Surprising Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Interviews

There’s a larger need for highly-qualified applicants than ever before thanks to the Great Resignation, new and emerging technology, and the rise in remote work. So with all of these open positions available, why aren’t you getting interviews?

Whether it’s due to a mistake on your part, a need to reframe how you present yourself, or aspects outside of your control, there are dozens of reasons why you might not be contacted for the role you seek. We’ll take a gander at some of the most frequent causes and offer suggestions on how to pivot where we can!

Making basic mistakes

Even the most thorough person is capable of making basic mistakes. This is especially true if you’ve been at the grind for so long that your eyes start to gloss over things.

Typos and grammatical mistakes on your resume or cover letter are obvious culprits, but they aren’t the only innocuous mistakes you could be making.

FlexJobs’ Jennifer Parris says to make sure you’re submitting your application correctly. A company may want your resume emailed or they may want you to apply through their website, for example. Make sure you’re following the directions you’re given to the letter.

Focusing on the wrong things

Your resume might be error-free, but it is presenting you in the best light?

A common mistake many job seekers make is only listing their basic responsibilities rather than highlighting the things they’ve accomplished. Your resume isn’t a permanent record—it’s a marketing tool.

“Using numbers to quantify your achievements is an excellent way to impress a potential employer.” –Alison Doyle

Forbes’ Adunola Adeshola says to focus your resume on the right results. Keep your resume bullets focused on the role you’re aiming for and paint a picture of what you’ll bring to the table as you try to set yourself apart from the competition.

Your qualifications

Even the best resumes might fall short if an employer doesn’t feel you have the right experience. It’s good to be ambitious and apply for jobs that may seem out of reach—job descriptions are mostly a wish list. But you can’t be surprised if a company chooses someone they believe to be more qualified.

The flip side may also be true—you may be overqualified for the role at hand, leaving a hiring manager questioning why you’re applying for the position. Be sure to read the job description carefully and truly understand what the company is looking for. If it’s a job you want, and a job you think you’re truly up to the task, make sure to use the right keywords to highlight your experience and properly convey your story in your cover letter.

Quantity over quality

It might make sense to cast a wide net in your search, but if you’re throwing out low-quality bait everywhere, you won’t get bites.

“A tailored resume does a better job of showing the recruiter exactly how you are qualified for the job. Doing this extra work shows you’re careful enough to do your due diligence.” –Hannah Morgan

Job seekers will often rely on online job boards for most of their search. While helpful, these tools should only be about 20% of your effort, writes Biron Clark. It’s hard to stand out when you’re sending a mass-market document everywhere. Instead, focus your efforts on tailoring your resume to the jobs you really want and focus other energy on networking and directly applying with appealing companies.

Your online presence

Let’s say your resume is a good fit for an organization and gets the attention of a hiring manager. When they do further research, what will they see? If your social media presence is unsavory, you might get rejected no matter how qualified you are.

It’s easier than ever before for a company to research you online. Hannah Morgan reminds us that as an employee of a company, you’ll be part of its brand. If the hiring manager finds anything unprofessional or offensive on your personal sites, you could miss out on the job. Be sure to curate your online persona before applying!

Outside factors

If you’ve followed all of the above advice, you’ll still find you aren’t getting an interview for every job you apply to. The truth is that no matter how qualified you may be, there are always outside factors preventing you from getting interviewed that have nothing to do with you.

Indeed lists a company’s needs changing as their number one reason you might not hear back. A role might no longer be needed, be expanded upon, or be filled internally. Someone may have referred someone in their network. You might have applied when the search was winding down. Or they simply may have been wowed by another candidate. In these cases, all you can do is move on and focus elsewhere.

Wrap up

With so many openings out there, it may seem surprising you aren’t getting the interviews you want. But there’s a ton of competition out there, and you need to do your best to stand out. Take a little extra time to rethink your approach, tweak your online profiles, and remind yourself that a lack of interviews may not be a reflection on yourself.

