You went for the interview. After that, silence for a week. If you are lucky, you get a polite rejection email. But most of the time, it’s just waiting and more waiting. And sometimes, the waiting period is even worse than a rejected mail. Finally, you pull enough courage to call up and hear the news yourself…”Sorry, you didn’t get the job.”

Ouch…it hurts!

I didn’t get the job. Why?

What did I do wrong?

Why didn’t they want me?

The bad news is most often than not, you won’t know the real reason. The employers are not telling or won’t tell you the truth. So, what shall you do?

Now, here is a tip. If you managed to get to the second round and then only get cut, most probably you have done everything right but just a bit unlucky as there is only one vacancy and probably the competition is too stiff. And sometimes the reason is not worth your time as it may be a silly one, such as “After going through all the candidates, I think we should offer the job to someone slightly older…”

However, if you never had the chance of getting passed the first round, something is wrong somewhere during the initial interview. Why do I say that? The logic is simple. You had definitely passed the screening process, i.e., qualifying you for an interview after scanning through your resume. In other words, your resume is fine.

But what you need to analyze is what had transpired during the twenty to sixty minutes initial interview. Check the following list.

10 Things that can turn the interviewer off

1.No or bad eye contact

2.Too long-winded

3.Way too quiet, giving one word answer all the time

4.Arguing with the interviewer over a point

5.Not punctual

6.Stammering to answer some questions posed

7.Giving information that is in contrast with what were stated in the resume. For example, date of joining, salary and job scope. In other words, you were trying to lie but not very successful

8.You were wearing shorts or sloppy clothing

9.You have bad body odor

10.You try to be over-friendly or perceived to be flirty

So, did you commit any of the above? If yes, it’s never too late to improve and change. If not, it can be purely a “chemistry” issue. I hate to use this word but interviewers being human and imperfect may sometimes hire not the most qualified candidate but the one that he or she likes most, an entirely emotional decision. Too bad but it happens. So, do not feel too depressed if you cannot figure why you were rejected because you may happen to fall in this category.

I always believe there is a job somewhere for a serious job seeker. It may not happen today but some day. All the best in your next job interview!

To read further:-

12 Practical Tips To Ace The Job Interview »