Ask the Experts: Interviews But No Job Offers

Question:

I have near seven years of experience, multiple certifications and a host of good companies and references under my belt. I seem to have no trouble getting the interest of HR people and recruiters with my resume: I average two interviews per week. Unfortunately, that’s where it ends.

I go into the interview professionally groomed and dressed, completely prepared, answering their questions, asking questions, eye contact, everything I was taught to do with an interview, even sending out the thank you cards via U.S. Mail with handwritten commentaries on the interview. In short, I do everything expected of me in the interview process. However, it all falls short.

I’ve had about 15 interviews so far, many going to the final stages, but the moment they meet me in person, it ends. I’ve had one occasion where the interview was cut short and I was basically escorted out of the building. I received a rejection letter a few days later but it contained no reason as to why I was being rejected. I cannot imagine what I’m doing wrong at this point other than perhaps I look “wrong” in spite of my professional dress, groom and demeanor.

After being rejected, I’ve asked the recruiters why I wasn’t picked. They refuse to give me a reason other than to say that they went with a different candidate. I’ve done mock interviews and have been told that I have great interview and interpersonal skills, I dress well and come across as confident. No red flags in anything they have seen on my resume, references or interview process. Can you give me some insight into what could be my problem?

Note to Readers

With the consent of the questioner, his resume was sent to the “Ask the Experts” panelists.

First Answer:

It is hard to give you a decent answer when I don’t know more about the specifics of your situation, but if you have great experience and a good resume, and you are getting that many interviews without any offers, that indicates that your presentation and interview style needs polishing. I am also worried about your statement that you’ve actually been ushered out of the building without finishing an interview! That signals real problems.

In my current Ask Alison (Managing Your Life & Career Column): I talk about how important it is to match your job search, at least in part, to your own personality as well as to the required skills. Learning about a company’s corporate culture prior to the interview not only helps you make a personalized and effective appeal to a specific employer, but it also gives you invaluable, advance information about whether or not you would like to work for that company and if you would enjoy being there on a daily basis. If anything about the dress, demeanor, attitude or philosophy of the company and it’s employees makes you very uncomfortable, you might want to reconsider whether you would be happy working for that employer. In your case, perhaps there is something about the way you are presenting yourself that you are unaware of, but that signals the prospective employers that while you have the right skills, you don’t have the right personality for their company.

You say you are doing all the right things, including “mock” interviews. That is a good start. In my book YOU ARE THE PRODUCT-How To Sell Yourself To Employers I particularly stress that having great skills and knowing glib answers to common interview questions won’t get you the job. The book is all about how to gear yourself not only to what the employer wants, but what the “corporate culture” is. The message you need to send to employers is: “I am appropriate, I am competent, I am productive, I know the rules, I can fit in, I want the job.”

Again, since I don’t know the particular situation(s) of your previous interviews, I can’t really comment on why they didn’t go well, but perhaps you’ve been too eager, too agressive, or the opposite…too eager to please and sounding “depressed.”I think it’s valid to ask an employer why you’ve been turned down. Some will be honest. You do run the risk of looking unprofessional. However, if you are desperate for real feedback from bona-fide interviewers who rejected you, (nicely) get back to a few of the recent ones that seemdd most interested but where the interview didn’t go anywhere, and repeat your request for feedback. You may get a few who are willing to help you. You can’t push on this, but if you let them know that it is really important for you to “do better” they might open up. Most employers have been on your side of the desk as well, and they know how it feels to be frustrated, baffled and jobless….but they also aren’t going to put a lot of time and effort into dealing with someone they don’t want to “hurt” and that the don’t want to hire. I also suggest that you read a book about personal marketing such as YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. You’ll gain a lot of insight into your own habits and performance which can help you “fine tune” it in the future for success.

— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

Second Answer:

Performers and athletes sometimes get so caught up in the preparation, that they often neglect to prepare to deal with the “in-the-moment” possibilities. The same can hold true in the business world and in your case the job search.

While your shoes may be spit shined and your look perfected, it might be the in-the-moment actions that are causing you trouble. Recruiters, hiring managers and interviewers are human—and may discount you for one small thing.

While I can venture to guess it could be your posture, attitude or even something hygienic (body odor or breath), I’m more likely to assess it is your in-the-moment responses, the way your answers are phrased or the connection between what’s on your resume and what you portray in person.

Remember, the resume doesn’t get you the job, it gets you in the door. The person who decided to call you in for an interview, did so becasue he/she liked what your resume portrayed. Now, they’re looking for you to expound on the qualifications you claim to have.

That said, the best way to really determine the issue? Ask yourself the following questions:

2. Is your resume honest? If you are puporting to be one thing on paper that doesn’t hold true in person, your interview will a quick hello and goodbye (note, this could be as simple as they were expecting a certain type of person based on your resume and when you walked in the door, it wasn’t you.)