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Don’t Add These Skills To Your Resume

Resumes are tricky beasts—you need to clearly state what you bring to the table in as direct and concise a way as possible. But you only have so much space, so it’s necessary to only highlight the skills and experiences necessary for that particular job.

It’s tempting to create a one-size-fits-all document covering your entire work history, but that doesn’t provide value to potential employers. This is why we stress the importance of tailoring your resume to each application.

With this in mind, make the most of your limited space and leave these types of skills off of your resume. Highlight only what adds value, and you’ll stand a much better chance of getting an interview.

“When your job application is facing the six-second resume test, it’s important to not include information that will distract the hiring manager from seeing your true qualifications.” –Amanda Augustine, TopResume

Expected skills

Your resume is meant to highlight why you’re best suited for the job and to prove you bring something unique to the table. If the skills you highlight are things anyone can do, you aren’t really bringing anything of value.

While basic computer knowledge might have been a rarity last century, these days, anyone applying for an office job is expected to know how to operate a computer. While specific programs hold obvious merit, core competency isn’t anything unique and appears as fluff, says Peter Riccio. If you have important “computer skills” relevant to the job, spell them out; don’t leave them vague.

“At this point, listing “email” or “Microsoft Word” as skills is almost equivalent to listing “reading” or “basic math.” They’re not differentiators–they’re expected.” –Emily Moore, Glassdoor

Likewise, typing, online research, data entry, filing, and customer service are examples of skills employers expect rather than anything unique. While they’ll certainly want to know how you’ve handled customer interactions in the past, those are questions saved for the interview.

Cliches

Other overused resume buzzwords that commonly fill up resume space are another example, says Alison Doyle. Companies assume that they’ll be hiring someone willing to work hard. Every employee is expected to be a team player. Good written and oral communication skills are the norm.

If it sounds generic when you’re writing it, it probably is, according to Indeed. Try to spice up the language of your resume or find other ways to phrase that particular skill. Use action verbs and find ways to show rather than tell.

Skills you don’t actually have

Some skills are truly impressive and head-turning and are sure to generate employer interest. If you’re adding these types of skills to your resume, make sure you actually have them.

Indeed’s editorial team lists languages you don’t actually speak as a prime example of skill fraud. If you studied a language in school but aren’t actually fluent or remember enough to be useful, leave it off your resume. You may think it adds value to your future employers, but it won’t take long for them to realize you’re a fraud. Google Translate can only take you so far.

“At some point, somewhere, somehow, someone is going to discover the truth. Besides, if you don’t really have enough other skills to make you qualified, it’s probably a good idea to just apply for a different position anyway.” –ZipJob

Most job descriptions are more “employer wishlists” than anything else. You don’t need to match every single qualification to be considered. If you lie about some qualifications, it will be apparent eventually. Save yourself and the employer the time and be honest.

Irrelevant skills

The key property of the most desirable skills is their transferability. Especially when changing industries, these types of skills show that you have the important foundation down even if you haven’t used them in this particular capacity. But not every skill is transferable!

Some skills are highly interesting for personal anecdotes but won’t really matter to the position you’re applying for. Remember to keep things tailored to the job at hand.

“For example, if you are applying for an accounting position, including the fact that you have great drawing skills is most likely not going to help you get that job.” –Indeed

Soft skills—without examples!

We’ve stressed the importance of soft skills, and we aren’t saying to not include them. But how you present them is key. A list of soft skills comes off generic and like a way to fill space or target any keyword searches. You want to highlight your soft skills in other ways through your resume (and cover letter) and to use tangible examples. Show, don’t tell.

“The single most common mistake job seekers make is to list out soft skills on their resume — for example communication, multitasking, leadership, problem solving, etc. The message that sends to anyone reading the resume is ‘I may not have made clear what my soft skills are, so I’m listing them out just to make sure you see them,’” –Peter Riccio

Wrap up

The key theme is to make sure the skills on your application documents provide value for the role you’re applying for. If every single applicant can do it, it’s not really a skill, and just adding buzzwords won’t do you any favors. By removing much of the resume bloat caused by these irrelevant skills, you’ll have more space to highlight your newsworthy skills and accomplishments, which will lead to more interviews.

