Why you didn't get hired

(MoneyWatch) No matter what condition the U.S. economy is in, looking for work is always incredibly stressful. In the past, I've tried to help by providing tips for honing your resume and passing your interview.

Almost without exception, you never really know why you didn't get a particular job. You might have sailed through the phone interview and face-to-face meetings, only to be called a few days later by HR with the message that you were not going to be offered the position. Recently, though, the blog Job Tips for Geeks listed the most common reasons people get passed over for positions -- aside from simply not being qualified, that is.

This list is pure job-hunting gold. After all, assuming you're an otherwise great candidate, here's a slew of things to consider to fine-tune your interviewing style and the way you answer interview questions. Do any of these sound like you?

Your experience is wide but shallow. Depending on your experience, you might be depicting yourself as a "jack of all trades, master of none." There are few opportunities for people with little practical, deep knowledge.

You seem to have a sense of entitlement. Be humble in all things. This has real, practical applications. For example, don't give the hiring manager or any peer interviewers the vibe that there are only certain technical areas within your domain that you are willing to work or that you will be very difficult to collaborate with.

You don't exhibit any passion. Be enthusiastic, both about what you do and the role you are interviewing for. Employers don't want to hire someone who is only looking for a paycheck; they want someone who is invested in their career and in the company.

You don't know how the rest of your organization works. It's important to know how the entire sausage is made. If you're asked questions about a process at your employer that you weren't directly connected to and can only say "I don't know," then you're not getting hired -- even if you are the enormously knowledgeable in your particular field. There's enormous collaboration in business today, and you're expected to understand at least the basics of everyone else's roles so you can contribute.

Your experience is not transferable. You might be awesome, but if you've spent a long time in a single role or company, it might look like your knowledge, skills, or experience won't transfer to the new company without considerable re-training. If that's you, prepare ahead of time to be able to speak to those kinds of concerns.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Tess Aquarium

[tramky]

The way these kinds of article read, the only way to get a job is to already have the job being applied for. Only then can you know exactly what the employer's culture is, what the job truly entails, and how you might fit into the position. Barring that absurdity, it's a crapshoot. Understanding the culture? Understanding the hiring manager? Good luck with that when you are on the outside of the employing organization.

There is a tremendous amount of wasted experience and talent in the United States today. There was a report that Americans waste 40% of their food. That is likely about the same percentage of Americans whose experience, talent and work ethic are wasted by American corporations.

[DaveFecak]

@Tramky - I wrote the original article this was based on. This article here isn't really about any of the things you refer to (culture, job responsibilities, fit) in your comment. Look at the five points that are raised by Dave Johnson, which can be distilled into:
Deep experience
Attitude
Passion
Knowing your current role
Applicable skills

These are universal traits desired by companies. If you have deep knowledge in an applicable field, the right attitude, passion, and you understand your current job, you are going to fare far better than those that do not have these traits.

I agree there is wasted talent, but this article isn't about having or needing tons of inside information on the company you are applying to (although inside info can be helpful). If you have the traits outlined in this article, you will be in demand for jobs in your field. You may not be a cultural fit or an exact fit for every single job. There are several great NBA or NFL players that would not be a fit into the system of every team.

[Todd Riffey]

How do you address the first problem?

[DaveFecak]

Todd - By digging deeper into a particular skill. I wrote my original article with software engineers in mind, but it applies to other disciplines. If you are a chef that knows how to make one appetizer, one salad, one entree, and one dessert, you won't get many job offers, even if each course is delicious. Perhaps diving into a certain style of cooking and becoming an expert in desserts would get you recognized as a specialist.

[csuf_grad]

To Employers: Pay me $500k w/ no overtime, or I won't develop software for you. Program it yourself, and I'll program my own stuff for MYself.

[DaveFecak]

Thanks for the mention of my JobTipsForGeeks blog. @Tobalcane100 - The difference between the 'jack of all trades' and 'not transferable' is something that is a bit tougher to explain. I would say people who have worked for an extended period within a specific environment might be able to succeed well in that setting, but not as well in a vastly different setting.

The example that is most common to my experience would be a software engineer at a bank or pharmaceutical company applying for a position at say an internet start-up. Even if the technologies and tools used are exactly the same, there would be some significant adjustments that the engineer would have to make in transitioning from a highly regulated and structured environment to what is often a wholly autonomous environment. In contrast, an engineer working for a start-up would have to also make major adjustments in going to work for in a regulated industry, where you may be required to move slower, document more, etc.

I hope this helps, and thanks for reading.

[Tobalcane100]

Your first and last suggestions are contradictory. But, I do believe in "jack of all trades, and a master of one". Thus have deep knowledge and skill in one important field, but know something of everything that field is used. Great article!