After spending days honing your resume and practicing mock interviews, nothing happens. You are still waiting for calls for interviews. While you think that you did everything right, your extensive experience might not be enough to land an interview. There are a number of common explanations that can prevent you from getting the interview of your dreams.
Following Directions
Every business has specific expectations. They will detail the procedure for applicants, and it is up to you to follow instructions. Some companies want you to fill out an application on their website, while other businesses want you to apply in person. Within the application, there may be specific requirements about formatting, qualifications or follow-up. If you want to get calls for interviews, you have to make sure that you follow all the requirements.
Remember Resume Keywords
In recent years, a growing reason why people do not get calls for interviews is because of their keywords. Many corporations receive an impressive number of applications. It would be impossible to sort through this high volume of resumes, so the corporation uses software programs instead. Resume keywords matter because only the applications with the right keywords get seen by an actual person.
You Need to Update Your Cover Letter and Resume
Even though most applications ask for a cover letter, a surprising number of people do not send one in. Formatting errors, spelling issues or a lack of a cover letter are all reasons why you might not get a call back. In addition, some people apply for the wrong job opening. If they are drastically overqualified or underqualified for the position, then they will not hear back from the hiring manager.
It Might Not Be You
Applying for your dream job is a numbers game. There could be hundreds of applicants for a single position. Out of those applicants, there could be dozens of people who could do the job. You might be one of the lucky candidates who gets an interview, but it is statistically more likely that you won’t be. The only way to boost your odds is to be diligent about applying for more positions.
Some companies are also slow about removing job listings from their websites. There is always a chance that you are applying for a job that is no longer available. Some companies like to have ongoing job listings so that they have a pool of candidates when a job opens up.
What Should You Do?
If you are not getting any calls for interviews, you have to be proactive. Contact the company with a follow-up email or call, but don’t bother them too much. Wait at least a week until after the interview to call so that you give them a chance to review your application. If you consistently do not get calls back, take a look at your resume and get a second opinion. Reread the job posting to see if you actually fit the job requirements. Keep trying and be persistent. Seek professional resume writing support if you think that’s keeping you from landing that job.