6 Reasons You Didn't Get the Job (that no one will ever tell you)

You did all the things people told you to do - prepared well, dressed well, told engaging stories and asked insightful questions at the end.  You felt you nailed the interview, but you didn’t get the job. What happened?

We would certainly encourage you to ask for feedback after receiving a rejection, but sometimes the feedback can be very generic.  There are mainly two reasons why they give generic feedback – 1. They don’t remember the specifics and don’t want to be too prescriptive in case they have you confused with someone else, or 2. The reason for not hiring you is because of something they’d rather not say.  The real reason might be a little too awkward to actually say to someone’s face.

So, what are some of these uncomfortable reasons for not selecting a particular candidate? Here are a few common “deal breakers” that are pretty difficult for hiring managers to admit to.

1. You Spoke Funny

• Do you have a habit of making your statements sound like questions? Tend to speak in an overly casual or formal tone?
• The way you speak can, surprisingly, be a huge indicator to your interviewer about whether you’re the right fit for the position. Maybe you sound too meek to manage a team of 10 or too aggressive to handle customer complaints. Maybe you were too rigid and monotone in your speech (leaving the interviewer of the understanding that you are institutionalised in your military ways).  This is a huge point as many military people speak in a way that is comfortable for them, because everyone they usually work with and socialise with speaks that way.  This needs to be adjusted to avoid being rejected for something that can be fixed when you know about it.
• This might not be a fair assessment, but it happens all the time—so it’s definitely worth thinking about and practicing for as you’re doing mock interviews to prepare.

2. You, Um, Smelled Funny

• And I don’t just mean that you didn’t shower. That could be it—or it could be that you overdid it on the cologne. Either way, you don’t want to be that interview candidate who overpowered the conversation with your aroma rather than your charisma.
• To combat this, lay off the perfume and make sure your personal hygiene is top notch. Seriously, please don’t let this be the reason you didn’t get the job.

3. You Were Too Eager

• Did you show up 45 minutes early to the interview? Did you offer to do the job unpaid for a while without being prompted? It’s good to be enthusiastic during your interview, but be careful not to be over the top. It can come off as a little too much and, like the first example, even inconvenient for the hiring manager. Instead, show your excitement by being exceptionally well versed about the company, the position and how you fit them. Top it off with a thank you note, and you’re all set.

4. You Were Too Arrogant

• Don’t get me wrong: Confidence in an interview is essential, and even bordering on being a little narcissistic can be positive for the right job. But don’t step over the line toward being arrogant. This can really rub people the wrong way and make you seem a little hard to manage.  The difficulty here is that arrogance to one can be different to another.  Err on the side of caution.
• To make sure you’re not overdoing it, back up your claims and your skills with concrete stories, and show an openness to learn by asking thoughtful questions. And even if you think you have it in the bag, think twice before letting that show.
• Your goal is to be as confident as you can, but have a covering of humility across everything you say.

5. You Didn’t Pass the Elevator Test

• This reason might be the most awkward of them all: It’s possible that your interviewer just didn’t click with you. You’re not going to get along swimmingly with everyone, and most people are too polite to tell you if you didn’t with him or her.
• That’s okay. The most you can do is try to be yourself. Do some mindfulness exercises before you head over to the interview, take a deep breath before you walk into the building, and relax. Don’t let people judge you based just on your nerves. Try to let your interviewer actually get to know you a bit.
• Your goal here is to be as positive as you can, without pretending to be positive and relaxed enough to allow your personality shine through.

6. You Weren’t the Internal Candidate They Wanted All Along

• It’s a sad truth of job hunting: At many companies, hiring managers are required to do a few interviews before making a decision, even if they have a strong internal candidate that they probably knew from day one that they were going to hire. There’s pretty much no way to know when you’re interviewing for a position like this and, unfortunately, there’s almost nothing you can do. So, if you didn’t get the job, it could also very well be because it was impossible to get in the first place. Don’t get too hung up on it.

At the end of the day, there are some things you can control about the interview process (like your attitude and doing your preparation), and then there are some things you can’t do anything about (like knowing your interviewer’s pet peeves ahead of time). So, do what you can and understand that interviewing is an incredibly subjective way to evaluate whether someone is a good fit for a position.

Just knowing these things will help in your preparation and your expectations.

To see what you’re doing that sends the wrong messages, contact us or phone us on 1300 366 104 to ask about setting up a Mock Interview.  Our experience not only as hiring managers, but also dealing with hundreds of hiring managers over the years will give you a great picture of how you come across to an employer.