Can you remember how many job vacancies you have applied for? Over 100 I guess.
Have you imagined why you have applied for several jobs and attended countless job interviews and you have still not been able to get a job?
Applying for jobs and landing those jobs are two different ball games, you know why?
It is how you apply for a job that determines if you would ultimately land the job or not. I know this may sound shocking because I am sure you have felt like you are close to getting a job, after sending out hundreds of your CV and probably landed job interviews that impressed you, but at the end no job!
We understand that putting in all your effort to search for a job and getting no result at the end could be exhausting because it sure takes courage to keep trying after failing many times.
Regardless of how many times you have tried to get a job and failed, one thing you should know is that job search is an intentional process, and you must be intentional about the right things you should do if you want to get results.
Landing the job of your dreams has little or nothing to do with how many applications you send out, but it has everything to do with the quality of the applications that you send out. You must learn how to apply for fewer jobs and land more interviews that will ultimately get you the job you want.
PAY ATTENTION! You don’t have to apply for all the job adverts to land a job. See all you need to land a job now.
We understand that the labour market is highly competitive, but how come people are still getting hired every day regardless?
Considering our expertise and years of experience, we have come to understand that many job seekers are still not getting hired because of something they are doing wrong, or something they are not doing at all.
We know that it is the dream of every job seeker to land the job of their dreams. To help your dream come true, we decided to share these Top 26 reasons why you are not getting hired with you. Hopefully, this will increase your chances of getting hired.
So let’s take a look at some reasons why you are not getting hired:
PS: Check out hot Nigeria jobs today
1. Not Knowing your Career Path
Knowing your career path is the first step you need to take even before you start searching for a job, you know why? It is simply because you need to know the kind of job that best fits your education, skills and even your personality.
I know you may want to ask; what is a career path? A career path is simply the route that you wish to take in your career.
Knowing what you want to do will help you know the kind of jobs that you should apply for, and will help you become more strategic about your job search.
Many times, job seekers don’t even know the kind of jobs that they want, so it is even difficult to help them with their job search.
Often, job seekers complain to us that they have not been able to get any job. This is how the conversation goes.
Jobseeker: I have sent out my applications countless times to different companies, but I have still not been able to get a job.
We: Wow that is sad to hear, by the way, what kind of job are you searching for?
Jobseeker: I don’t know, I just want any job right now, I can do any job.
We: Okay, we have a vacancy for a medical doctor, are you interested?
Jobseeker: I did not tell you I was a medical doctor.
We: You said you can do any job …
The truth is that most job seekers think that they can do any job, but that is not true because they cannot do any job. Nobody can do every and any job, there are different jobs for different people.
If you have a challenge knowing the job that is good for, then see how you can discover your career path.
Discovering your career path is key to finding a job. Employers find it annoying when you apply for a job that you are not even qualified for. Discovering your career path will help you apply for jobs that you are most suited for.
2. Lack of Experience
As it is the dream of every job seeker to land a job, it is also the dream of every employer to hire an employee that will get the job done.
Your prospective employer has not worked with you before and does not know what you can or cannot do. The only way an employer is convinced that a candidate can do the job is from the candidate’s experience.
An experienced candidate is a better choice for an employer because a least the employer is sure that the candidate has done the job before, and the employer can ride on the candidate’s residual knowledge.
When you lack the experience needed to do a particular job, you would likely not be given the job. Most job vacancies come with stipulated years of experience needed to do the job (some 2 years, 5 years, etc.), and if you apply for that kind of job with no experience there is a higher probability that you would not get the job.
However, not having a job experience is not a write off for you. You can still get a job even without any experience, you know how?
Search for internship positions.
Getting internship jobs does not require you have any job experience. While you don’t necessarily need a job experience to apply for an internship job, an internship opportunity will help build your experience in your desired field while you discover your career path.
3. Poorly Written CV
Do you know that recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds reading your CV?
This simply means that you have 6 seconds to convince the recruiter that you are the best person for the job, but how can you do that with a poorly written CV?
