Common Reasons you Aren’t Moving Forward in the Interview Process

Our recruiting team spends hours upon hours reviewing resumes and talking to potential candidates for a high volume of positions. Each client’s project and team are different, which why sometimes things don’t always go as planned. Job hunting can be tough, but it is important to stick with it to get the right fit. We are often asked why someone didn’t move forward in the process, so we thought we would share the common reasons that likely can be applied to most companies:

1. The hiring manager changed their mind or changed the job description. When requirements change mid-stream, you may no longer be the most qualified based on the skills they are looking for. At JeffreyM, our Account managers do their best to ask questions to get to the root of what a hiring manager is looking for, however sometimes in the process of interviewing, a client realizes that they need a different skill set to accomplish their business objectives.
2. The job goes on hold. Budgets and reorgs tend to be the number one reason for jobs going on hold which can pause the job for a time period or indefinitely.
3. You were a fit, but so were 3 to 5 others. Remember that not only hard skills play a factor in this. Soft skills play a factor in this as well. A hiring manager may be looking for a certain type of soft skill that balances out a team.
4. The hiring manager said no without additional insights. This is frustrating for all parties, and while recruiters do their best to get additional details on the why behind the “no”, often times that isn’t shared.
5. The skills on your resume didn’t align enough to the initial job description. Tools and specific skills reflected in the JD, need to be reflected on resumes, otherwise your resume is likely to get lost in the shuffle.
6. Duration of your last few employers. At JeffreyM we know better than anyone that sometimes projects are short. Make sure to highlight that a project was for a specific duration. Hiring managers like to see commitment to a position in the last few years and look to see if you have been somewhere for longer than a year.