Job Seekers - Our Annual Survey of Central Florida Employers (JUST RELEASED)

It’s frustrating.  We understand stand that.  You apply to multiple jobs never to hear back from the employer except for that courtesy email thanking you for applying.  In some cases, you actually will get another email telling you “you have not been selected” and thanking you for your time.

In either case, it leaves you out in the dark as to why this is happening.  If you truly understood what these responses actually mean, you would change the way you do your job search.  For most of you, this is exactly what you NEED to do immediately if you want to find a great job, not just any job.

To get you the inside information, we spoke to over 100 Central Florida employers and asked them why they don’t hire you. (You can download - no charge - the entire paper at www.orlandojobs.com/whitepaper ). After analyzing the data, it is extremely clear what is happening after you hit the submit button on your application. 

The information shared by these employers might be the most direct, accurate and honest you will ever hear.  Employers from every sector and company size all had the same reasons why they are not hiring you.  Knowing this information will allow you to refocus your job search and truly identify and accurately apply to jobs that you really want.  

The employers spoke and here are the top three reasons you are not getting hired (or even noticed):

1. You do not have the qualifications for the job.  98% of employers stated this!  What this really means is that you are treating your job search like raffle tickets for a church fundraiser. Since technology makes it so easy to apply to positions, you just start applying to jobs thinking “why not”.  If I am not in the raffle bowl, my number may never get picked.  We are still coming out of a recession and many employers are hiring for exact skill matches.  Spend your time in your job search finding jobs (using multiple resources) that FIT your skill sets at least 80%.

2. Your resume/application is horrible. The things in the job search you control is the way you appear on paper or how you fill out applications (online/in-person).  You are making several mistakes in resumes and applications from bad grammar, spelling and a not having a consistent, overall career message.  An employer has to be able to determine what you do in less than thirty seconds.

3. You are not prepared for the interview.  If you are interviewing for a job that you have the skills to perform, you are already ahead of the game.  However, employers eliminate you during the interview because you can’t demonstrate your skills clearly.  Many jobseekers don’t understand how important it is to research the company and truly understand how that company makes money, and then communicate this professionally in an interview.  You must be able to showcase your skills (per the job requirement) and make it perfectly clear (because of your past performance at your last employer) that you understand how those hiring you will drive revenue to the bottom line.  This IS the meat and potatoes of the interview process many fail and cost them great jobs; even when they are the best candidate for the job.

Finally, the online application via a company’s applicant tracking system (ATS) can be very difficult to fill out.  Please make sure you take enough time to fill this out completely and accurately.  This is your career “DNA” and you must be able to let the computer know that you are a great candidate for the job.  If you don’t have the qualifications for the job (#1 in the list above), filling out this application is a complete time waste.  For many job seekers, this is exactly what is happening.

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