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Should You Hire A Professional Resume Writer?

At NexGoal, we try to provide helpful resume-building tips to help you land the job of your dreams. But building a resume can be an intimidating and stressful process, especially if you’re new to the workforce, transitioning into a new industry, or simply don’t have the time to learn the finer points of resume building. You’ve got excellent skills and valuable experience, but you may not know how to express that on paper.

If you’re struggling to put together a competitive resume, it may be worth hiring a professional. Trained resume writers are gifted with industry knowledge and can assist job seekers with expertly defining their accomplishments on paper. When is it worth hiring an expert, and is it worth the cost? With data from the experts, we’ll provide an overview of resume writing services so that you can decide what’s best for you.

“Resume writers are trained professionals, with a multitude of years, experience, and industry know-how whom will be able to help you stand out and place your best foot forward. Additionally, many resume writers have a deep understanding of the internal mechanics which go-on once an application is submitted.” –Career Employer

Why hire a resume writer?

According to HR Dive, eye-tracking studies have revealed that recruiters only spend an average of 7.4 seconds looking at each resume. You only have a short amount of time to “pop”, and that’s assuming you get past any Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) in the first place.

Resume writers use their experience to make sure you pop in the eyes of recruiters and machines. They know what formats look good, how to utilize keywords, and can provide insider tips. Their skills as a writer mean they know how to turn a phrase. Joblist even notes that talking with a professional can even help you better define your strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Sometimes, just talking with the right person can produce insight into yourself.

Growth Hack Your Career provided study data showing a 32% increased success rate for those who used a professional writer. They believe that in addition to the tangible services provided, the biggest benefit of hiring a professional is having someone in your corner to give you relevant advice and encouragement.

Costs and credibility

The biggest obstacles in finding a professional resume writer are finding the right one and making sure they fit your budget. One of the biggest cons of hiring a resume writer is the often high costs.

Matt Glodz of Resume Pilots found that a professional writer can cost anywhere from $100 to $2000, while Career Sidekick found the average cost to be $527.

While cheaper options exist, you’ll always get what you pay for, and you’ll want to do your research first. Read reviews, and see if a writer is a member of a professional association like the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches or the National Résumé Writers’ Association, adds Matt Glodz.

You may be deterred by the high costs, especially if you’re freshly entering the workforce or don’t currently have a job. With so many recruiters sharing their experiences and advice out there, it’s never been easier to find ways to craft the best resume possible on your own. You don’t need a professional resume writer to find success. But perfecting your resume can take significant time and trial and error. Look at the cost/benefit analysis for your situation and decide whether consulting a pro is the right move or not.

Important notes

Hiring a resume writer can put you on the path to success, but it won’t be a guarantee to getting the job of your dreams. The process with your writer is a dialogue, and you’ll still need to put in your own work.

Your writer won’t immediately produce the perfect document. They’ll start with what you have and ask questions about your experiences and career goals. Thus, the better clarity you have on your goals and skills, the better document you’ll receive.

“If you want to do it right, it should be a partnership,” –Jennifer Smith, career coach

Once you have your resume, it still isn’t meant to be fired blindly at every job opening. The Muse reminds that even with a professionally made resume, you still need to tailor the resume to every unique job. While you’ll have a good baseline, you still need to change keywords to match the job description, reevaluate which skills are most important, and add new skills if needed.

Finally, while your resume may get you a foot in the door, it’s up to you to impress the hiring manager. You’ll need to do your research on the company, talk to people in your network, and nail the interview to get the job. The resume is just the first step.

Wrap up

Resume writers can be a valuable resource. They have insider knowledge, know what works and what doesn’t, and they can provide insight and encouragement to an often disheartening job search process. But the guidance and convenience of hiring a professional aren’t cheap, and you’ll need to decide whether your budget can support it. You don’t need to hire a professional to succeed, and you still need to put in the work yourself, but having a skilled, knowledgeable writer in your corner could make all the difference in landing your next career.