Gone are the days when you take someone else CV and just duplicate the content without caring if it corresponds or not. If you are still doing that, then you are probably the reason why you have not gotten a job offer.
Your CV is regarded as your marketing tool, and as a marketing tool, you should use it to sell yourself to your prospective employer. If your CV is poorly written, then it will not fulfill its purpose as a marketing tool.
To land the job that you have been waiting for, you have to make sure that your CV is properly written. If you find it challenging to write a good CV, then this CV writing tips is what you need to create an amazing CV.
4. Not Writing a Cover Letter
Many job seekers prefer to apply for job vacancies that do not require them to write a cover letter and skip vacancies that require them to write a cover letter.
The truth is whether or not it is specified that you write a cover letter to apply for a job, you should always write a cover letter when you are applying for a job.
Writing a cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell the recruiter why you think you are the best person for the job. It is also an opportunity for you to pitch yourself to your prospective employer.
Many job seekers feel there is no need to send a cover when they have sent their CV. Your CV performs a totally different function from your cover letter.
While your CV shows the recruiter that you are qualified for the job, the cover letter tells the recruiter why you are the best person for the job. Now you see that they are difference right?
So, not writing a cover letter at all is just like you refusing to answer the question; why should we hire you? Your cover letter helps you answer this question even before the interview.
Struggling to write an impressive cover letter? You don’t have to worry you can use this cover letter template for all job fields to create an intriguing cover letter for yourself.
5. Not Preparing For the Interview
A job interview is an opportunity for you to physically meet with your prospective employer to convince him that you are the best person for the position and to also find out if that organization is the best place for you.
Many job seekers have the mindset that they are going for an interview to answer questions that the recruiter will ask them, but that is not the essence of an interview.
The reason for an interview is for the organization to meet with you and determine if you are the best person for the job, and for you to also meet with the organization to discover if that company is the best place for you or not.
Since you now know the reason for a job interview, then it is important that you do not go for a job interview unprepared.
Getting to the stage of landing an interview invite in your job search means that you are a few steps away to landing the job of your dreams. You should not thwart all the effort you have put in so far to create a CV, cover letter, and even applying for the job by not preparing for your interview.
Not preparing for an interview is not preparing to get a job. If you look forward to getting a job soon, then this 100 interview questions and answers will help you prepare for your interview.
6. Unrealistic Salary Expectation
We understand that you would love to get a job that will pay you in 6 figures, but the truth is that these kinds of jobs are not easy to come by because they mostly require you to have gained a certain amount of experience.
So if you are looking forward to getting an entry-level job, then the possibility of getting one that will pay you in 6 figures will be considerably low.
Many times when job seekers have struggled and have found their way to land an interview invite they crash all their effort by stating unrealistic salary expectation that doesn’t even match their skillset and experience.
For example; imagine someone that applied for the position of a front desk officer, and when the employer asks the job seekers about the expected salary and the job seeker says N300, 000.
This may be possible, but only on rear occasions. From the example above, it is obvious that the job seekers salary expectation is largely unrealistic.
When you set salary expectations that don’t match with your skills and experience, you are indirectly telling the interviewer that you are too big for the job.
If an employer feels that you are too big for the job, that employer will not want to waste time employing you because the employer will feel that you will not be satisfied with the job. You know employers look forward to hiring people that will be satisfied and passionate about their jobs.
If you are confused about what to say when you are asked “How much would you love us to pay you” in an interview simply check out what other people at your level are earning on mysalaryscale.com.
7. Unstable Job History
Your job history makes up your job experience. Just like we said earlier; an employer is interested in hiring candidates that have the required experience to do the job, you know why?
As important as it is to have a job experience, having unfocused and unstable work experience can sometimes seem like having no work experience at all.
Your job experience shows that you are an expert in a certain field considering the experience, it kind of gives you an endorsement as regards the job. You will be defeating the essence of a job experience when you have an unstable job history.
An unstable job history shows that you have job experience in different areas, but in no area in particular. If for example, your job history revolves around different job fields, it will mean that you have not even discovered your career path.
If you are looking forward to building your work experience, then hopping from one job to another may create an unstable job history for you.
