Why You Keep Getting Close But Still Aren't Landing Job Offers

6/17/2016
Rich Bellis

You’re eminently employable, and you have the results to prove it.
You’re getting called in for interviews, then called back for more. Recruiters are peeping your LinkedIn profile and you’re hearing back when you send out your resume. But at the end of each hiring process, you get a polite, "No, thanks." How is it that you keep getting whittled down to the last two or three candidates, and time and again, they go with the one that isn’t you?

MAYBE IT’S YOU . . .
First things first, get straight on what you know you’re already doing right.

Your resume is in great shape. You’ve avoided the usual pitfalls and know how to tailor it to each position you apply for. You’ve practiced answering the most common interview questions, and you can even nail some of the weird ones. After shaking hands and parting ways, you write a smart, memorable thank-you note to everyone you’ve met with.

Taking stock of all this isn’t just to cheer yourself up—the point is to figure out what isn’t causing the offer to keep slipping through your fingers. You don’t want to revise your approach where you don’t need to, or where it can actually wind up hurting your chances further.

"If they’re interviewing with three people, chances are all of them can do the job."

According to Kim Shepherd, CEO of the recruitment firm Decision Toolbox, the likeliest culprit (if not the only one) is soft skills, the behavioral qualities we bring to our interactions with other people—like how well we listen and ask questions, for instance. "They’re really what usually attracts a hiring manager once they know that you can do the job," she tells Fast Company. "If they’re interviewing with three people, chances are all of them can do the job."

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