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What To Do If You’re Overqualified For A Job

At some point in your job search, you’ve likely felt unqualified. Maybe there’s a required skill you’re lacking, or perhaps you simply don’t feel like you have enough experience. In those cases, you’ll have an idea of what you need to achieve to reach your dream job. But what do you do when you’re overqualified?

Surely employers would love the chance to hire someone that exceeds their wildest expectations, but the opposite is often true. Hiring managers may think you made a mistake or that you won’t be fully engaged and invested in a position seemingly beneath your experience level.

There are a myriad of good reasons to apply for a job you’re overqualified for, but there are many more reasons employers will be wary. If you wish to proceed regardless, we’ll analyze what these employer fears are and how you can quash them.

“For overqualified applicants, an impressive résumé might sometimes be the reason for employers to say, “Thank you, next!”” –Hire Veterans

Why apply for a job you’re overqualified for?

Being overqualified simply means you far exceed the education, experience, and skill level of what a job description is seeking. For example, if you’re applying for an entry-level sales role after leading a sales team for ten years, you’ll be viewed as overqualified.

While an employer might question your reasoning, there are plenty of good reasons to proceed. Maybe you want more meaningful work in your industry and need to seek a lower position to find it. Maybe despite your experience, you’re looking for new challenges or opportunities within the role. Or you may simply need a job in your industry. Layoffs and relocation happen, and sometimes you need the work.

Whatever your reason, you’ll need to be conscious of it, because employers will be asking.

The problems of overqualification

So why is being overqualified actually a problem? While companies want the best hire for the job, there are plenty of questions surrounding why someone with your qualifications would want to stay for the long term.

Madeleine Burry lists four principal problems with being overqualified: fear you’ll be bored, concern you’ll be temporary, the uncertainty you’ll follow directions, and nervousness that the pay won’t be enough.

The main fears are if this appears to be a step backward at this stage of your career, will the work and benefits be enough? The work may not be challenging enough for you, leading to boredom with your daily duties. For someone used to more responsibilities and a higher salary, potential employers will worry what they offer isn’t enough. Because of your experience, you may not follow their directions if you’ve done things a certain way or the person training you is less experienced. These factors lead to the idea that you’ll quickly move onto another position, costing the organization time and money.

Shonna Waters of BetterUp adds that employers can be guilty of age discrimination and use overqualification as an excuse to not hire you. They may fear you won’t be quick to adapt to new ideas or try new ways of learning.

“Whether they say it or not, they may also want someone younger for cultural reasons or training purposes and pass on you.” –Shonna Waters

Indeed also believes that these factors can lead to a negative work environment. If a person isn’t feeling engaged or challenged, it could create a toxic work environment.

What to do if you’re overqualified

If you’re set on a job you’re overqualified for, don’t let these common objections stop you. You’ll just need to do a bit of extra work and be ready to answer the questions when they come.

Shonna Waters says to make your resume “pop,” but not necessarily explode. Tailor to the position as always, but feel free to downplay your accomplishments or leave off irrelevant positions (obviously, be truthful). You still want to prove you have the skills needed to succeed in the position—you don’t want to take off too much and appear unqualified! But you can certainly downplay just how experienced you are.

Feel free to rip the Band-Aid off early and address the overqualification issue in your cover letter. Emily Morrison thinks this is the best way to get ahead of the question and express your genuine interest immediately. You can tell the recruiter you’re looking into a new industry or that you’re excited about the chance to learn new skills and have new experiences. This allows you to showcase your passion and express your desire for growth.

“You can make sure that they look past your qualifications by emphasizing two different things: that you’re looking for an opportunity to learn beyond what you already know, and that you’re looking to stay somewhere for a long time.” –Emily Morrison

Wrap up

Only you can decide if a job position is right for you. There are plenty of reasons one might seek a job they appear overqualified for. Hiring managers may be skeptical, and often for good reasons, but if your heart is truly set on a position, go for it! Take the extra time to tailor your documents and position yourself as a passionate person eager for new experiences and you’ll put the opposition to rest.