8. Not targeting your Application to the Role that you applied for
Many job seekers just apply for any job vacancy that they can see online. When you are applying for a particular job vacancy and you are not intentional about targeting your application to fit the job role, you may likely not get the job.
Targeting your application to the role you are applying for simply means channeling every aspect of your application towards the job that you are applying for.
For example; if you are applying for the post of a digital marketer, then your CV and cover letter should show that you are interested in digital marketing. You cannot be applying for the post of a digital marketer but your CV and cover letter does not suggest anything like that.
Just like we said earlier that your job search is an intentional process, so you have to be intentional about all the processes that will land you the job of your dreams. Tailoring your application is being intentional about your job search.
It is very important as a job seeker to target the role that you are applying for. This helps you to convince your employer that you are a perfect fit for the role. Try and find out the reason why your employer wants to fill that role, the value he wants to get from whoever finally gets the job and ensure you can position yourself right to your employer. The secret to targeting the role you are applying for is to read the job description of that role carefully.
9. Bad First Impression
The first impression they say is lasting, having a bad first impression may not come out as a reason for you not to get hired, but this matters a lot.
The impression you give about yourself to your prospective employer goes a long way to determine if you would eventually get the job or not.
Whether you are meeting your prospective employer at a career fair or during your interview, you must create an amazing impression about yourself with regards to the job that you want to apply for.
When you are with the recruiter, you should be conscious of what you say, how you act, the examples that you give during your conversations, and the ideas that you are passing across.
From your words and actions, a hiring manager can tell whether or not you would make a good employee. So you should keep it professional when you are with your prospective employer.
10. Poor Communication Skills
Many job seekers are qualified for the position that they are applying for, but because they lack good communication skills they may need up not getting the job.
Do you think communication skills are too small to prevent you from getting the job of your dreams? No, it is not. The only way you can convince the employer that you are the best person for the job is by communicating effectively using your CV and cover letter.
“Every story can be a great story depending on how the story is told’’. As cliché as this may sound, it is still a fact. The process of applying for a job is telling a story about yourself as regards the job that you are applying for. So if you tell a bad story it means that you have not communicated well as regards your job application.
You don’t necessarily need to acquire all the skills in the world to get hired, but acquiring the needed skills for the job role that you are applying for and properly communicating it to your prospective employer is all you need to get a job.
Confidence is one attribute you need to communicate your skills and experience to a recruiter. You need to, first of all, believe in yourself to get another person to believe in you.
Take advantage of your CV, cover letter and eventually your interview to communicate to the recruiter and finally land the job.
11. Ignoring the Job Description
The job description is an important aspect of every job vacancy that has been advertised, but most times job seekers are usually not patient enough to read the job description of a particular job vacancy because they cannot wait to apply for the job.
Hurrying to press the apply button without carefully reading the job description for that particular job is almost like a total waste of time, you know why?
From the points listed above, I am sure you now know that ignoring the job description can cost you the job you are trying to get.
12. Not Tailoring your CV to the Job Description
The job description is an important aspect of a job vacancy, not tailoring your CV to the description of the particular job that you want to apply for is not good enough. Take advantage of the information on the job description.
The job description is a means through which recruiters let you know the kind of employee that they are looking for. The information on the job description lets you know if you are the best person for the job or not.
If you read the description of a job and then you discover that you are the best person for the job, then you should use the information to tailor your CV to meet the job requirement.
13. Applying for Jobs that You are Under Qualified for
When an employer puts up a job vacancy for a particular position, the employer looks forward to getting CVs and cover letters that match the job.
Just like we said earlier, recruiters don’t spend time reading a CV. They will not even to spend any time at all opening a CV or a cover letter that does not have anything to do with the vacancy that was advertised.
For example; if you are applying for the position of a Digital Marketer, and the job description states that the candidate must have at least 6 years of experience in digital marketing. Then maybe the experience you have is in customer service, and you have never worked as a digital marketer before and you don’t even have the experience.
Do you think the employer will love to take a look at a CV and cover letter that does not in any way relate to the position that they are recruiting for? Of course no, let alone calling you for an interview.
