Five Reasons You Didn't Get Called for That Interview

John Krautzel
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You've proofread your cover letter countless times, pored painstakingly over your resume and picked out the perfect power suit to impress a hiring manager. Still, you're not getting called for a job interview. Before you send in another application packet, take a look at five reasons hiring reps may pass you up for a job interview.

1. You're Not Qualified

Read the job posting carefully before you send in your resume. Make sure you meet the minimum qualifications and have the necessary educational experience. If the job listing states that a master's degree is required, you can't skirt by with a bachelor's degree. Don't waste your or the hiring manager's time by applying for positions that don't fit your skills and experience.

2. Your Resume Lacks Keywords

Never use a generic resume; customize every application packet you send. Take the time to read the job posting carefully before you craft your resume. Use keywords directly from the job ad to grab the hiring manager's attention and show that you're worthy of a job interview.

3. Your Resume Is Boring

A resume that's filled with bullet point after bullet point of job responsibilities is not likely to impress any hiring rep. It's not enough to simply list the job description for each of your previous positions. Potential employers want to know what you can offer the organization, and the best way to demonstrate this is by listing your accomplishments. List marketing awards you've won, sales quotas you've exceeded or innovations you've introduced to show the hiring manager that you are a valuable asset to an employer.

4. Your Online Presence

Be aware of how your online presence can affect your job prospects. A hiring rep is unlikely to call you for a job interview if your Facebook account makes you appear like an excessive partyer or an excitable drama queen. Clean up your social media profiles to remove offensive photos, and be selective about the things you post. Create a LinkedIn profile so you can connect with others in your industry and share articles about your profession.

5. You're Not Being Thorough

Lack of attention to detail can often land your resume in the reject pile. Review every application packet before you send it, and be sure that you follow all of the job posting's directions. Address your cover letter to a specific person rather than using a generic salutation; do some research to learn the hiring manager's name if you have to. If you're submitting an electronic application packet, send your attachments to several friends to make sure that the files open properly.

If you've lost track of the number of resumes sent out and you're still not getting called for job interviews, it's time to diagnose the problem. Take a look at these five reasons for being passed up for a job interview so you can correct the issue before you waste any more time.


Photo courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 
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  • Michelle J.
    Michelle J. •

    I have only been out of work for three months and I am already bored and frustrated. I've had a couple interviews, but no offers. I've been told to put only up to ten years of experience on a resume. What am I suppose to do with the other twenty-five years of experience? Besides, when you fill out the application, you have to put all the information on there and the interviewer will look it over and see that the information doesn't add up. Now you look as if you're lying. So how is that being honest? I may also have a problem listing my last supervisor on my application. The applications always ask if they may contact your last supervisor and if you say no, I think they take that as a red flag. How do get around that? At 58 years of age, no one wants to hire me. Maybe our government can come up with a plan to take care of us that are too young to retire and that Corporate America feels that are too old to be hired. If they won't hire us, then they should take care of us.

  • Ruth C.
    Ruth C. •

    I have recently graduated from college and at first I seen myself at the top and I am trying to change careers and find it very difficult to do so. I thought I should also get top pay but now I am realizing that I need to start off at Entry level. I need help. I have several years of experience as a cna. I have found that my education really isn't what the employers are even looking for. It's experience, but if they won't give me a chance how am I suppose to gain experience if I can't land a job?

  • Gurudeva K.
    Gurudeva K. •

    If you want to hire you will hire. otherwise you will give 100+ excuses. Does it mean you should be doing this job or someone else ??