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Successfully Utilizing Keywords In Your Job Search

One challenge modern job seekers face is the need to balance their resumes and LinkedIn profiles for both human eyes and applicant tracking systems. You want a readable, engaging resume, but it may need to get through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) first. While up to 40% of companies may not use an ATS, using organization keywords is still the best way to get noticed by both digital and human eyes.

What exactly are keywords? Susan P. Joyce excellently defines them as:

“The terms used by searchers to find relevant content in a search engine, social network, applicant tracking system, or other database.”

We always speak about the importance of tailoring your resume, and this is where keywords shine. Discover why keywords are vital in the modern job search and how to make them work for you, and you’ll find the key to job search success!

The importance of keywords

Recruiters spend a short amount of time on each resume, and the ATS may keep your resume from getting to them in the first place. You need to stand out in a limited amount of time and prove you’re the candidate for the job.

Consider your search. You’re using keywords to find the jobs you are interested in, inputting job titles and locations into search engines to find positions relevant to you. If you’re looking to be a warehouse supervisor, just typing in “supervisor” is going to find a lot of unrelated jobs.

Coming up with a plan for your job search is the first step to finding the right keywords to use. Ivy Exec recommends figuring out your goals and conducting thorough research before you start applying. Target your ideal roles and industries, talk with your network, and research specific organizations. This targeted approach will provide clarity on what your dream jobs are looking for and how you can appeal to them.

Utilizing keywords

With this knowledge, you can begin incorporating keywords into your resumes and into your LinkedIn profile, too.

While we’ll recommend, as always, tailoring your resume for each position, there are a few keywords that are always relevant—your basic information!

It may seem obvious, but make sure you’re using the same professional name across all of your job seeker material. Susan P. Joyce says if your business cards use a different name than the one you use on LinkedIn, it will lead to confusion.

You don’t want to use a full address, but make sure your current city or targeted city is clear, as many recruiters search based on location. If you speak any additional languages or have college degrees or certifications, they should be clear as well. Finally, use a job title for the position you seek, and be as specific as possible. Use the version used by the company, if possible, and when in doubt, Susan adds to use a slash between two similar titles (Executive Assistant/Administrative Assistant for example).

With the basics covered, you can get into the finer points. Start by combing through the job description and highlighting all action words. These are the key responsibilities of the position, and your resume needs to show you’re capable of them. If you see a reoccurring word, definitely make a note to incorporate it, writes Mariana Toledo.

The exact word choices matter and you want to be specific. That’s why the easiest way to find relevant keywords is to take them right from the description.

Next, look at the industry on the whole. The terminology may change from position to position, but there should be a few constants. Alison Doyle suggests looking at the difference between job-specific skills and transferable skills and making sure to highlight both. If you’re applying for a programming job, you may need specific software skills, but you’ll also want good communication skills.

“For example, being able to operate a power saw is a job-specific skill for a carpenter, but not for many other jobs.” –Alison Doyle

You can use these keywords and incorporate them through your work history. Not only will this show you have the experience where it matters, but a potential ATS will note the word choice and help you stand out.

If there are any relevant proficiencies, certifications, or courses you’ve completed, make sure to add them as well. These are things like Photoshop, Salesforce, WordPress, programming languages, and even Microsoft Office suite. These can be sprinkled within your work history or on a separate “skills and qualifications” section.

Finally, after incorporating keywords, make sure your resume is readable and truthful. Joseph Rios writes that while it may be tempting to manipulate keywords to your advantage, never lie on your resume. It can bite you in the rear down the road. Susan P. Joyce adds that stuffing your resume with keywords with no strategy will make your resume bloated and unreadable. Make sure to incorporate your keywords in a logical and descriptive manner.

Wrap up

Using keywords may seem daunting at first, but if you do your proper research it will become a natural part of job searching. It’s imperative to stand out in your job search, and using the right keywords will make sure your resume gets seen. Use job descriptions and industry knowledge to your advantage, and incorporate the keywords in an honest and logical manner.

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