Let’s be honest. It makes you want to pull your hair out and slam your laptop. After all, landing an interview in this economic climate is like spotting a rainbow on a rainy day. But, when those interviews don’t turn into job offers, you’re left wondering, “What am I doing wrong?” Or worse, “What is wrong with me?”
The good news is the fact that you’re getting interviews is proof that you have the potential to land a job offer. But, that’s what makes it confusing. You know you have what it takes to excel in the roles you’re interviewing for, and you feel good at the end of your interviews, but it’s clear something is holding you back from getting hired.
Here are three surprising reasons your interviews are not turning into job offers:
You think your resume is your golden ticket.
So much of the advice you hear about job searching focuses on your resume, so much so that by the time you submit a resume that lands you an interview, you think the hard work is over. You mistakenly assume that since your resume got you through the door, you no longer need to paint the picture about what you can do for the company. Another issue could be that you’re focusing too much on your resume in your interviews. You’re hitting your experience line by line, instead of emphasizing your value. Your experience may get you through the door, but your value is what keeps you in the room.
Every opportunity in the hiring process from application to final interview is a chance to consistently market yourself and show why you’re the best person for the job. Don’t assume that relaying your value in interviews is overkill just because you submitted your resume, and don’t rely on your resume to consistently relay the message for you.
You didn’t show you’re a culture fit.
Culture fit is one of the most overlooked qualities candidates forget to demonstrate but it’s one of the top qualities employers seek when hiring new talent. Companies with healthy cultures aren’t just looking for someone who can do the job. They also want someone who aligns with the company’s values and who would be a great addition to the team. Displaying you’re a culture fit becomes even more essential as you progress to the final stages of the interview process. Right now, especially at a time when most interviews are conducted over Zoom and employers are unable to meet candidates in-person, if you’re missing the mark in this area, you’re letting job offers slide through your fingers.
But you can fix this. I once had a client who, before working together, landed 13 job interviews at amazing companies, but she ended up not getting any of the job offers she wanted. She received feedback that she was awesome but that she focused too much on the technical skills, which confused her because she thought she was supposed to do that. But, once she mastered how to show she was both a role fit and a culture fit, she ultimately landed three job offers, and one was at a company that previously rejected her.
You seemed uncertain instead of confident.
You may not realize it, but hiring managers notice when you’re uncertain about your value. For example, even if you have good experience and know you can do the job, if you think transitioning from a HR compliance-focused role to a different role in HR is a huge leap, you won’t show up as confident as you could be in your interviews because, secretly, you’re hoping they don’t notice that you’re attempting to make a huge leap. But in reality, the career change you’re seeking might not be as big of a deal as you think, especially if you were already able to land an interview for that role with your background and experience.
But, if you don’t fully trust yourself to do the job or if you haven’t fully convinced yourself that you deserve the opportunity, you’re likely self-sabotaging your job offers and showing hiring managers they shouldn’t trust you either.
No matter how many interviews are in the hiring process, each job interview is another opportunity to show up, stand out and communicate your value. If you’re treating your resume like a golden ticket, not showing you’re a culture fit or coming across as uncertain about the impact you can make, then you’re missing out on job offers that could’ve been yours. But, all hope is not lost. If you’re willing to change your approach and improve in these areas, you can still land an amazing job offer at a company you’ll love.
Adunola Adeshola coaches high-achievers on how to take their careers to the next level and secure the positions they’ve been chasing. Grab her free guide.
Originally published at Forbes