Potential reasons why you didn’t get the job
So you thought the interviews went well, but you just got some bad news: You did not get the job. Could you have done something differently? What went wrong?
While you may never know the exact answers to these tough questions, there are some things to avoid when interviewing. They may raise red flags by the potential employer and hurt your chances of landing a job. And you must keep in mind that some things are beyond your control. You may have done nothing wrong. Someone else may have struck the interviewers as a better fit.
Keeping the big picture in mind, here are just a few possible reasons why you did not get the job.
Interviewing can be awkward. However, you have to go through the process to get a job. And you need to remember that one of your primary goals during an interview is to convince someone else that you are the person who can do the job and who a company would enjoy having on their team. And to be able to sell yourself in these areas, you need to come across as confident. If your verbal or nonverbal behaviors show self-doubt, those who are interviewing will likely doubt you.
Some people make the mistake of going into an interview unprepared. Do yourself a favor, and don't be one of them! Do your research on the position you are interviewing for as well as the company where you are interviewing. You need to be able to ask intelligent questions and show an understanding of the job. If you are not prepared, it will show during the interview, and it will reflect poorly on you.
Interviews are tricky. People ask you all kinds of questions. And you want to answer them thoroughly and prove you are a good fit for the job. However, there is such a thing as too much information. When in an interview, keep your answers to about five to ten sentences. You do not want to go on tangents or sound like you are trying too hard. Be careful about not going overboard. Make sure to give the interviewers the chance to talk and to sell their company to you. Remember that most people like to talk about themselves to some degree. Give your interviewers that option, and try not to monopolize the interview.
When you are in an interview, you cannot relax too much. No matter what. Even if those who are interviewing you seem laid back, it may be a test.
You do not have the job yet. You want to make a favorable impression. And you will not do that if you get too casual in your conversation.
