It's a match!
Is it?
Many applicants wonder why they get a NO despite their seemingly perfect application.
Why you don’t get a positive reply.
Your resume does not meet the standards
It depends on the ATS (Application Tracking System) compatibility if your resume ever is seen by a human recruiter. Make sure your documents are ATS ready and well edited and designed.
Human resources managers receive a large number of applications every day and decide on the basis of certain factors such as faultlessness or incompleteness whether the documents should be read more closely or sorted out immediately. Furthermore, the visual design also plays a major role. Here it is important to ensure that the layout is adapted to the desired job opening.
Crazy salary expectations
If you decide to announce your salary expectations in your cover letter (because you were asked to, otherwise don't) it is important that they are appropriate for the position. Otherwise it can quickly happen that the HR managers decide to reject the candidacy because of the unrealistic amount.
Not qualified enough or too senior for the role
A reason for a negative reply could be your qualification. Too high or too low. It is important that you read the job advertisements carefully before you apply and consider whether you meet most of the requirements. In case you are lacking experience or skills needed be bold about it and do not cover it up. Try to ensure to show that you are optimistic to overcome the flaws with your commitment and learning abilities.
Lack of experience
This is a vicious circle for professional starters. A certain amount of work experience is very important to many employers. You may have just graduated from university and theoretically have all the required qualifications. You feel ready to take off to prove your skills but you never receive an invitation to an interview. Many applicants are confronted with a refusal at this stage because, despite their existing knowledge, they lack practical experience. In any case, it is important to stay tuned and continue to send out targeted applications, as there are many companies that hire good candidates, even if they have little work experience.
Right place, wrong time
Not every job advertisement includes the publication date and the starting date of the job is not always mentioned by the company. It can easily happen that you are just a few days late with your application and the application process is already very advanced.
A NO does not necessarily have to be related to your skills and qualifications but can simply be due to a badly chosen timing. Again, it's important not to get discouraged and to continue applying for suitable positions, at some point the timing will be right.
Reasons for a negative answer AFTER the interview
Bad performance
One reason why you were not able to convince may be a lack of preparation for the interview. Maybe you had a black-out or a bad day. It can happen. Move on and try again.
You are the right candidate for the wrong team
It is possible that you fit the position very well and still get a NO. Another reason may be that you personality doesn't fit into the team with which you would work in the future. This doesn't mean that you are not okay the way you are, it just means that your personality might not be compatible with your potential team members.
However, you should still be authentic. Never try to pretend to be someone else (for various reasons).
Popular internal candidate
In some cases, jobs must be advertised publicly and external applicants must be invited for an interview before filling the gap. However, an internal employee is already in pole position to catch the job because he or she has already been trained and knows the internal procedures. Bad chances for you. Not your fault.
Remember. Sometimes things are not meant to happen. And that's for a reason. First you may feel disappointed or rejected. Later on it will become clear to you that your perfect workplace was waiting for you somewhere else.