying for a job you’re just not qualified for but you have to remember you probably won’t get it!
2. You’re applying for too many jobs: When you’re on the look out for a new job, it can be tempting to apply for anything that’s up for grabs – the more the merrier, right?! Ermm.. not quite! While it’s OK (and healthy) to apply for multiple jobs, it’s important to remember quality over quantity – if you’re applying for 20+ jobs a day, you’re not going to have that much time to spend on each application… and it shows! Try applying for less and spending more time on each application and see how you get on!
3. Your CV just isn’t up to scratch: If you’ve applied for loads of jobs and you’ve not got anywhere it has to come down to one of two things; your CV or your cover letter – after all, they’re the only two things employers can judge you on. As your cover letter should be unique every time (please don’t tell me you’re still using a generic cover letter?!), it’s time to look at your CV to see what the problem is. Common mistakes include a gap in your work history (employers want to know where you’ve been!), information which just isn’t relevant (who really cares that you used to work in a pub if you’re applying for a digital job?!) and listing generic hobbies which make you sound booooorrrinnnggg! Your CV should be clean, concise and, most importantly, relevant! If it’s not, this could be what’s holding you back!
If you’ve got all these three things covered it’s time to be brave and reach out to some of the companies you’ve applied for to ask why you weren’t considered. In 9 times out of 10 you won’t hear back (recruiters are busy people, you know?!) but every so often someone will take the time to get back to you and they could point out something which you hadn’t even spotted. This could be something which can be easily fixed and which may prove to be the turning point in your job search!
About the Author
Amy Edwards Amy Edwards is the SEO Manager for Bubble Jobs. With a strong background in online content and copywriting, Amy is responsible all the on-site and off-site SEO of Bubble Jobs and the Bubble Jobs blog. You can follow her on Twitter here or add her to your circles on Google+ here.
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I totally agree that it is all about focusing on the jobs you really want and putting 100% into the application rather than mass-applying for any and every job you can find!
As you say, it’s all about being realistic as well and not to be disappointed at being rejected for a job that you’re under qualified for.