#036 - Not Getting Interviews? Read This

Not Getting Interviews Or Offers? Read This

Unless you’re Narcissus looking into water, reflection can kind of suck.

It’s not easy to try something, admit it’s not working, think about why it isn’t working, and then move forward differently.

By definition, it’s probably going to feel like my puppy apparently feels when we’re trying to put his harness on so we can go for a walk: uncomfortable.

But.

If you’ve been job searching for a little while now and you haven’t gotten any interviews whatsoever, or if you’re getting an interview here and there but aren’t making it beyond the first stage, or if you’re getting interviews but no offers, it’s time to make a change.

Sure, it might feel a tad uncomfortable. Is feeling momentarily uncomfortable worth getting better at job searching and thus not having to job search for that much longer?

I reckon so. And so does our puppy, Teddy. I asked him. He agrees. You don’t want to disagree with an adorable little puppy, do you?

I thought not.

Okay.

Anyway.

If you’ve been job searching for a little while now and you haven’t gotten any interviews whatsoever, or if you’re getting an interview here and there but aren’t making it beyond the first stage, or if you’re getting interviews but no offers, it’s time to ask yourself the below questions:

1. “What’s my experience, what are my skills, and what do I have actual results in?”

It’s hard to self-assess - particularly if you want to change role or industry or your entire career. You often default to confirmation bias - seeing what you want to see, seeing what benefits you.

Take an honest look at what you can bring to the table. Not what you want to bring to the table but what you can bring to the table.

2. “What roles am I applying for and does it align with the above?”

Spraying and praying isn’t going to work. I know you know that but the job search has a way of making you feel desperate, meaning you’ll start valuing quantity over quality. All that happens is that your spraying and praying doesn’t work, leaving you even more desperate.

Once you’ve self-assessed - and if needs be, get a person you trust to help you - then you must be disciplined enough to apply only for roles which align with said self-assessment.

This market is too much like the late, great Kobe Bryant - competitive - to do otherwise.

3. “Have I filled out my LinkedIn profile and toggled Open To Work ON?”

If you haven’t, you’re killing me. At least fill out your Headline and your Experience sections. Please.

You also must have your ‘Open To Work’ settings on. You don’t have to put up the green banner but if recruiters can see you’re open to work in the ‘LinkedIn Recruiter’ part of LinkedIn, they’ll be more likely to DM you.

Also.

If that makes them less likely to DM you because of some unhelpful belief that being ‘open to work’ somehow makes you desperate and therefore less valuable, well, they suck and you don’t want to work with them anyway.

So, tell us you’re ‘open to work.’

Please.

4. “Have I spoken to everyone I know?”

Everyone you know should know you’re looking for a job. (Except your ex, maybe.)

If you’re worried about asking, if your pride is getting in your way, ask yourself, “I’d be flattered if someone I know asked me for help with their job search, wouldn’t I?”

You would. And if you could help in any way, you would, wouldn’t you?

Yes.

So.

Start networking, my friend.

5. “Am I holding out for a remote role?”

Remote roles are like Tigers in the wild: there are less and less of them all the time. (Dark, but true.)

Not only are there less and less of them, there are more people than ever on the market - so the competition is what I imagine Snoop Dogg is like on his birthday: at an all-time high.

Unless you need a remote role, consider hybrid. You might only have to go into the office like once a month. We used to do it 5 days a week (!), so, not a bad deal.

6. “Am I tailoring my CV to each role?”

If you’re very qualified to do the role, this shouldn’t be taking a huge amount of time and energy. If you’re a Senior Recruiter, for example, and you’re applying to other Senior or Lead Recruiter roles, it might only take a couple of minutes to tinker and tailor (and soldier and spy.) (The last two are optional.)

But.

Those two minutes could potentially be the difference between getting an interview and not getting an interview.

Seems like 2 minutes well-spent to me.

(Yes, there’s a joke there. No, I won’t make it, thank you very much.)

7. “Have I signed up to job boards, LinkedIn job alerts, and company careers websites? And do recruiters know I’m looking?”

Job searching can take up an alarming amount of time and energy.

So.

What you can outsource, you should outsource.

Job boards, LinkedIn job alerts, company career websites, and industry or role-specific recruiters & headhunters can all come in handy. Let them work - for free - on your behalf.

(And no, a recruiter or headhunter’s job isn’t to find jobs for people; it’s to find people for jobs. But when they get given a role that would be great for you, do you want them to give you a call? Or do you want them to be like me when it came to the Dragon’s Blood Tree until I looked up ‘rarest things on Earth’ about 24 seconds ago: not know you exist?)

8. “Am I preparing thoroughly for my interviews?”

To not thoroughly prepare for your interviews is a mistake akin to Ronald Wayne’s mistake in 1976.

(Okay, not quite - he sold his 10% stake in Apple for a mere $800. As of today, that stake would be worth about $264 billion. Oh dear.)

I’ve written about interview prep here but the bottom line is this: it’s often the best-prepared candidate - as opposed to the ‘best’ candidate - who gets the job.

And remember: getting a new job is a zero-sum game. If someone else gets the job, you can’t get it.

So.

Prep. Please!

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