The majority of job applicants are easy to reject. Before I delve into the six easy ways job seekers make themselves easy to reject, let's look at the math that determines how likely you are to land a job by applying to a job posting alongside hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other job seekers, many of whom are just as qualified, if not more so than you.
Let's say 500 people, a conservative estimate if the job and/or employer is highly sought after, apply to a posted job. Even if all candidates are equal in every aspect of their application, a 500-to-1 odds ratio is a 0.2% chance of being hired. Of course, in the real world, no two candidates are exactly alike. Besides skills and experience, presentation nuances play a significant role in giving candidates who are mindful not to make themselves easy to reject much better odds of being selected for an interview over those they're competing against.
What many job seekers fail to understand is that hiring is fundamentally a process of elimination. Job seekers spend an inordinate amount of time and energy critically breaking employers down, but they never look at themselves and focus on what they can control, improve, and possibly master, while understanding that the probability of getting hired through a job posting is low, as the math shows, whereas networking and being referred offers a much greater odds of job success.
A job seeker's best strategy is to focus on refining the nuances that'll increase their chances of securing an interview and landing a job.
Today's job market demands that candidates prove themselves; those who do are the ones getting hired. Mass applying (aka, spray-and-pray) doesn't increase your odds of getting an interview; quality applications and building meaningful professional relationships do. A candidate's lack of commitment to their job search effort (going the extra mile, leaving no stone unturned, making sure all I's are dotted and T's are crossed) makes recruiters and employers doubt whether the candidate really wants the job or even wants to work.
When it comes to your job search, don't be a candidate who's easy to reject. Increase your odds of getting an interview and being hired by avoiding presentation nuance errors that make it easy to reject (read: eliminate) you.
Post interview:
Your résumé and/or LinkedIn profile have typos, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors.
Errors, especially in a document as important as your résumé or LinkedIn profile, indicate a lack of attention to detail, carelessness, poor communication skills, and are a reflection of your potential work quality.
Your résumé doesn't align with your LinkedIn profile.
If your résumé piques the reader's interest and suggests you might be worthy of an interview, you can be certain the reader will check out your LinkedIn profile before contacting you. Your résumé and your LinkedIn profile need to align. I've seen many instances where dates, jobs, titles, and companies don't match, which raises red flags about a candidate's credibility, professionalism, and attention to detail.
Your digital footprint is either controversial and/or suggests you'll be difficult to manage.
Whether it's fair or unfair, employers will review your online activity to understand who you are. There's no denying that your digital footprint influences your chances of getting hired. While employers' primary concern is whether your online presence could harm the company's reputation, workplace environment, or lead to legal issues, they also evaluate whether you're someone they'd want as an employee. Job seekers who vent on social media, especially LinkedIn, about having to fill out applications, attend interviews, complete an assessment assignment, or post that they didn't get the job because, according to them, they weren't treated fairly, are turning employers off. Such posts, which potential employers will see and read, make them appear entitled and potentially difficult to manage.
If you're not getting interviews, consider using a service to clean up your digital footprint. While there are many services that'll do a decent job, I recommend ReputationDefender by Norton. It's on the pricy side, but it'll be money well spent if your online activity is what's deterring employers from contacting you.
Interview:
Not turning on your camera.
The job market is full of bad actors; therefore, employers aren't taking chances on candidates who raise red flags.
Your initial interview will likely be a video screening interview. Not turning on your camera is like going to an in-person interview—the goal of an initial interview, via video, is to be invited to an in-person interview—and then sitting behind a drywall partition, which is a red flag that you're hiding something and makes you easy to reject.
Avoiding eye contact.
Making and maintaining eye contact not only shows you're engaged and a good listener, but it also displays the most important trait your interviewer is searching for in a candidate: confidence. If you don't believe in yourself, then you can't expect your interviewer to believe in you.
Not asking questions.
Genuine interest fuels curiosity. When you have no questions, you come across as if you're not truly committed to the role or haven't considered how you'd succeed in it.
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Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.