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Frank thanks again for your comment. It is very true that employers are looking for previous experience. Education is great but most employers look for at least a year of experience post graduation. Sometimes you have to start at the beginning - like you were 20. You might need to contact your student loan institution and let them know that you are currently not working and to renegotiate your student loans. You can defer your payments for the time being. If you don't have experience, you can't really expect to start in the middle or the upper echelon of a company. You will have to start at the bottom - at an entry level position until you gain the experience. I guarantee you that there are plenty of job seekers who will read this and agree - including me. I am making a lot less now than I was even 10 years ago. But I had to make some sacrifices and have never regretted my decision. You might have to do the same in order to get the experience that you need. @Elizabeth certainly it can be hard to hide all of your years of experience - especially if they are applicable to the job you are seeking. But if they are not applicable why include them? You could simply state other work experience available upon request or something like that and concentrate on the experience that is applicable for the position. Employers know how old we are. It's really and truly difficult to hide. Even if you remove graduation dates from your resume, employers know that, since it wasn't included, that it has been at least 10 years since you graduated. Then you start adding in your work history and they can get a pretty good idea. So talk yourself up a bit in your cover letter. Explain to them why you would be the best candidate and how you can add to their revenue. That's what they want to hear. Be flexible and be willing to work for less if that is what is keeping them from contacting you. Please know that companies receive thousands of resumes just for one position so you have to be that standout candidate who makes it to the final cut. All the best.

  • Elizabeth M.
    Elizabeth M. •

    @Nancy. I too would like to know how you hide that you have years and years of experience and not show that to get that experience you have to be over the age of 25. I feel that I should be more important to employers since I am not going to take off time for children, have the experience needed to do the job, still have at least 16 years left prior to retirement, and have an amazing work ethics. Not all, and I'll say that again, not all milenials have a good work ethic.

  • Frank C.
    Frank C. •

    Nancy, I cannot just up and leave what i do best, besides, I still have student loans to pay back, and if I change things around, it would just add more insult to injury. I cannot start back out like I was in my mid-20s again. And I still say that Employers are looking for previous work experience, and not the Formal Education that we try to bring to the table. This is the point I have been trying to instill on you, but you keep dancing around and around and just ignore truly answering it. I look over the job description, VERY CLOSELY. Sometimes employers want something different than what the job entails, and to just see that I have the skills for the job, but then see that they require previous experience, leaves me at the door with no one opening it when I knock.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @John R thanks for your comment. It certainly is great if you are able to start your own business. Best of luck to you. @Pamela are you seeking another teaching position or are you moving on to something different? You should only include relevant information on your resume. You can always indicate that you have other experience and would be happy to discuss it. Most companies today use applicant tracking software (ATS) and can scan your resume and cover letter in a few seconds. What are they scanning for? Keywords that they used in the job description that need to be included in your resume and cover letter. If they aren't there, on to the next. So if you were going for a sales position, that's all they care about - is your sales skills - not your teaching. Once your resume gets over this first hurdle, then it will be reviewed by a human. We wish you all the best.

  • Pamela J.
    Pamela J. •

    Nancy: I have removed the Ph.D. form my resume and my job applications. But, how do I remove from my resume years of teaching at the masters and doctoral level?

  • John R.
    John R. •

    I firmly believe that older workers should start their own business and could form support groups that would assist these new business in their marketing and development.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks again for the comments. @Frank I never said that you were pricing yourself out of the market. It's just possible that the market is not open enough for your particular skill - not enough positions in your area. You might have to consider changing to a different career or learn new code if that's what you are good at. We all have to change and flex as we get older and have more experience. Ten years ago I worked in IT. Today I work in Marketing. I had the same issues as you where I couldn't find decent jobs - jobs that would pay enough that I could live on. You are probably right in that I will never understand what you are going through. But I , too, have been on the outside looking in - just about a year ago. I had to change and go in a different direction. @Pamela so sorry to hear you going through this. Maybe you might consider removing your PhD from your resume? It might help to open up some doors. I truly understand why companies would have a concern when it comes to hiring you. Even though you say you won't be bored - that you just want a job - companies aren't willing to take that chance today. @Elizabeth maybe you should concentrate on finding a work from home job or some other type of sitting down position until you can get your knee back in working condition. Wish all of you the best.

  • Elizabeth M.
    Elizabeth M. •

    Sorry about the typing mistakes. That is a perfect example of what the above article is talking about. Always proofread before you send in anything. Even though I was writing this on my phone, one mistake and they won't even give you an interview.