3. How do you prepare for your interviews? You shouldn’t be spitting out scripted answers that sound just that–scripted–but rather prepare examples of situations you can talk to. Things like: a time you disagreed with your boss, a time you took on greater responsibility, a time you handled a challenging customer or client. You should also research the organization thoroughly and tailor your interviewing style to its culture and the things it values. Tailoring your demeanor to the individual you meet with is also crucial.

4. Finally (and most important) Have you practiced interviewing with anyone? Mock interviews with a professional career coach or with a peer can help you ascertain how you’re being perceived and give you the real, honest feedback you need about your overall demeanor. It also allows you to receive direct feedback on the content of your answers. Do 5-10 mock interviews with a few different people and be prepared to receive constructive criticism and act on it.

— Susan Strayer, Assistant Director, Career Services, School of Professional Studies in Business and Education at the Johns Hopkins University and founder and President of University and Career Decisions

Third Answer:

It’s nearly impossible to know what the problem might be without interviewing you. You certainly do seem to be doing all the
right things.

I would suggest you keep doing what you’re doing — only with a bit more intensity. Continue to do mock interviews, but do them
with a variety of people to get some different perspectives. If
you’ve been doing them with career professionals, add friends to
the mix and vice versa. It’s possible your friends could be more
honest with you about any shortcomings they see in your interview
performance. Most importantly, find someone who can videotape
your interview performance so you can observe it yourself. You may
finally arrive at the answer you seek by observing yourself in action.

It’s true that you will rarely, if ever, find a recruiter who will tell you why you weren’t hired. The reason is that employers
are afraid of being sued. But don’t let that stop you from
trying to get the answers you need. As long as you keep asking,
you will likely eventually find someone who will tell you what you
want to know. Particularly be on the lookout for interviewers
with whom you feel you have especially good rapport. If you aren’t
hired, the person with whom you had good chemistry MAY tell you
what was wrong with your interview. Instead of asking the confrontational
“Why wasn’t I hired?” ask a question along the lines of:
“Could you give me any advice on how I can improve my
interview performance?”

One more thing you can try is informational interviewing. An informational interview is NOT a job interview, but
you can use an informational interview to inquire of
your interviewee: “I know this isn’t a job interview, but
do you observe anything about my demeanor or communication
skills that you think might present a problem in a job
interview?” Find out how to do informational interviews at:
http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html.

Be absolutely sure that there really are no red flags in the references area. You can engage the services
of a references-checking company that will find out what your
references are REALLY saying about you. You may think they’re
all saying good things but be surprised to discover that
someone is sabotaging you.

Finally, 15 interviews actually isn’t all that many in this difficult economy, so don’t give up. The fact that
you haven’t received an offer may actually have absolutely
nothing to do with your interview skills. Keep plugging.

— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters

Fourth Answer:

Today’s job market is flooded with lots of talent going after very few openings. It is not uncommon to hear that hundreds of resumes are received for one position. It is also common to hear that since employers are aware of all the available talent they are now hiring an exact match/fit to the job description and in some cases they keep interviewing for months in search of that “ideal” candidate. You could be the runner-up choice of the 100+ candidates considered. With that said it sounds like you are doing all the right things – conducting mock interviews (although friends may not know enough about interviewing skills or have the heart to speak openly for fear of hurting your feelings), style of dress and presentation skills.

Perhaps you are targeting the wrong market. When I look at your resume I am seeing a lot of short term (one year and under) positions, were you a consultant? Your resume doesn’t indicate this or provide an explanation for all of the job changes. If you are interviewing now for a long-term position – your experience may qualify you but your lack of longevity may disqualify you. Your resume indicates you have attended two Universities but there isn’t a degree indicated. With all things being equal this could be a factor in why they choose another candidate. Also, your resume states that your education ended in 1987 but your work history begins in 1996 – what were you doing in the years in between?

With so many candidates looking for jobs, recruiters are overwhelmed in trying to get specific feedback. If you sensed a good rapport with any of the people you met you can contact them directly. Let this person know why you felt you were a good candidate and your desire to join their team and firm. Perhaps they can shed light as to why you weren’t selected – additionally this call may help you get the job after all! Quite often the selected candidate turns down the offer, quits or is terminated shortly after they begin. Rather than repeat the entire interview process if you remain in contact with them you could be the first choice replacement. Use this follow-up call to see if there may be any other departments within the company that your skills would qualify you for. You can ask if this person has any friends/colleagues in other firms where your skills would fit in. This is a great way to build up your network.

If you are still wondering, work with a professional coach who can guide you through the process easier and faster. I am offering a 20% discount on one month of coaching to anyone who mentions this article.

