Having run my own business since 1999, I’ve been involved in hundreds of hiring decisions. Right now my firm is working on filling several positions in our Hong Kong office. We have come across many promising candidates in our searches, however for various reasons we never reach out to them. Others whom we contact are never hired. Here are some of the reasons why, even when you are a great candidate for a certain position, you don’t get the job, and what you can learn from the employer’s standpoint to help you find the best career for yourself.
Why they didn’t contact you
1. They couldn’t find you. Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Is it up to date? Does it include keywords related to your best skills? Or do you have a professional listing on another website that shows up in search engines? If not, how do you expect potential employers to find you? Even if you plan on getting a job through your personal connections, a potential employer who is referred to you will still likely want to learn more about you online before reaching out. Make sure they can find you.
2. Your LinkedIn profile had problems. Common problems with LinkedIn profiles include spelling or grammatical errors, incorrect use of capitalisation, a bad photo, lack of information, or a weak title. If your title uses words like “visionary,” “leader,” or “exceptional” then you’re overdoing it. Just give me the facts about who you are and what you can do.
Why they didn’t hire you
1. You didn’t respond quickly. This is my number one tip to make your career skyrocket: always respond quickly when someone contacts you. If not immediately, then as quickly as you possibly can. If a potential employer needs to wait 24 hours every time she emails you in order to get a response, she’ll assume you’re going to be hard to work with on anything that’s time sensitive.
2. You were late to the interview. Don’t show up an hour early, but also don’t show up five minutes late. The message this sends is “my time is more important than yours,” and that message won’t impress anyone.
