Why you're not getting interviews

Unless you ask the person who is selecting candidates for interviews, you'll never really know for sure. But here are some things to think about.

If you're not getting interviews, your resume is the first thing to look at. In all likelihood, there is room for improvement. But even if you have an outstanding resume, there are many other reasons why you may not be getting called:


You don't meet the core requirements of the position

Recruiters have a list of qualifications that the successful candidate must (or should) have and these qualifications may or may not be included in the job posting. Applicants will be screened against this list to see if they meet the core requirements. These qualifications may include things like:

• Industry experience (must have experience in retail)

• Job level (must have experience as a store manager)

• Years of experience (must have a minimum of 5 years' experience as a store manager)

• Commodity experience (must have experience in sporting goods, office supplies, or home improvement)

• Annual sales volume (must have managed stores with at least $10M in annual sales)

• Store format (must have managed box stores of at least 25,000 square feet)

• Staff size (must have managed stores with at least 50 employees)

• Degree (must have at least a bachelor's degree)

If you don't meet these core qualifications, you will probably not be contacted. The only way you would still be considered is if they get very few qualified candidates and decide to soften the requirements.


You meet the core requirements but other candidates have more desirable qualifications

Job searching is a competition - it's you vs. every other person who applied for the position. Therefore it's not just about how qualified you are compared to the job ad, it's how qualified you are compared to your competitors. I regularly hear from people who express frustration because they meet the requirements but don't get contacted. However they don't know how many other people applied and how qualified they are.

Think of it this way. A recruiter has 200 resumes to consider for a district manager vacancy. If you are one of only 10 that meet the core requirements, you will probably get called. However, if you are one of 100 with the desired qualifications, your chances have gone down. If they are not interested in contacting 100 applicants, they will then use other criteria such as more experience or higher education to shrink the list down to a manageable level. You may or may not meet these new criteria.


You are disqualified for other reasons

Recruiting is subjective and because of that there are many reasons why you may have been disqualified from consideration. Here are just a few:

• The recruiter couldn't tell from your resume whether you met the core requirements

• Your resume contained spelling errors or other mistakes

• Your resume was disorganized or hard to read

• Your resume was considered too long or too short

• Your resume used a functional format and the recruiter prefers chronological

• Your resume focused on your soft skills instead of facts

• Your resume was missing contact information

• You've been out of work for some time

• You didn't include a cover letter

• You didn't write anything in the body of the email

• Your email address was unprofessional

• You didn't attach your resume to the email in the format requested

• You included a cover letter but the recruiter didn't like your writing style

• You demonstrated a lack of courtesy or professionalism in your communications

• You appeared to be desperate in your cover letter or communications

• You appeared cocky in your cover letter or communications

• You were perceived to be too old

• You were perceived to be too young

• You don't live in the desired area

• You didn't take the time to fully review what you were applying for

• You were applying for anything they had available and didn't express interest in a particular position

• You didn't view the recruiter's profile or company page on LinkedIn before contacting them

• You have developed a poor reputation on social media

• You were perceived as unprofessional in your networking or online conduct

• You didn't make the process as convenient as you could for the recruiter

• You didn't follow all the instructions on how to apply

• You were considered to be overqualified

• The recruiter doubted your commitment to, or interest in, the job applied for

If you're not getting contacted for interviews, the first step is to look at your resume. However, don't stop there - evaluate every aspect of your job search including the types of jobs you're applying for, your methods of job searching (advertised vs. non-advertised jobs), your networking style and communication, your compliance with application instructions, your age transparency, your online conduct, your cover letters, your company/contact research, etc. and adjust where needed.

Keep plugging away and always strive to make the best possible impression, and you'll soon be rewarded.

All the best!