In all of my years of experience of giving career advice, I have come to some conclusions on why some job seekers don’t get jobs that they apply for. See if any of these apply to someone you know (or have applied to you).

Not enough experience for the job applied for. Many people will look in the paper or on the job posting sheets at work and apply for a job that they are not really qualified for. For example, if the job has a college degree requirement and you only have a high school diploma, your chances of getting interviewed for that job are generally slim. Others apply for jobs that require a certain number of years of experience in a particular field, but they do not have any experience in that area or fall short the years of experience. Advice: Don’t apply to every job you see. Review the job requirements carefully and honestly assess whether you meet them. Sometimes it will be close and you may not be sure if you do meet the minimum qualifications. If that is the case, apply for the job anyway. But remember, you must target what jobs you send your cover letters and resumes to. Just like employers will be picky with you,you must be picky with them.

Bad cover letters. I can’t tell you how many people send cover letters that are just bad. They do not understand what the cover letter is supposed to do. Cover letters are supposed to make the reviewer interested enough in you so that they read your resume. Many cover letters have typographical errors, poor grammar and style. If the cover letter is bad, then the reviewer usually never gets to the resume. Therefore, they both end up in the “we’ll call you” pile. Advice: Spend time researching and learning what cover letters are really supposed to do. Then perfect the art of cover letter writing so you don’t take yourself out of the game.

Bad resumes. Many people die a quick death during the employment process if they have a bad resume. Bad resumes do not adequately fill in the blanks for the recruiter, have typographical and grammatical errors and fail to adequately demonstrate past performance so that the recruiter can predict future performance. Advice: Learn how to draft more effective resumes. Read up on how to put together a resume that best reflect your skills and abilities.

They crash and burn on the interview. Many people get through the cover letter and resume screening. But when they have to come in and sell themselves in an interview, they fall apart. Applicants are nervous, aren’t confident, don’t sell themselves to the interviewer(s), intimidated and unprepared. Interviews are supposed to be informative conversations not police interrogations. If an employer does not get the right “vibe” from you on the interview, you will be taken out of the employment process. Advice: Practice interviewing techniques that will reduce stress. Also, properly prepare for the interview by working on your presentation and selling techniques. Have fun with it.

As a job seeker, you must have the right attitude when you are looking for a new job or making a career change. Recognize your strengths and weaknesses and work on both. Make sure you realistically evaluate your job prospects and apply accordingly. Then you must work on your technical job search tools (resumes and cover letters). If your tools aren’t up to par, they can get you kicked out of the employment process.

Lastly, you must make sure that you practice your interviewing skills. You could be qualified “on paper” for the job but if you do not present yourself well enough on the interview, the reviewer will take you out
of the employment process and choose another candidate who sold themselves more effectively.

1 Gregory Bradley, a lawyer, human resources professional, college professor, training consultant and entrepreneur, is Principal of Bradley Consulting & Training. He has been teaching adults and career changers professional development techniques for over 15 years.