  • Elizabeth M.
    Elizabeth M. •

    Bottom line. It sucks trying to get a job if you have too much experience, are too old( over 40) don't have a degree and more. Plus you have hit the best when all those apply to you. I had a job I loved and unfortunately I twisted my knee going into one of my accounts. Due to poor workers comp. care in Texas, I can no longer go back to that job. My knee just didn't recover at all from a lack of care. The insurance company would rather play games then help you get the care you need. So, I now can't find a job in two fields I could work in. All because of the above reasons and there is just nothing I can do but continue to try, and read info like the above from this website. Frustration can't be come my middle name, if you get what I mean.

  • Pamela J.
    Pamela J. •

    I find that age is my most inhibiting character. I have over 30 years experience in my field. I would love to work in my field but I'm willing to take a pay cut and move to a lower level of responsibility. Unfortunately with a Ph.D., no one will hire me to file, type or run a small office. They say "You'll get bored to easily." or "We know you won't stay long." Both those statements are wrong. I'd rather work than sit at home bored. But, no one will believe that. In my field, they want the 30-40 year olds. They will not retire, they are relatively cheap and most of them are not 'overly qualified." Very frustrating. Do I have to be a "Walmart greeter"?

  • Frank C.
    Frank C. •

    Nancy, I do not price myself out of the competitive market when I look for jobs in Information Technology, it is just that Employers are not looking for Formal Education, as I told you before. I hate repeating myself to try and make you understand. There are people, like myself, that do not have a long, drawn out employment history. My Resume is brief to the point, but Employers only look for that past employment history, not a Formal Education. When they realize that you need a Formal Education to get a job, then they would start hiring like there was no tomorrow. But you still cannot grasp the meaning, or concept of what others are trying to tell you.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Mare thanks for your comment. Yes we are listening. But you have to remember, we are not recruiters nor are we an agency. We post jobs for you to review and then submit your application. We publish articles, based on the latest information, to try to assist you with your job search. In response to your comment, unfortunately you may be pricing yourself out of the market. I agree that transcription companies should hire within their locale and not hire based upon price but the reality in today's market is that price matters. You might want to try to take your asking price down to get you some interview. Once you are in front of a hiring manager you can discuss salary and discuss why you believe that you should receive $30/hr. Sorry wish I could offer more advice. There are many other work from home sites besides UpWorks. You might want to check some of them out as they are always looking for transcriptionists. Best of luck to you. @Frank thanks for your comment. It's okay that you disagree with this article. We wish you all the best on your job search.

  • Mare K.
    Mare K. •

    Nancy, don't you think that I tried looking for online transcription work? I had set up a profile with oDesk.com (now upworks.com) which described my transcription abilities with using a steno machine. I even made a different move in that instead of posting a picture of myself like most others do or otherwise leave blank, I posted a picture of my steno writer to prove that I was serious. So much for that path; all I got was being undercut by foreign competition, specifically, transcriptionists from foreign countries such as the Phillippines where they posted that they would work for $3.00/hour. I had my price of $30.00/hour. Now you may say that I'm charging too much, but just remember that if you want quality work, you have to pay for it. If you pay cheap, you will probably get cheap. I know, because I remember when I bid on a specific job one time and checked back the following day, there were 30 other people who had also bid for the same job, and only one was an American like me. I checked out all the other bidders' profiles, and each and every one had misspellings, punctuation errors, capitalization errors; hell, many wrote sentence fragments. And they call themselves transcriptionists, and I'm overcharging?! I don't think so. Would you want work to be transcribed by someone that English isn't even their first language anyway? I wouldn't. I've tried temp agencies, and I'm not having any luck either. I'm being to think Frank C. is right; that you're just not getting it, and are you really listening to us?

