You just got notified you didn’t get the job. You’re wondering what happened, and why. With job searching and interviewing there a lot of unknown factors. Now reasons as to why you didn’t get the job vary from person to person. Let’s take a look at the top three reasons you didn’t get the job:
- You were not specific with your answers: When interviewers ask behavioral questions they are looking for very specific answers. They want you to provide an example to back up your answer. We all have the tendency to answer very broad and general – it happens when we are nervous and/or unprepared. Being in the hot seat requires you to answer questions you rarely ever think about, don’t let someone else beat you out of a job because you were not specific enough.
- Slandering your current/past company: Every experience may not be a pleasant one. Some organizations are different and not everyone will leave with a positive experience. With that being said, one thing hiring managers will never tolerate is slander of an organization, managers or colleagues. No matter how much you did not like your previous job you should never outright say it. It shows the interviewer the truth of your character. Their only thoughts is if this candidate gets hired and things go south they will surely do the same.
- High Salary Expectations: Salary is very tricky. Relating this to why you didn’t get the job, your salary expectations were unreasonably high. We all want to make more money, but the worst is when you lay out an expectation that is very unrealistic. There are many factors in getting a job and salary is just one of them. You must have a well prepared response for what your expectation is. Don’t just add $10,000 to what you are currently making and think that is reasonable. Research industry standards, take a look at what you are currently making and mesh the two together. Above all else take some time to look at the overall package, is the job closer to home, do they offer better benefits, are you getting more vacation time, are you going to grow within the organization. All of these aspects will relate to a more realistic salary expectation. Don’t cheat yourself out of job because you wanted to be greedy.
Take a look at these reasons, reflect on them, and the beauty of it all is you can change it all for the future and land your next opportunity!