Instead of you to spend time applying for a job that you are under-qualified for, you should spend that time to search for jobs that you are most qualified for and then apply.
If you keep applying for jobs that you are not qualified for, you might end up not getting hired at the end of the day.
If you feel you don’t have any qualification and that is the reason you are applying for jobs that you are not qualified for, then you can consider taking an online course to brush your skills.
14. Not Researching the Company
Many times job seekers just want to apply for any job that they see online and pray that they get an interview invite, but that is not all there is to get a job.
Researching the company even before applying for the job and eventually going for the interview goes a long way to determine if you will get the job at the end of the day.
Hiring managers look forward to hiring someone that at least has some knowledge about the company. If you have been going for interviews, the hiring manager must have asked you this question; “what do you know about this company?”
Do you know why the interviewer is asking you this question? Maybe not. The interviewer is asking you this question because the interviewer already expects that you must have done your research about the company and must have probably thought about the gap you want to fill in the company.
So when the interviewer asks you what you know about the company and you say nothing, do you know what you are indirectly telling the recruiter?
With all these tips, do you understand how not researching the company can cost you the job that you have been dreaming about?
15. Applying for a Job that you are Over Qualified for
Do you think that applying for a job that you are overqualified for gives you an edge? Not really
Many job seekers think that they put themselves in a more advantaged position when they apply for a job that they are overqualified for, but that is not always the case.
Applying for a job that you are overqualified for may sound like a big thing to you, but how does the recruiter feel about it?
For example; when a recruiter publishes a vacancy for an entry-level customer service position, then you go to apply for that job with your CV and cover letter stating that you have 10 years of experience in customer service, you have different certifications, and you have worked with companies that are far bigger than the company you are applying to. Do you know the idea that you are indirectly passing across to the interviewer?
You are indirectly telling the hiring manager the following;
You see all what you are telling the recruiter without even knowing it?. So if you are a recruiter and a candidate tells you all these things will you still hire that person? Definitely no!
So you see why it is important for you to apply for a job that you are most suited for. Applying for a job that you are most suited for will help you pass the right information across to the recruiter.
16. Not Tailoring your Cover Letter
Your cover letter is just like your elevation pitch. You use your cover letter to tell your prospective employer why you think you are the best person for the job.
Just like we said earlier, writing a cover letter allows you to create an amazing impression of yourself to your prospective employer.
You know that every employer looks forward to hiring someone that best fits the description on the job vacancy. So even if you are trying to create an impression of yourself to your prospective employer, the question is what impression are you creating with your cover letter at the end of the day?
Not tailoring your cover letter to fit the job description for that particular position is creating a negative impression of yourself to the recruiter, which defeats the essence of writing a cover letter in the first place.
To make this clearer to you, tailoring your cover letter is simply writing your cover letter to suit the particular job that you are applying for. Using one cover letter for every job position that you are applying for is not tailoring your cover letter at all.
Do you know what you are indirectly telling a recruiter when you send a cover letter that is not tailored to the job that you are applying for?
You are indirectly telling the recruiter that you are not the best candidate for the job. You know how?
Let’s take this example; Imagine you have just one cover letter that you use to apply for any and every job, and the cover letter states that you have 3 years of experience in teaching.
Now imagine that you are applying for a digital marketing job and the employer is looking for someone with a minimum for 5 years of experience.
Looking at your cover letter and the job description, is it not obvious that you will be giving the employer reasons why you think that you are not the best person for the job?
Tailoring your cover letter to the job description is key to getting a job. If you don’t know how to tailor your cover letter, then you need to read this.
17. When You Are Not Proactive about Your Job Search
I am sure you want to get a job with an attractive pay, benefits, etc. It is okay to have dreams, but what you are doing exactly to make sure that your dream becomes a reality?
If you are sitting and waiting for that dream job to land on your feet, then I guess you will likely wait a long time.
You need to be strategic and proactive about your job search. If you want a job then your actions have to reflect it. I know you would likely say ; “I send out numerous job applications every day, and I guess that is enough effort?”
