Struggling to Get Callbacks During Your Job Search? Here's Why Employers May Be Rejecting You & Your Resume
With the time it takes to scour job boards to apply to jobs, complete applications, and schedule interviews, job searching IS a job.
It could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to land a job offer, depending on your industry and career level. But a resume that doesn’t generate callbacks and interviews for you could extend your job search longer than it should be.
Resumes that aren’t targeted, don’t contain keywords, and aren’t optimized for the ATS are rejected more frequently than resumes that do contain those essential elements.
While it may seem like recruiters and HR managers are being super selective and nitpicky about who they interview, the fact of the matter is they are only choosing who is the best fit for them.
If you find yourself applying to dozens of jobs but your inbox is full of rejection messages, there’s a reason for that. Here are three reasons why your resume isn’t generating callbacks from employers.
1. YOUR RESUME IS MISSING SOMETHING
Any resume writing professional will tell you that if your resume is not landing you interview requests and phone screens, there’s something wrong with it. It’s true you may not hear back from every job you apply to, but you shouldn’t be getting hearing crickets after you apply, either.
A key sign that your resume needs to needs a refresh or could use some tweaking is if your inbox is overflowing with “We’ve decided to pursue other candidates at this time” emails.
If you feel as though your resume is to blame for not yielding any success in your job search, your best bet is to reach out to a professional resume writer for critique or analysis to pinpoint the issue and get it fixed ASAP.
2. YOU’RE NOT QUALIFIED
Everyone likes to believe they are the perfect match for every job they apply to. Sadly, that’s not always the case. When a recruiter or HR manager is looking for the right person to bring onboard they are very firm in what they want in a candidate.
This can include years of experience, education, skills, technology and software proficiencies, and industries. While it’s great if you have some of what they want, they are entitled to find someone who has all of what they need.
There are many posts on social media on blogs that advise people to skill apply if they don’t meet the job’s qualifications, but this is one of the worst things you can do as it can waste the recruiters’ time.
Typically the resumes and interviews of the most qualified candidates will be pulled first and they may compromise later down the road for various reasons.
3. REASONS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL
There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes at companies during the hiring and interview process. There are instances where you may have answered all the interview questions spot on, impressed and wowed the team, and left a lasting impression, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Here are some common scenarios of why you may get rejected, even if things went great:
The company has decided to go with an internal candidate because they like to promote/advance from within.
A person who has a relationship with someone in the company has been selected.
The role has been pulled because it’s been put on hold.
The role is no longer needed as forecasted.
While any of these circumstances can happen, don’t be discouraged from applying and still giving every interview your best.
DON’T LET REJECTION STOP YOUR JOB SEARCH
It’s easy to feel defeated when you’re constantly being told you’re not good enough or someone is better. Yes, rejection is part of the job search journey, but it shouldn’t be so rough of a path that it causes you to give up hope or abandon applying to jobs altogether.
The right resume can land you double the callbacks to help you accept a new job offer in half the time. Use the help of a resume expert to craft an effective resume that will have your inbox overflowing with opportunities.