I frequently run into people who say "I know I could do the job if they would just give me a chance". Why aren't they aren't giving you the chance?
Are you perceived during the interview as:
- Requiring "high maintenance"
- Needing extra time to get the job done
- Being a "know-it-all"
- Having all the answers
- Too unsure of your own abilities
- Carrying the emotional baggage of job loss
- Angry
- Un-real
- Desperate for any job
- Being set in your ways
- Looking for your next "lifetime" job
- Just wanting to do the bare minimum
- Demanding
- An awkward communicator
- A complainer
- A victim
- Wanting too much
Even though they may say after the interview that you were not selected because you didn't have enough _________________ (fill in the blank), generally that means you didn't hold up to what they thought you were on paper.
The good point here is that the resume worked its magic. The opportunity for improvement is that you need to work on interviewing skills. Do not confess your true weaknesses in a way which will disqualify you.
We'll never truly understand why we weren't selected for a job. Quite honestly, a lot of hiring decisions are just based on "gut reaction". So what will it take for you to leave the interviewer with the right feeling? They must believe that you can do the job as they want it done. You must be perceived as easy to get along with and they have to see that you have a proven track record of success, not mediocrity. The employer wants someone who will be a good investment.
In one of my favorite movies "Jerry Maguire" Renée Zellweger says to Tom "You had me at hello".
What can you do in the interview to grad 'em? Or as Cuba Gooding Jr. would say "Show me the money!"
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
