Reasons why you may not have been picked for that job that are not your fault
So you’ve worked hard on your resume and maybe even hired a professional coach. You apply for only the jobs you feel extremely confident in. But alas! You get one regret after another. And because of the increased volumes of applications being received for every job, recruiters have just opted for the usual “We cannot get back to every applicant due to the large volumes of applications received. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted” At least there are some who will even add “If you have not received communication within 2 weeks, consider yourself unsuccessful.”
Reports indicate that an active candidate applies for about 11 jobs every week. This is even harder for folks who’ve lost their jobs abruptly. A job search can be a harrowing experience as it is and recruiters are much to blame for the lack of trust experienced nowadays in hiring processes.
So let’s look at some reasons why you may have not been selected;
Notes for candidates:
i. Human Biases- The new LinkedIn Recruiting Trends Report shows clearly that recruiters are seeking new ways of assessing candidates because interviews are just 11% effective and CVs contain a lot of unverifiable information. Various biases that are not job-related could have made a recruiter pick one candidate over another. This will especially be so if the hiring department does not have any policies or checks for the process. Some biases include religion, physical appearance, gender, sexual orientation, tribalism, nepotism, or race. Someone could easily pick a friend who was #4 on the shortlist over you who scored #1. This is why blind recruiting is also becoming mainstream for companies who are trying to promote fairness & quality in their hiring. Take such hiring bad behavior early on as an employer red flag and don’t brush it off.
ii. Lack of proper systems or processes- Whatever is not measured and cannot be improved. In Africa to be specific, most companies do not employ good recruiting systems which leaves them vulnerable to just picking the first 100 applicants for review for the sake of time/urgency or lack of manpower. For instance, many companies do not have an actual HR Department so they leave ‘anybody’ to do the screening. This is a long-term problem HRs have been having because if management does not respect & back HR, then it leaves room for all kinds of incompetencies. Most hiring teams will thus even lack data to monitor their efforts. And oh yes, forget the usual “We will keep you in our pipeline for future jobs”. With a CV database and offline systems, it’s almost impossible to do so.
iii. Internal Candidates & Boomerangs- For most companies, there’s usually a provision for preferring internal candidates for a position as a way to promote them or motivate them. So next time you apply for a role, remember that you’re also competing against internal candidates who have a higher chance of being selected. An internal pipeline can also imply the fact that you’re not just competing against active candidates but also current & past employees who are looking for new opportunities(boomerangs) or are better placed at making referrals. Statistics show that if you look for a job while you’re still working, your chances of getting hired are higher. Here are some applicant numbers for Kenya;
Graduate program-4000
Manager-130
Director-200
Associate-300
Officer-150
N.B Please note these numbers are dependent on many factors such as types of sources used, job description, company, industry, skillsets, compensation, etc
iv. “Wrong” Channels- Applicant tracking systems are crowded with at least 300 applications for a job and some even go as high as 3000 for a single job. ATS has also proven to be faulty by only relying on keywords to shortlist candidates, thus leaving out very good candidates along the way. The wiser thing to do then is to look at other channels that will increase your chances and are less crowded. Such channels include LinkedIn or other such sites suitable to your profession, networking events, social media, volunteerism, etc. Large companies, for instance, receive a huge number of candidates. It may be wise then to go after ‘smaller’ companies and even startups. This is suitable also for senior roles since most of these companies are looking for expertise and if they have funding, will pay good compensation as well. Go the road less traveled. You will be rewarded. Check out our earlier post with more tips on “Our top 6 job search tips for fresh graduates”.
v. Qualifications-Sometimes you will not be picked for a role because there was just a better candidate for the role e.g they had more years of experience in that field, they worked in the same industry as the hiring company, or they demonstrated their competencies more clearly during the interview or assessment. This is why recruiters are looking for more blended hiring solutions and not just relying on the CV e.g. assessments, personality tests, group interviews, case studies, scenario & role-based questions, multiple interviews, etc. However, there are good hires that have been made because of instinct. As a recruiter, sometimes you just have to take a bet on someone. And remember to develop a system for evaluating soft skills that are more critical in this age than hard skills.
vi. Business forces- Eric Ries in Lean Startup describes a startup as ‘A startup is a human institution designed to deliver a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.’ Business conditions commonly referred to as VUCA(Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity) all play a role in determining an open role, duration & salary. In business, the unexpected sometimes happens (ie shit happens!)e.g for an NGO, a grant that was promised for a project may be declined after a role had been declared open or a health pandemic like the Corona Virus can cause massive disruption. Other internal affairs can also affect the speed of recruiting e.g. a hiring manager resigns or dies making the hiring team slow down on recruiting. The advice to employers is always to keep the candidates abreast, letting them know if the role is still open or if they’re still evaluating candidates. The reassurance of a good employer will ensure a good brand despite the final outcome of the process and is highly encouraged.
Vii. Supernatural forces- If you believe in one, then some things could be deemed simply as a ‘misdirection’. The saying goes, “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”-Dalai Lama. Have you ever lost a job opportunity only for the company or manager to be in the limelight months or years later for all the wrong reasons? I certainly have and thought “Whoops I dodged that bullet.” Maybe the job was right but the employer was wrong. Or it was just not the right timing for you. While waiting and keeping yourself busy with other work, you could also discover a much greater calling or business idea.
Recruiting is a numbers game for candidates as well. Treat is like sales. Because it is. If 20 applications get you one interview, then work backward to the number of interviews you are targeting every month. And keep your head up all the while. The right job will find you! All the best.
Note to recruiters;
One way of improving your candidate experience is by adopting an agreed minimum ‘expectations’ from the hiring team. What is commonly known as a Service Level Agreement? We dive into that in our next article.
Credits Oleg Vishnepolsky Linkedin
Still looking for more? Check out https://medium.com/jobonics/top-3-things-you-need-to-know-about-an-employer-before-applying-for-that-job-6645e8d8b42
