Central Florida Employers Tell You Why You DIDN’T Get That Job!

We survey Central Florida employers each year and ask them to share why they don’t hire job seekers who apply to positions.  (Download the 2015 Central Florida Employment Outlook) 

You apply to jobs never to hear back from the company and wonder what happened.  If you get an interview and don’t get the job, this can also be frustrating.  This list is compiled from 90 Central Florida employers who tell job seekers directly why they didn’t hire you.  

1.    Job seekers are not reading the job description thoroughly. In other words, applying to any job if you “think” you qualify.  

2.    Resume #1- Employers can’t tell what you do! If you’re an administrative assistant, that better be the title under your name and contact information.  Don’t make employers guess what you do!

3.    Job seekers don’t understand how important the paper or online application is in the process. Grammar, spelling, incomplete sentences or leaving sections blank very often means you will never get a call back from the company. Many online application systems do not have spell check, so job seekers need to do this before they cut and paste their resume and cover letter in. These mistakes are automatic red flags! 

4.    Job seekers do not research the company before the interview. If you get the interview and don’t know everything possible about the company (how they make money, what business lines, number of employees, etc.) don’t go to the interview.

5.    Job seekers interview with poor hygiene or dress. First impressions really are that important.  

6.    Poor email correspondence. If an employer reaches out to you the way you respond is as important as the interview. Make sure your emails are well written, to the point and answer the question(s) the employer contacted you about.

7.    Resume #2- Make sure your dates of employment are month and year.  Also, make sure that your education level is clear (if you have 3 years of college, make sure that it isn’t written like you have a degree.  This always backfires)

8.    Being late for an interview. Wow! The marketplace is way too competitive for this to happen. If you’re late for the interview, you are unreliable in the eyes of an employer.

9.    Leave cell phone in car.  Don’t ever even give yourself a chance for your cell phone to ring during an interview.  Even worse, glancing at it while interviewing. 

10.    Honesty. Gaps in employment and reasons for leaving jobs are just a couple things that requires an honest answer.  No one has a perfect background but the quickest way not to get the job is to lie.  Also, a few employers indicated that they eliminated candidates who had resumes that didn’t match their LinkedIn profiles.

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