The job search process can be very frustrating and sometimes disappointing. We have conducted countless job searches/interviews to ensure we stay well-informed of the process, so we have notes to share that will assist with the goal of getting hired!
After a couple of weeks of applying, you notice you have not been contacted by the organization -or- you receive a notice that states “we regret to inform you”, “you were not selected for”, “you were not among the best qualified” etc. In other cases, after the interview, you do not receive a call back -or- you receive an email with one of the statements mentioned. As a result, you ask yourself, “Why Am I Not Getting Hired”? The answers are simple according to our research:
- Separating yourself from the competition – displaying a competitive edge is important for getting hired. If you are an Accounts Receivable Accountant for example, common duties annotated on your resume are most likely: performs billing, generates monthly invoices, and monitors revenue accounts. Separating yourself from others includes select accomplishments such as: analyzes accounts for inconsistencies and corrects accounts, resulting in..…following up with customer accounts to ensure requirements are met, or properly creates general ledgers and reviews data for accuracy. In this example, the common tasks are annotated but the recruiter or HR rep would like to recognize what type of asset you can be to the company. One important facet of accounting is cross-checking, accuracy, and timeliness so it’s important to display those tasks in your resume.
- Researching the organization prior to the phone/in-person interview – This is important because during our research, we got this wrong! Our Business Development team secured an interview with a company named Intertek for a Petroleum Laboratory Technician position. In the first phone interview, the HR rep asked Q: “What industry are we in and what do we do”? A: “Intertek is a Petroleum Company and Intertek test fuel and performs petroleum operations”. WRONG ANSWER. First, the company involves themselves with more than petroleum products and they test countless products for quality. The interview went further but in short, our team member did not receive a call back.
- Careless mistakes and laziness – I know you ask yourself why companies request you to submit a resume, then, within the application you are asked to annotate your work experience and description of duties. Consequently, candidates copy and paste (in the same exact format as the resume), individuals write “see resume”, or dates/descriptions don’t match what is on the resume. This is a tactic organizations use to weave through the many applications received on a daily basis. It is important to carefully complete the application process and ensure the information matches. Other mistakes are not following instructions, not proofreading resume (common grammatical mistakes show incompetence), not having a professional email address, and not uploading a Cover Letter.
It is a terrible feeling to know you qualify for a position, find the perfect position, then discover you were not selected. Give yourself a greater chance of getting hired by following application instructions, proofreading your resume, creating a professional email (use your name, you cannot go wrong), and create a Cover Letter for upload. Making yourself aware of these common mistakes will provide you with a greater opportunity to getting hired.