— Janine A. Schindler, Professional Coach and owner of the Jas Coaching Company

Fifth Answer:

It’s difficult to provide insight into the problematic personal interviewing issues when you’re not actually watching the
situations or meeting the person face to face. The only thing
that can be done is speculate. That being said, there are quite
a number of things that could be the, or else contributing
factors, to your interviewing woes.

Sometimes we achieve spectacular results that are so dazzling that they’re difficult to believe. If the industry vocabulary or
underlying technical explanation to support the representations,
the credibility of the achievements is undercut and casts a
dubious veil over the representations in one’s resume. Make
certain the ability to explain the technical in layman’s terms
is part of your interviewing discussion. Back up those
representations with written references. Having copies of your
writing samples that demonstrate your breadth and depth of
knowledge also serves as validation of your skills, knowledge,
and representations. Be certain that both your written and
spoken grammar are excellent — as impeccable as your dress.
That could be one explanation of the abrupt end of interviews.

However, another issue could be language [see “Telltale Signs: Communication Barriers“]. There are many instances where one will be nervous in a new
setting (or one that seems to be challenging). To compensate for
the tension, a questionable statement can be made that casts
doubt on one’s discretion and/or tact. Even in non-threatening
situations, there is the politically incorrect statement that is
blurted out and everyone pretends to ignore it but the one who
made the blunder then finds they’re not that welcome any more.

Yet another explanation could be something extremely personal and delicate. Most, if not all, people are adverse to discussing
these matters with a stranger, a client, a friend or even a
relative. They would rather just ignore it and pray that it goes
away somehow, someday. Meanwhile, the offender is left
speculating and poking about trying to identify just what the
issue is. With luck, they learn sooner; with bad luck, they
never discover what the issue is.

In your case, I would re-examine what started happening about three to four years ago and then sort through the various work
scenarios that have ensued. Candidly look for common themes. If
there have been short work periods where you felt the work was
stellar but there was an abrupt end or if you were doing
seasonal/contract work and (again doing what you considered
stellar work) were not invited to stay on, examine those
situations. Be honest with yourself and judge each situation as
an independent onlooker would to see what happened and what may
have gone wrong and right.

The answer to your issues may be right under your nose.

— Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

Sixth Answer:

I sent the questioner several emails and even left a phone message – to conduct a mini-assessment of the person’s skills prior to addressing the question. Never received a response. Granted, I’m just trying to understand then help but without a response, my problem-with-follow-up-flag gets raised – perhaps the questioner was on another interview.

After reviewing the person’s resume and conducting a few very informal reference checks, I returned to the initial question and began to make some notes. “Near seven years of experience” implies that the person is probably close to being at the senior level (not managerial or executive). Around this time, some developers typically exhibit a heightened sense of self worth; perhaps the person slightly overestimates their skill level. This is not necessarily a bad thing but some more experienced developers can take umbrage when confronted by aggressive and perhaps slightly less skilled junior developers.

Then I flagged “References.” One thing a great recruiter will do is contact as many people as possible when conducting reference checks. So if you have a “black eye” in your background – for whatever the reason is – be certain it comes out during the interview. You did say that, “no red flags in anything seen [in my] references”: Are you 100% certain?

I suspect some people will question your dress and grooming habits. Frankly, I’ve always given engineers more latitude in these areas – does it really matter whether an engineer wears an earring? Sure some may say culture dictates dress but in reality as long as you don’t go too far over the edge into the fringe areas of society, you’re probably safe. Besides, everyone know to look good for an interview.

Are you interviewing first with HR? Are you taking them too lightly? While they may be gatekeepers, in the hiring process many have the power to cancel a candidacy. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of techies who looked down upon HR during the interview process only to find a “thanks but no thanks” letter in their mailbox. When they “meet [you] in person, it ends” and on one occasion you were “escorted out of the building” speaks volumes. As strange as these questions sound, I have to ask them: Do you come across as an arrogant and inflexible person? Do you reek of body odor? Do you invade people’s personal space? Do you make people feel uncomfortable by staring at them with Marty Feldman-like big, bulging, goofy-looking eyes?

Recruiters typically will state that the client or company went with a different person who was more closely aligned with their immediate needs. If pressed, most will stand by this statement because it offers the path of least emotional resistance. However, I know many who will privately offer a candidate constructive advice – don’t know how you ask for feedback but asking in a more neutral way such as “I have a friend who was just eliminated from the hiring process (wink, wink) – would you mind offering some constructive advice to help him succeed in his next interview?” might cut the ice.

The real answers come from looking inward – expand the ranks of the types of people you mock interview with to include more hiring manager types. Be certain that these people really know how to conduct in-depth talent assessments – drill down behavioral interviews. Videotape some of these interviews to gain a sense of your body language. Research the company’s culture by talking to HR before the interview. Whether it’s learning to play an instrument or becoming a top athlete, success only comes through perfect practice.

— Steve Levy, Principal of outside-the-box Consulting

Originally posted by alwin