45 Reasons Job Applicants Don’t Get That Job
July 29, 2009 by K12Genie Staff
Interviewing for any job can be a daunting experience and interviewing for your first job can be even more so, especially for high school students and recent college graduates. Applicants should be aware that there are numerous factors that go into the hiring decision. Here are 45 common reasons applicants are not offered that coveted position:
- Poor personal appearance
- Overbearing, know-it all attitude
- Inability to express self clearly; poor voice, diction, grammar
- Lack of planning for career; no purpose or goals
- Lack of poise or confidence
- Lack of interest and enthusiasm
- Failure to participate in extra-curricular activities
- Over-emphasis on money; interested only in best dollar offer
- Poor scholastic record—just got by
- Unwilling to start at the bottom—expects too much too soon
- Makes excuses, evasiveness, hedges on unfavorable factors in record
- Lack of maturity
- Lack of courtesy
- Condemnation of past employers
- Lack of social understandings
- Marked dislike for school work
- Lack of energy
- Fails to look interviewer in the eye
- Limp, “dead fish” handshake
- Indecision
- Loafs during vacations
- Unhappy married life
- Friction with parents
- Sloppy application
- Merely shopping around for work
- Only wants job for a short time
- Little sense of humor
- Lack of knowledge in job area
- Parents make decisions for him/her
- No interest in company or industry
- Emphasis on who s/he knows
- Unwillingness to go where sent
- Cynical; sarcastic
- Low moral standards
- Lazy
- Intolerant with strong prejudices
- Narrow interests
- Poor handling of personal finances
- No interest in community activities
- Inability to take criticism
- Lack of appreciation for the value of experience
- Late to interview without good reason
- Never heard of company
- Asks no questions about the job during interview
- Indecisive responses to questions
If you are not offered a position, you may always ask the person who interviewed you for a reason. You might not get a reply, but any constructive feedback can help you fine tune your interviewing skills to land a job.
