If you are feeling frustrated because you’re sending hundreds of job applications without hearing back from recruiters, you are not alone.
Many job seekers, although qualified, are finding it difficult to land a job interview.
Some of the reasons why you are not landing any job interviews might be the following:
You Don’t Have a Target
Being unemployed and having bills to pay is not helping, however sending hundreds of job applications without having a clear target, will not help either.
You need to have a list of potential target jobs that fit your experience, skills, and personality, in order to increase your chances of landing a job interview.
If for example your current position or most recent position is Account Executive, you should aim for the following positions: Account Executive, Account Manager, Sales Executive, Sales Manager, etc.
Aiming for a Sales Director might be one of the reasons why you are not landing a job interview.
You Don’t Customize Your Job Application
By job application, I mean resume and cover letter.
Although you are aiming for the same job, different companies have different needs and different job descriptions for the same job.
Although it is time-consuming, you absolutely need to customize your resume according to the job description of the job you are applying to.
Highlight their main requirements and make sure you meet them and that they stand out throughout your resume.
For example, if they are looking for someone with 3 years of experience in a multinational corporation, assuming you have this experience, you need to make sure this is written in your resume and cover letter.
You Don’t Research The Company
Researching the company and the role will help you to better understand their culture and needs and how you can position yourself as a candidate, giving you better chances of landing a job interview.
For example, if you apply for a digital marketing position, researching their online presence will give you a great overview of how well or not they are doing and how would you be able to help them.
Addressing their pain points and how you can solve them in your cover letter, should guarantee to land you a job interview.
You Don’t Know Who You Are Sending Your Job Application to
Regardless of whether you apply directly on the company’s website, LinkedIn or any other job portal, with a simple Google search, you should be able to find who is the Hiring Manager for the position you are applying to or the HR Manager.
You should always address your job application to somebody, not just to the “HR Department” or “Hiring Manager”.
Your Resume Doesn’t Include Your Contact Details
I know, this is a no-brainer but you would be surprised how many job seekers forget to add this important piece of information.
Make sure you include your email, mobile and LinkedIn profile.
Your Resume Doesn’t Look Professional
Throughout my career, you will not believe how many unprofessional resumes I have received.
From resumes that included selfies, inappropriate email addresses ([email protected]) to inconsistent fonts, a lot of colors and grammar or spelling mistakes.
Make sure that your resume is consistent and relevant to the position you are applying to.
Below is a professional resume template that you can purchase in order to create a modern-looking resume that will surely land you a job interview. It includes 1, 2 and 3 pages templates, along with a cover letter template.
Besides it is fully customizable in terms of colors, fonts, and sizes and has detailed instructions on how to write your resume. It is ATS compliant and written by a professional resume writer.
With your purchase, you will also get a 50+ page “Guide to Landing the Job” bonus.
Click on the image below to check it out.
Your Resume is in The Wrong Format
Always send your resume in a PDF or Word format if you want to make sure that the hiring manager will be able to read it.
I know that looking for a new job is nerve-wracking and some of the above tips are very time-consuming, but sending hundreds of job applications and not receiving any job interview invitations is even more time-consuming.
If my tips helped you land a job interview, don’t forget to drop a comment below and share your experience.
Good luck!
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I could see how any and all of the issues you listed could cause one some trouble when trying to land a job. As a person who has an excellent track record at landing jobs, the number one tactic above all of the ones you have mentioned is to flood the market with resumes and cover letters. Back in the 90s when I wanted a position that I knew required a degree and I was 2 months away from getting my degree, I sent out 350 resumes with cover letters to a wide variety of places, but for that marketing job that I wanted. I ended up accepting a job right before I was going to graduate (with the agreement that I would definitely receive the actual degree). That was back when jobs where a lot harder to find. Now, I simply point my attention toward a few places, contact the people hiring and I usually have more than one offer to choose from. Thanks for offering awesome tips.
Interesting article with some useful insights worth looking into.
Thank you 🙂
I like the point you make regards researching the companies. It is so tru in that tailoring the resumse (CV) to the company can for sure make such a difference.
And it only takes a few minutes to Google the company and learn about them.
Great post!
I completely agree, Valeria
Great list, as someone who has been a hiring manager many times I can say the unprofessional resume is a big deal – it’s the first sample a manager has of the quality of your work. If there are grammar errors and other issues it’s a red flag. Doing company research definitely helps someone stand out during the interview process and demonstrates their interest.
Absolutely! The resume is the candidate’s business card and so many overlook this aspect unfortunately.
Some of the services I provide are resume creation/update, cover letter development and interview coaching. It is shocking how many clients come to me with outdated, ill formatted and generic resumes that they played other “professional resume writers” to create. Your post perfectly exposed some of the greatest errors for those in the job market.
Thank you, Kimberlie. Absolutely! I can’t believe I still see generic resumes.
These are great tips! You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve asked someone about a job and they couldn’t remember what job they are interviewing for.
This is such a huge but common mistake.
These are great tips for landing an interview! I think people often overlook the importance of customizing the resume and cover letter.
Thank you, Beth. I agree 100%