  • Frank C.
    Frank C. •

    In my opinion, these 5 things posted, are all NOT TRUE!!!!, I have not found full-time work in over 20 years, and it is not based on what is on my Resume. Employers are looking more towards previous wok experience, instead of a formal education. I think that is why almost 16 Million people cannot find work. As I have stated before, I have a Bachelor's Degree in a very competitive market, but my formal education wins out over previous work experience. If employers can actually see what people bring to the table, then the unemployment rate can drop a percent or two more in the future.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks Julie for your comment. Please remember, should you need it, that Beyond offers resume writing.

  • julie s.
    julie s. •

    Rachael H. that's awesome news!

  • Rachael H.
    Rachael H. •

    I finally realized that my resume was awful!! I certainly blame that for not being called in for interviews. I fixed it and have had 3 interviews since.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Barbara thank you for that. I truly understand where everyone is coming from. I was unemployed not too long ago and know how tough and even depressing it can be. It's true that we point fingers at everyone else stating that it's their fault. It's tough out there. I would never say otherwise. But, I also know that there are jobs out there - positions that are not being filled because, according to the companies, they can't find a qualified applicant. I understand @Frank's comments and his frustration. All I can tell you is to keep applying - the job will come. Keep a positive attitude and continually work your network. And Barbara, to get your foot back in the door, you may need to accept a position that does not pay what you would have hoped. Once inside the company, you can look around and see if you qualify for any other positions that pay more. It's easier to get a promotion or a different position when you are an employee than when you are outside looking in. @Hilary thanks for your comment. If you have ideas as to why you are not getting hired, are you making any changes? Maybe you need to refresh your resume? Maybe your expectations are not inline with today's job market? If you see things that you can change, by all means make the changes and then start your search again. The jobs are there and we post new jobs every day. Best of luck to you.

  • Hilary M.
    Hilary M. •

    Help I have not been hired yet and I don't know what to do. I have all kinds of ideas why

  • Barbara Stilwell
    Barbara Stilwell •

    Nancy you're not stupid. Bitter people stay stuck in their own nonsense. I am having a tough time landing a job myself. It's easy to point the finger and blame everyone and everything as to why us unemployed can't seem to get a job. There are jobs out there but not everyone wants to take that pay cut or work at a job that they feel is beneath their level of skills or knowledge. It's tough especially when one has a degree, experience and certifications etc. It's not what you know it's who you know. Not everyone is fortunate enough to know people or outgoing enough to help themselves. I have a ton of applications out there and I'm on Linkedin and constantly in touch with recruiters and follow up calls to jobs applied to. It sure stings the self esteem and can be extremely discouraging.. Best of luck to all the unemployed (including myself) with finding a job. :)

  • Frank C.
    Frank C. •

    Nancy, you do not understand my frustration, and you never will. I do not know anybody in any company because I have no friends that work for a company, and yes, I have used up all my avenues. I have tried temp agencies, recruiters, I am also on linkedin, but have not heard anything from that website either. You do not know anything about pain, because you are working, go back and not find anything as far back as 10 years, then you know what it was like for me. You never walked in my shoes before.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Frank C thanks for your response. It's okay if you feel that I am stupid. I understand and I understand your frustration. I was in your shoes a few years ago and know how hard it can be to land a position. As a matter of fact, I got my position because a friend submitted my resume. I had applied previously but never heard anything. Then I found a friend who worked at the company and asked her if she would mind submitting my resume and cover letter for me. She did and the rest is history. I found my previous position the same way - with a friend hand delivering my resume. That's how I know that my words are not false. I truly do wish that I could just conjure up a job for you Frank. I hear your pain. Have you exhausted all avenues? Temp agencies? Recruiters? Are you registered on LinkedIn? Great place to get in touch with former coworkers; check out companies and even have recruiters contact you. What about on your state's employment page? Many times you can find unadvertised positions there. All you can do is just keep on keeping on. @John there are many sites who allow work at home for transcription work. Just type in work at home transcription and you will get thousands of responses. Make sure that you really check the company out and never purchase anything from them. You can log into your Beyond account and search for remote transcription positions also. All the best.

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