We understand that when months and probably years drag on and you have still not been able to find a job. This can put you in a desperate position, a position that will make you send dozens of job applications every day and pray to get one job.
Do you know what? This is a dangerous job search strategy and it hardly works. Being proactive about your job search is what works.
The question is how can you be proactive about your job search?
If you are proactive about your job search and you take the right steps, you will land the job of your dreams in no time.
18. Appearing Very Desperate
We understand how searching for a job for months and even years can put you in a desperate position. Regardless of how badly you need a job, showing off your desperation to your employer can limit your chances of getting a job.
If you think that showing the recruiter how badly you need a job for yourself is a great strategy, then you need to re-strategize.
You will appear desperate to a recruiter when the recruiter asks you “Why should we hire you?” and you give this kind of reply:
“I would love you to hire me because I need this job, I am experiencing a major financial setback and I need money to settle a lot of things in my life right now. I also need you to employ me because I am currently looking for a greener pasture, my current job is nothing to write about. I know that this company can give me the kind of life that I have always wanted to live, and that is why I would love you to hire me please”
As pitiful as this response sounds, it has failed to answer the interviewer’s question to a large extent. The recruiter knows that hiring someone to fill a position is not an act of charity. As bad as you want a job, an employer badly needs someone that can do the job as well.
So if you give this kind of response, you have not told the employer what you have to offer the company, you have just focused on what the company can do for you.
So now imagine there is another candidate that gives this kind of response
“Looking at what this company has been able to achieve in a few years, I want to be a part of a value-adding system. Considering my 10 years of experience as a marketing expert, I know that I would be in the position to move this company’s marketing strategy to the next level considering the little lag that this company marketing team is currently experiencing.
Truthfully, if you were an employer who would you hire? Every employer would love to hire the second person because he appears to be an asset to the company.
To avoid appearing desperate, focus on what you can offer the company rather than what the company can offer you.
19. Showing Off Your Lack of Passion
Do you know that when you apply for a job that you are not passionate about, you are likely not to get it? Do you know why? When you apply for a particular job because you need it and not necessarily because you are passionate about the job, it is going to show during the cause of your interview.
You can learn anything you want to learn, but it is not easy to learn passion. No one can force you to be passionate about something that you don’t care about.
Employers look forward to hiring employees that are passionate about what they do. Employees that show off some form of passion for the job that they do will most likely be satisfied with their job, and a satisfied employee is a happy employee. Which employer does not want a happy employee?
So if you make it obvious that you need the job because you need money, and not necessarily because you are passionate about the job you will likely not get hired.
If you want to land a particular job, then you should not give your prospective employer the wrong information. You should show excitement for the job even during the interview.
Don't talk about why you need the job, talk about the values that you would be adding to the company. You can also share your ideas on a project that you had worked on and projects that you would love to work on for the company if you get the job.
20. Complaining about Your Current Job
Never misunderstand the purpose of a job interview. A job interview allows you to sell yourself to your prospective employer, it is not a time for you to chit-chat.
It is easy for you to forget that you are in the presence of your interviewer especially when you are asked; why do you want to leave your current job?.
If you are leaving your current job on a negative term, then it could be tempting for you to go on and talk about how your employer maltreated you, and how your co-workers are the worst people that you have met in your entire life.
When a recruiter asks this question, the recruiter is not handing you an invitation to complain about your job and co-workers.
Pointing out all the negative things that you experienced with your current employer, just gives the employer an inkling that you are going to do the same about the company when you have the opportunity to.
Complaining about your current job sends a negative signal to your prospective employer that the name of their company is at stake, and you know no employer wants a bad review about their company.
Instead of complaining about your current job, you should focus on the reason why you want the job that you applied for. Even if you are asked why you are leaving your job, you can give a professional response like;
“My last job was great, and I achieved a lot. I am currently looking at changing my career path, and my current job does not seem to have the capacity to accommodate the change…”
21. Not Asking Questions During the Interview
Many job seekers go with the mind-set of let the recruiter ask all the questions they have to ask, let me move on with my life.
