Five Reasons You Didn't Get Called for That Interview

Posted by John Krautzel • Nov 17, 2015

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

John E. • Jan 15, 2016

Anyway, I made the mistake of hitting "return" before getting to my question. I'm very interested in at home work, particularly "at home transcription work". Perhaps you could point me in the right direction? Can you provide me with links to sites which show these types of jobs? Thanks!

Nancy, thanks for your repose. I guess you and I will have to "agree to disagree", which is fine. There is plenty of evidence to suggest the political party in power has plenty to do with the business climate. I think the figures on the "participation rate" ( which haven't been his low since prior to WWII speak volumes to this. in my opinion at this point, both parties are the opposite side of the same coin. I am however

Frank C. • Jan 15, 2016

Nancy, I still say you are stupid, how you got your job is beyond me. and no I have not found a job in almost 5 years, and do not know of anyone from around that time period, and as I said before, Employers do not go back 10 years or more Resumes. You say, "Take a deep breath and keep on applying", Sorry, but your words are False. To keep trying after a certain period of time, and still come up with nothing proves my point. You say that you are sorry that I am going through such a difficult time, you can say that because you are working. When the power goes off, I do not have a laptop like you do, therefor I cannot go anywhere unless it is a place that has power so I can work on something. Someone hand-delivering a Resume to a potential employer, is also inaccurate. In my lifetime, I have never heard of anyone hand-deliverng a Resume to an employer for a possible interview. I am 49 years old, I have never let anyone hand-deliver a Resume, because there is no one that does it.

Nancy Anderson • Jan 15, 2016

@Mare K so sorry to hear what you are going through. I am always seeing job postings for transcription workers - especially home-based ones. Can I ask - have you tried to use a temp agency? Sometimes they are the best way to get your foot in the door. Have you looked for real work-at-home transcription positions? Try that route and see if it works better. Such a shame when a job seeker goes to the lengths that you did for a position and they never respond. But you have to ask yourself, if you did all of that and they never responded, would you really want to work for them? I truly do understand about having to pay bills which is why I mentioned temp work. It may not pay what you are used to but it will at least bring some income into your home. Sometimes we have to swallow our pride and take something that is less than we feel we are worth. As Paul said in his comment, don't give up.

Wow thanks again for all of your comments. @Frank, sorry you are going through such a difficult time. Maybe my words are trite but they are true. We see folks getting hired every day and we post new jobs every day. So the jobs are there. You say that you don't know of anyone in companies where you are looking for a position. However, you must have worked at some point and have former co-workers who could talk you up and who could hand-deliver a copy of your resume. Yes, that is still done. Just yesterday we had a former job seeker write in and tell us that a former co-worker gave her resume to the hiring manager; she was called in for an interview and offered the position. So, this stupid woman says that it still is done. Of course no one wants to hear this but attitude makes all of the difference. Unfortunately online applications are not going to be outlawed any time soon so we all need to just adjust our thinking, take a deep breath and keep on applying. I do work from home and, if the power goes out, I just take my computer, get in my car and drive to some place that has power and the Internet and get back to work. @Paul thanks for your comments. So true that if you just keep pushing on the right position will come along.

Paul F. • Jan 15, 2016

Sorry I must have sent without finishing. Anyway, I was told I wasn't a part of the team he was building. I know I didn't fit because I had a really really bad coach leading the team. Remember you're only as good as you're coached. He sucked as a coach which made me think he was threatened by me being better than him at what I did. I don't need to be with a corrupt Chicago style city hall. Bet you can guess what political party he is now. I have a great boss now and even though I experienced a shafting I am not giving up. My resume and cover letter are spot on and I'm not changing a thing. I will move on and so should you. Keep pushing on sooner or later you'll land that perfect job. I love what I am doing now but my body is beat and need to retool and use my knowledge. YOU CAN TOO. Don't give up. Have faith in God he'll lead you to where you need to be.

