Heartbreaker: Why That Job You Interviewed For Has Been Reposted

Joanne Meehl, MS, IJCDC 🎯

Joanne Meehl, MS, IJCDC 🎯

Job Search | Career Strategy | Certified Job Search Coaching | Resumes that get interviews | How to Network with Influencers | Video Interview prep…

Published Mar 1, 2015

It's a heartbreaker when a job candidate tells me they've had an interview, have heard "no thanks" (or nothing), and then see the very same job reposted. What happened, especially when they believed they were "perfect for the job"?

A former client of mine I'll call Susan, who landed her Senior Business Analyst job about two years ago, can answer that question. She recently wrote to tell me why it's been so difficult to hire two business analysts in her department. It pained her to see good resumes from applicants who then could not make a case for themselves in person. Her company has reposted the job in the hopes they find new candidates who can make their case. These are her words about what she observed in interviews, slightly edited at her request so as to not identify her or her company.

…We are looking for two more Business Analysts…. We had 49 applicants and chose 12 to interview for the first round then narrowed those down to five for the second round of interviews. Of those, we could find only one who we felt comfortable hiring. Even though all five were very qualified for the position, we didn't feel comfortable hiring any of the others because of the following reasons (this was our opinion of the Round 2 interviews):

  • They did not answer the interview questions thoroughly or [they] took so much time answering the question that all three of us on the interview panel quit listening to the answer.
  • They were not well prepared - in fact only one made a comment or asked a question that was relevant to the job posting or the department or the project, even though they had all been well informed about this project during Round 1. The project even has its own public website to access, but only one of the five actually checked it out and did additional research on this type of project.
  • Most had prepared either no questions or very poor questions to ask before, during, or after the interview.
  • Most could not provide a clear answer to the questions "Tell me about yourself" or "What makes you uniquely qualified for this position?"
  • Lastly, most demonstrated very little energy about their desire for the position or about how they could make a difference for the company (and instead focused on why they wanted to work for the company and what the company could do for them)

One of my friends from [a previous company] was one of the second round interviews who I personally know is very well qualified for the position (maybe even overqualified) but we did not make her the offer because of the above mentioned items. It was very eye-opening to see such well-qualified people fail in the interviews.

We have re-posted the position.

So how could those candidates -- or you -- increase your chances of getting to Round 3 and to the offer?

Taking each of Susan's points, here are some interviewing tips that will show interviewers who you are as a whole person, and why they should hire you:

  • Answer the question that's asked. And pay attention to when they have enough of an answer: if eye contact is broken and remains broken, if they are checking their watch or cell phone or looking off, stop talking. It's all right if occasionally you check with them by asking, "Does that answer your question?" or similar, just don't do it after each answer you give.
  • Be prepared. Examine the web site beyond the home page, find people on LinkedIn with the same or similar role at that company and see what they say about their work. Research similar projects by searching on its name and seeing who else is working on a similar project, and see what they say about it. Your curiosity about the organization and the role will clearly come across if you do your homework.
  • There are so many guides online about "questions to ask in an interview" that it's silly this issue even had to be dealt with by Susan and her team. You are not a supplicant: An interview is a business conversation between and among equals about a problem they are having that YOU can solve. They are eager to hear what you want to know about them and the issue at hand: it tells them what kind of teammate you would be.
  • The questions "Tell me about yourself" or "What makes you uniquely qualified for this position?" are two ways of asking the same thing: "How do you match this job?" You should know how you match and what you'd bring; after all, you applied for the job with these matches in mind. At the interview, it's vital you communicate them.
  • It's essential you show energy around what your contributions would be. This is shown by not only by bringing up relevant examples of success, and even bringing a brief portfolio, but also by eye contact, hand gestures, leaning forward, and a clear voice. There's time to talk later about benefits and other things the company "can do for you".

If you are reading this, I'm guessing you are talented and have solutions that an employer needs, but somehow haven't "clicked". As a recruiter once said to me, "Tell candidates that all we ever know of them is what they tell us, especially in the interview. So they must make sure they match what they'd bring, to what we need." He added, "It's not bragging -- instead, it's helping ME do my job in bringing in the right people."

What's the terrible alternative?

To change nothing and continue to have your heart broken.

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