An interview is not an interrogative section. It is a time for the job candidate and the recruiter to communicate and get to know one another.
Employers look forward to hiring employees that are interested in the job. So if you don’t ask any question during your interview, you are indirectly telling the interviewer that:
All these can limit your chances of getting hired. So when next you are going for a job interview, make sure you at least ask one question.
22. You have Not Acquired In-Demand Skills
Every employer wants an employee that will be an asset to the company. If you look at the job market, you will notice that a lot of things are changing.
With ever-changing technologies, the way work is done has changed. Looking at the evolution that is happening in the world of work, you need to acquire in-demand skills that will help you remain relevant in the job market.
If you don’t possess the skills that employers are looking for then, it may be a bit difficult for you to get a job.
Many employers are not ready to hire someone that they will need to train extensively, except it is an internship position. Employers want assets.
If you are confused about the skills to acquire, you can consider acquiring the following skills:
Acquiring in-demand skills will increase the value that you are going to be adding to the job you will get.
23. Giving a Wrong Impression about Yourself
You should always be ready to put an effort to give the right impression about yourself to your prospective employer right from when you are creating your CV to when you will be in front of a recruiter for an interview.
You should be careful about every one of your actions and how your actions will be perceived. You should avoid doing the following things if you want to create a good impression of yourself:
24. When You Don’t Follow Application Direction
We know that you need a job as soon as possible, but don’t be in a hurry to send out your application for a job position without following the application instruction.
The easiest way for a recruiter to shortlist a candidate for a job position is to disqualify candidates that did not provide the required information.
When you don’t follow application instructions, it shows that you are a carefree person, it also shows that you pay little or no attention to details. It also suggests to the employer that you are a stubborn person.
You should follow the application process step-by-step and also read carefully so you don’t miss out on any information.
These are some of the common instruction that job seekers don’t follow:
Ignoring application direction and going straight ahead to applying for a job can limit your chances of getting a job.
An easy way for employers to narrow the applicant pool is to eliminate the candidates who didn’t provide the requested information. If you couldn’t follow instructions when you applied, the employer may doubt that you would be able to do so if you were hired. Make sure you’ve covered all the bases, especially when you apply online for a job.
25. Searching for Jobs the Wrong way
Since things have changed, then the way you search for jobs should also change. Gone are the days when people carry their credentials and walk from one company to another in search of a job.
If you are still moving from one place to another in search of a job, then you have been the one prolonging your job search.
In case you have not heard online tools are the most popular and effective job search tools, so you see why you have not been able to get a job?
Nowadays, you hardly see a company that does not have a website or a social media page. When you apply online you can apply to any company of your choice without stressing yourself to physically go there when you are not sure you will get the job.
If you have been searching for jobs manually, then it is time for you to step up your game and start searching for jobs online. Do you know why? It is safer, faster, less expensive and more effective.
See where you can search for jobs online:
Even when you are searching for a job online, you should be careful to avoid applying for scam jobs. Before you apply for any job, research the company to be sure you are in safe hands.
26. Unprofessional Social media Presence
When you are searching for a job, you should make sure that your social media pages are professional because the recruiter will likely check it out.
An unprofessional social media page can create a bad image of your personality even if it is not true. You should avoid making a sexual post, avoid sharing contradicting ideas, avoid creating an image that is not truly you, etc.
You should avoid all these things because the recruiter may not have the time to verify the information. So, before you apply for any job, take a good look at your social media pages. If you have sensitive contents, then you can adjust your privacy settings.
You should use your social media pages to showcase your skills and abilities.
If you have been searching for a job for months or years and it feels like a never-ending journey, then you need to step out of yourself and take a look at all the things that you have been doing wrong.
We understand that it can be difficult to admit that you are somehow the reason why you have not been able to secure a job ever since, at the same it is in your best interest to address what is preventing you from getting hired.
Since you have been able to discover why nobody has ever hired you, then it is time for you to get up and start doing all you need to do.
In case you want to share some of your ideas with us, do well to drop your comment in the comment box below. We would love to take your comment.
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