I know how it is. I'm 57 a physically beat up plumber. Back in April of last year I was hired as a plumbing inspector in a northern Wi city. I had a bozo 32 yr old baby who forced me to resign because I didn't think politically like him. He said he was building a team

Todd C. • Jan 15, 2016

Hi gang. Google Liz Ryan. She is the best voice on this topic. Very useful info. Go get em.

Nancy, What about job fairs, there are not many, if none at all, I already graduated from school, there are no people I know of in companies that I look for jobs, resumes ar not hand-delivered anymore you STUPID WOMAN. The best thing to do would be to OUTLAW ONLINE APPLICATIONS. I have not been called in for an Interview in more than 5 years, my career services rep kept telling me that I was too aggressive and that caused employers to back away from me. I have tried to apply for entry-level positions with no luck of being called on for an interview. I have looked at so-called "at home" jobs, and asked myself, "What if the power went off, what would I be able to do then?" You cannot seem to tell the truth. I am angry at you because you are working, and I am still in the 5% bracket that cannot find work. Brave words from your suggestions, but they do no tmaintain a healthy life, and I have biils that need to be paid, and no money to pay them. I am on the verge, if not, having to lose everyting that I worked for, thrown in the garbage. I say to you, Nancy Anderson, GET OUT WHILE THE GETTING IS GOOD!!!!!

Mare K. • Jan 14, 2016

Nice suggestions for the above article; however, it still doesn't help me. I find them rather useless and redundant. Speaking from my own example, I applied for a transcriptionist position back in October and I haven't heard a response. I applied online, then mailed a paper copy of my resume with a cover letter, and then finally followed up with a phone call, leaving a voicemail message to the hiring manager, and still no response. In addition, the job that I am interested in is still posted online!!! To respond to the five suggestions in the article: I am qualified for the job, my resume did not lack keywords; as a matter of fact, the job description was so short and lacking information that I didn't have any keywords to work with. I don't have an online presence; no Facebook or Twitter or anything like that. My life is so boring that why would I want to post anything about it? My resume is neither boring nor is it not thorough; after all, for a transcriptionist position doesn't exactly call for a lot of bells and whistles, although in my case I have a skill that exceeds most transcriptionists--I use a stenographic machine instead of just manually typing. Now what employer wouldn't be impressed by a potential employee that has a skill that can save time and money? And yet despite all of this no response of any kind. Go figure. I have now been unemployed for more than three years, and I am tired of listening to experts telling me/us to "hang in there." That doesn't help pay the bills which don't stop coming as every one of us out there who are unemployed know all too well!

JANICE REMITA • Jan 14, 2016

There are NO jobs in this country!!! The true unemployment rate is 30 per cent.

Linda W. • Jan 14, 2016

It is very unfortunate but age is a big factor in getting hired or not getting hired. Seniors are getting a bad rap in today's job market. Very short thinking on the part of corporate America!

Nancy Anderson • Jan 14, 2016

@Frank C thanks for your comment. Wish I had words of wisdom to offer but all I can say is don't give up. Are you networking? Going to networking events in your area? What about job fairs? What about getting a position through your school? Are you checking out companies of interest to see if you know anyone there? That's oftentimes a great way to get in front of the hiring manager - by having your resume hand delivered by a current employee. Are you getting called in for a lot of interviews with negative results? Maybe your college could help you out with interviewing techniques. Maybe you could try for a different type of position - maybe an entry level position - just to get in the door of the company of your choice. Have you checked into the possibility of working an at-home position? Especially in tech - many companies are looking for help. You probably won't be an employee but a contractor where you would be responsible for your health insurance and taxes. But it could lead to something more permanent. Just some suggestions for you. Hope they help.

