A refusal to hire can be done differently. Recruiters can call and politely say that, unfortunately, they are not yet ready to make a job offer. They may write the same thing by e-mail, or they may not call or write, and then, after a long wait, you understand that you have been refused.
However, whatever the job rejection type, it can cause a pessimistic mood. But is it always necessary to criticize yourself for mistakes?
Reasons why recruiters reject you
Why was I refused? What did I do wrong? Some applicants become tormented by rejection. They scrutinize every phrase in the resume and relive every moment of the interview. Such reflection can help you understand what confused the recruiter in your candidacy to improve yourself before the next interview. But it’s not always about you. HR managers admit that there can be many reasons why they didn’t hire you, and it is not always because of low professionalism. Sometimes candidates are turned down because they are too good for the position.
Common reasons to reject a job candidate
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The candidate does not meet the requirements of the vacancy. For example, the job description says that economic education is required, but you have an incomplete technical education. Or the employer is looking for a specialist with 5 years of experience, and you have just graduated from university. You should carefully study job descriptions to avoid avoidable rejections.
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The resume and cover letter are incorrect. For example, the candidate jokes a lot in the cover letter and forgets about the proper business style. Or in the resume, they indicate information about each place of work and decorate it with different colors – pink, blue, purple, to attract the attention of a recruiter. To not get into an awkward situation due to poorly constructed job application documents, you can use online services such as www.getcoverletter.com for cover letters and resumes. Online constructors help you write the necessary information and offer a wide choice of acceptable designs for your papers.
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Your appearance does not fit into the corporate culture of the company. For example, the company has a strict dress code (employees wear business suits), and you come in with ripped jeans or very bright makeup.
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Invalid information in the resume. It’s easy to uncover deception during an interview. HR just needs to ask a couple of clarifying questions.
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During the interview, the applicants do not demonstrate their motivation and interest in this particular job and company. If you are thinking that the vacancy isn’t suited for you, do not send a resume.
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During the interview, the applicant asked many questions about vacation and salary and nothing about responsibilities and duties.
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Illiterate speech of the candidate. This is especially relevant when it comes to foreign languages. If you point out that you know, for example, Spanish at an advanced level, but during the conversation, it becomes clear that you have an intermediate level, then most likely you will be denied a vacancy.
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During the interview, the applicant criticizes the former chief and colleagues. Such a candidate may be considered a high-maintenance or scandalous person.
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The applicant expresses doubts about the qualifications of the HR manager. This can happen if the applicant is older than the recruiter.
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The potential worker is too young or too old for the position. Unfortunately, this is common.
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The candidate does not show basic politeness.
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The candidate does not turn off the phone during the interview. It’s okay if the phone doesn’t ring, but if during the interview the phone rings and you pick up the phone to discuss what to buy on the way home, you can forget about getting a job in this company.
Subjective reasons for refusing employment
Recruitment is a long and difficult process for both the recruiter and the applicant. Sometimes applicants are rejected for completely inexplicable and sometimes absurd reasons.
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The recruiter just doesn’t like you. The smell of your perfume was too strong, you were too loud or spoke too quietly, your purse was inappropriately expensive, etc. There can be a lot of subjective factors.
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For some reason, the HR manager decides that you will not fit into the existing team. For example, everyone in the department goes to the woods for a picnic every weekend, but you prefer to stay home.
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The competition is too big. You may be a perfect match, but there are three more people like you.
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During the interview, the applicant makes a bad joke.
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Your appearance doesn’t fit the company requirements. This does not mean that you are ugly. It means just that the company may have specific requests for the candidate’s appearance. For example, only a girl with blue eyes, blonde hair, and a slender figure can become a secretary.
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The recruiter is not confident that you can work in a team and suppress your leadership skills.
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The job seeker is too smart for the job. This means that you may decide to quit in a couple of months because the tasks are too easy for you, and there is no career development. And then, the company has to look for a new employee again.
What do the statistics say?
According to LinkedIn research, beginning in 2019, recruiters are paying a lot of attention to cover letters. And in 2020, its role has only increased. In the work industry, time is money, so there’s no way to spend a lot of time studying each resume. A cover letter gives all the necessary initial information about the candidate, after which it becomes clear whether a person is suitable for this position or not. So it is a great chance for you to briefly describe your skills, experience, and knowledge and how each is useful to the company and show your personality, thereby setting you apart from the competitors.
Also, as reported by stats, 91% of recruiters consider soft skills a decisive factor in hiring. Soft skills include the ability to present a product/company/oneself, conduct quick analysis, teamwork, the ability to learn/listen, conflict resolution, adaptation, empathy, creativity, etc.
The fact is, the world and working conditions are changing. Because of COVID-19, many companies have switched to a remote form of work, so the employee must be able to adapt to the new work mode. This opinion about work flexibility is shared by 78% of recruiters.
Conforming to HR Statistics, 91% of HR managers prefer candidates to have work experience, and 65% of recruiters prefer candidates with relevant work experience.
Final words
People get refused for various reasons, and we cannot always influence this. But you can reduce the number of refusals to a minimum by simply preparing in advance: study the vacancy, company, and corporate policy in detail, prepare a resume and cover letter, dress appropriately for your interview, and most importantly, do not get nervous. Perhaps this is simply not your job, and the next offer will turn out to be the best job of your life.
