I’m Job Hunting, But Never Make It Past A First Interview – What Am I Doing Wrong?

In a world of in­spi­ra­tional memes and #girlboss In­sta­gram posts, it’s easy to for­get that we all get stuck at work, or feel like we can’t find a way for­ward at times. Sue Uner­man is the Chief Trans­for­ma­tion Of­fi­cer at Me­di­a­Com and Kathryn Ja­cob OBE is the Chief Ex­ec­u­tive at Pearl and Dean. To­gether they wrote The Glass Wall: Suc­cess Strate­gies For Women At Work And Busi­nesses That Mean Busi­ness. Their new book Belonging, The Key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality At Work is out now. Each week an­swer your work ques­tions with prag­matic, hon­est ad­vice that’s proven to work…

Q: I’m searching for a new role. But I am getting frustrated that I never seem to get past initial interviews. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I am sure that if I made a shortlist I would stand a good chance of getting the role that I want. How do I stand out?

KJ: Well, you do need to stand out for the right reasons. It may sound basic but read the job criteria in detail and create a worksheet that specifies your qualifications and experience against each metric. This gives you a checklist to run through (of course in your head), during the initial interview. That way you save the interviewers the effort of running your application through their check list and you ensure that nothing that you have to offer is missed by them.

SU: Always be thinking: what can you do for them. If you go to the interview sure of your abilities but not thinking about how your capabilities fit their needs, then you won’t have the impact that you are seeking. So turn around your skills into practical applications for the role. For example, rather than think about how you are a great organizer of workflow, think instead about how you take workload and effort away from your line manager. Any interviewer is going to like hearing that you save time and effort to the company. And it becomes about what you can do for the people who are interviewing you rather than simply you saying that you are good at something.

KJ: Have you also considered how you are showcasing your talents? We have said it before, but it is important to show off a little in order to get noticed. Women often say that “the team achieved X” whereas men are more likely to say “I achieved X”. You might be a fabulous team player but interviewers might interpret this phrase as dismissive of your personal own contribution. Have you actually asked why you didn’t get through?

SU: As the saying goes: “feedback is a gift”. It can be a difficult gift to appreciate sometimes but it is useful. If the organization that rejected you will give you an honest bit of feedback this is something to take seriously and think about. Please do not take it personally, but do take the time to listen and learn from a fail. F.A.I.L. stands for First Attempt In Learning.

KJ: One frequent issue that I come across when I interview is that the candidate does not listen in the interview to the questions that I have asked them. It is almost as if they have decided what they want to say and will shoe horn (like a politician) that response to anything that I ask them whether it is even vaguely relevant or not. This is not the time to practice being Boris or Keir. Listen to what you are asked and respond to the issue with a real example from your experience.

SU: If at all possible do some homework on the people who are interviewing you specifically, but DEFINITELY research the company that you are applying for a role in. What do they care about, what has their CEO said publicly about any issues. Most large businesses will have published something about their purpose, and you might be able to find an interview with their top management so referring to this shows that you have really taken an interest. This is so much simpler than it used to be. There is so much on social media and LinkedIn that can help you. If the interviewer is on LinkedIn you can see where they worked before and even what school they went to – all of this gives you the opportunity to bond with the people on the interview panel and reference shared experiences.

KJ: A great example of this would be if someone arrived for an interview with either of us and they had read our books, and mentioned this. This to us would be a clear demonstration that they understand our values and the culture of our companies. That they are interested in working somewhere specifically that reflects this.

SU: There won’t always be a book of course. But I have used people’s school to guess where they grew up, and talked about that region if I know it. Really any kind of personal (but not intrusive) bond will help get you through to the next round of the interview. How enthusiastic are you about the particular roles you are applying for though? We all know about body language and the fact that what you say is only a small percentage of how you come across. If you are looking for a new job because you want to negotiate a promotion at your existing company this might well come across, unconsciously. If you do not care about the role other than as a way to pay your rent then the interviewer could well pick this up. And if when asked why you want to work there, your answer is that you have heard that there a lots of jollies, or they have good bar or gym in the office, then this will not get you through.

KJ: Our advice is to hone your technique, be open and interested in your interviewers and the company that you are approaching. Always ask “Is there anything more that you think you need to know from me to help me progress and get this job?” Good luck.