Thanks again everyone for all of the great comments. We hear your pain and frustration but we also know that the jobs are out there. Sometimes you need a little help from your friends to get the ball rolling. Look at @April's comment and you will see that she got an interview thanks to a friend. You can do that also. Check on the company website or through LinkedIn and see if you know someone who is working at the company(s) of interest and see if they won't submit your resume for you. Means a lot more when it comes in through a current employee. @William T thanks because you are so right. Shaving years off of your resume certainly could help. You really should only include the past 10 years anyhow - if you can. Sometimes we have to include more maybe because it's been more than 10 years since we worked in a similar position. As to the question about why HR doesn't reply - it is true that they are inundated with resumes and just simply do not have the ability to respond to all of the inputs. It would be great if they could but I imagine that you would simply receive a canned response from them which, in my opinion, would be worse than not receiving a reply at all. Also, including the keywords from the job posting can make all of the difference. As you check out different job postings, you will notice some words that are used on most of them; they would be the "keywords" that you want to include on your resume and cover letter. That's the first step in getting by the gatekeeper. We know this is rough but we also hear all the time from job seekers - "I'm hired". Even the more mature workers are getting jobs. So don't be afraid to shake things up a bit. Modify your resume, if you can, to only include information that is pertinent to a job. If you are seeking an outside sales position, your ten years as a cashier probably will not help much. Also, if you can, leave off dates - HS, College, Post Graduate, etc. And, lastly, always remember that your online presence can be a sticking point with a prospective employer. Think about that last rant that you posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even as a response to an article or news piece. Would you want an employer to read it? They will if it's out there. So use caution when using any type of social media site - especially when job searching. Best of luck everyone.

SORY D. • Jan 14, 2016

Such a great post! I'm majoring in an electrical engineering degree and have been looking for an internship for so long (sent numbers of app ) and still not able to grap a F2F interview!

Henry S. • Jan 14, 2016

Excellent article!

PETER D. • Jan 14, 2016

I have a business degree and am a registered nurse. I never would have thought I would have hard time. Dealing with human resources simpletons who got their jobs because mommy or daddy had connections is something I don't want to do anymore. I want equity and will start looking around for a business investment. I

Paul F. • Jan 13, 2016

I'm going to keep pressing on forward until something happens. Even a blind dog finds a bone after a while.

Vickie C. • Jan 13, 2016

I have been in SC now for 8 months now. I thought I would find that southern hospitality I heard so much about while I was in NY. So much for that. I have a very extensive cover letter and resume and I still haven't heard a word.

JULIA S. • Jan 13, 2016

How do potential hiring personnel even know your age by only receiving a resume? I do not get any replies either, and I suspected my age a reason. But I do not state my age or birthday on any cover, resume or application (unless it is a required field).

Gary E. • Jan 13, 2016

In my low '60's. Still have at least 10 more working years. I'm finding out employers don't want someone that age. Too old and over qualified is the unspoken reason, even for the entry level positions. Can't get past the phone interview that the employer was required to do since I'm a veteran. Employers do the phone interview to fulfill their gov't requirements.

Ruth P. • Jan 13, 2016

I have been working several different Retail Jobs in the past and seem to apply to the same ones most of the time. I am in my 50's and don't seem to get called for an interview. I am always thinking to myself (what is so hard about running a cash register, etc.) This is very frustrating.

Diana S. • Jan 13, 2016

I'm in the same situation as Nancy R. I am also in my 50's. I have over 40 years of experience. I also have a Master's degree. The things i've been doing for over 40 years without having a "certificate" that says so don't count when i answer the application question about certifications. If i weren't being assessed by a computer program before a human being ever sees my resume, i believe my odds of actually interviewing for a position would increase.

Prasad K. • Jan 13, 2016

This article looks like somebody prepared after watching me thoroughly for the past fourteen months of my honest preparation, presentation and performance and with related result(s).

Paul N. O. • Jan 13, 2016

You people always say to apply for a position, you have to have BSA/Masters degree and so forte, but when you visit the employment site some people working there don't even have high school qualifications but they are working in positions a person with a degree like me will not be offered that position. Why is it like that.

Five Reasons You Didn't Get Called for That Interview

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