Not Getting Job Interviews 11 Likely Reasons Why - Career Sidekick

Not Getting Job Interviews 11 Likely Reasons Why - Career Sidekick Not Getting Job Interviews? 11 Likely Reasons Why Applying for Jobs / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Common reasons for not getting job interviews include not tailoring your resume correctly, not applying with the right methods, having a resume thats longer than it should be for your experience, and a number of other reasons.In fact, there are 11 common reasons why you are not getting calls for interviews, so well look at all of them in this article.If youre wondering, why am I not getting job interviews? then keep reading and you should be able to start getting more.11 Reasons Why Youre Not Getting Job Interviews:1. Youre relying too much on job boards and job websitesMany job seekers rely entirely on large job sites like Monster, Indeed and LinkedIn, or niche job boards (for example tech job boards, creative talent job boards, etc.)While this is a good way to supplement the rest of your job search methods, it should be FAR less than 50% of your effort, and definitely not 100%.Id recommend job boards and job sites as only 20% of your job search effor t.So if youre spending more effort than that, its a big reason why youre not getting calls for job interviews.There are just too many people on here and companies get flooded with applications.Its difficult to stand out, its not personal at all, and although you can apply for a ton of jobs, its not very beneficial if nobodys calling you back to interview!So what should you be doing for the other 80% of your time?Id recommend networking to get interviews, and applying directly to companies that interest you.2. Your resume has responsibilities but not accomplishmentsThe next reason you might not be getting job interviews is related to your resume, specifically your employment history section.Most job seekers make a big mistake here, listing responsibilities only. Like this:Responsible for ____This is NOT going to impress a hiring manager or a recruiter because its really just telling them what work your boss assigned you to do, not what you accomplished.Start your bullets with a verb when possible (like led, or grew, etc.)Examples:Led a team of five to do ___Grew companys social media following from 900,000 to 2.1 million in nine monthsIf you want more help with this, we have a full article on how to write awesome resume bullet points, with examples.3. Youre trying to send applications quickly and not tailoring your resumeSending out more applications isnt always better the point is to get interviews, right?Whats better sending out 20 applications and getting one interview or sending out 10 applications and getting three interviews?The choice should be obvious.This is what tailoring your resume for each job will do for you!It usually takes less time than you think once you spend 30 minutes learning how to do it to begin with! Most people just dont want to put in the time to understand it and so they apply for a ton of jobs but get very few interviews.If you want to avoid that, read that article I linked to above and start tailoring your resume for the job descr iption.In short you want to re-order your bullet points to show the employer whats most important to THEM. And you want to make sure to include some keywords from the job description on your resume, too.4. Youre applying for positions that arent the right fit for your backgroundWhile you dont need 100% of the jobs requirements to apply, you should have around 70-75% minimum.If youre applying for jobs that youre not at all qualified for, it could be part of the reason youre not getting calls for interviews.I know this one is pretty obvious but some job seekers Ive worked with are still doing this, so I wanted to make sure to include it here.Lets keep going now5. Your resume is too long and is getting skimmed over rather than read closelyThe modern resume should be short and easy to read. While it doesnt NEED to be one page, it should certainly be a maximum of 1-2 pages for job seekers in the first 8-10 years of their career.If youve been working just a few years and have a three-pag e resume, thats a problem.Your resume is really a highlight reel and a sales pitch to the company showing how you can help them for their specific job. Its not a list of everything youve ever done at least not if you want to get interviews.Your paragraphs should be only a few sentences each, too. Avoid big, bulky paragraphs if you want to get your resume read!And utilize white space between paragraphs/sections. Make sure its all well-spaced and inviting to read.You can look at this article itself as an example. Notice how there are no huge paragraphs with 10 sentences. That makes it much easier to read and more attractive (and less likely youll leave after a few seconds).Here are more tips on how to make your resume stand out.6. Youre not applying for enough jobsI mentioned earlier that you should focus on the quality of applications, not quantity.Dont rely on job boards, dont mass-email your resume out without tailoring it. But I do see job seekers that arent getting interviews for the opposite reason theyre just not applying enough.You do need to send out some volume to get interviews.Thats why job boards are okay as 20%, and why you should be applying every day if youre in an active job search!So if youre not getting any interviews and youre only applying for a few jobs each week, its time to start putting more time and effort in.7. You have a large, recent gap in employmentIf you have a big gap in employment at or near the top of your resume, you really need to address it.You can list your employment in years instead of months in your employment history if that helps.Or you can write a cover letter to explain the circumstances of why you left your previous job, and how the issue has resolved itself (for example if you had an illness but have now recovered).You can take a LinkedIn learning course to fill the space and show employers youve been staying active even when not employed. You could also do consulting or freelance work, on Upwork for example.You c an do one or more of these things, but make sure youre addressing your employment gap one way or another so that it stops preventing you from getting calls for interviews.8. Youre using a resume Objective section instead of a Career SummaryNothing wastes spaces on a resume and shows a hiring manager youre old-fashioned than putting an Objective.Dont do it. They already know your objective is to obtain their position.So instead, write a great Career Summary that highlights some of your biggest accomplishments and qualifications that prove youll succeed in this next job!   Thats how to get interviewed.You can find some great career summary examples HERE.9. Your work experience doesnt appear on the top half of page 1 of your resumeIf you have any work experience at all, its one of the first things recruiters and hiring managers want to see.Dont bury it at the bottom of page 1. It should begin on the top half of page 1, no exceptions.Adjust your resume until thats the case, and youll st art getting more interviews.If you need help with resume sections and ordering those sections in general, heres an article about what to put on your resume and in what order.10. Youre using a functional resume format instead of chronologicalAnyone whos read this blog for a while probably knows Im NOT a fan of a functional resume which is a resume that separates your work history into functions or categories of work, instead of by job/date.Heres the problem recruiters and hiring managers want to see WHERE and WHEN you did each task that youre listing in your employment history section.They arent going to value it as highly if they cant see when you did it. So none of your experience will count for as much with a functional resume.And that could be costing you interviews. It could be the sole reason youre not getting called to interview, in fact.So if youre not having success with a functional resume, Id recommend changing to a chronological employment history section where you list each job and employer.Here are some examples.  11. Youre facing some type of discriminationTheres a reason I put this last.Most people arent being discriminated against and focusing too much on this can prevent you from focusing on the things you CAN control like how youre applying for jobs and whats on your resume.But it is possible you might be facing age discrimination or another type of discrimination.The best thing you can do is keep applying. And research companies before you apply.If youre a certain race or ethnic background and concerned about being discriminated against, look at companies leadership and board of directors (on LinkedIn or on their company website).This is a good way to see if they hire people with a wide range of backgrounds or not.You can do the same research for age. Look on LinkedIn and see if they seem to employ people who are 40 and 50+, or if everyone seems to be in their mid 20s.Youll see better results by researching and applying to companies that s eem to hire people similar to you.Heres some additional reading on avoiding age discrimination.Quick Review: Likely Reasons Why Youre Not Getting InterviewsYoure applying too much on job websites and job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed and MonsterYou list responsibilities but not accomplishments on your resume/CVYoure not tailoring your resume for each individual job as you applyYou are applying for jobs that you are not at least 70% qualified forYour resume is too long which is preventing it from getting fully-read when you apply for jobsYoure not spending enough time applying for jobs each dayYou have a gap in employment that you need to address before employers will feel comfortable calling you and inviting you to interviewYou have an Objective section on your resume instead of a Career Summary paragraphYour employment history doesnt begin on the top half of page 1 of your resumeYou are using a functional resume format many employers dislike this and it could be preventing you from getting job interviewsYou are facing some type of discrimination