Join Africa's fastest growing career community!

Featured

Didn't Get the Job Despite the Interview Going Well? Here's Why

Still, thinking about that job offer that never came through? Let’s talk about why didn’t get the job.

Article Preview Image

Still, thinking about that job offer that never came through? Let’s talk about why didn’t get the job.

Source

Once upon a time, I left an interview room with fire and excitement, “The job is mine,” I said to myself. In my mind, I remember choosing my parking spot and picturing my entrance into the office. After a week, I did not receive any feedback. It's okay, maybe they're still negotiating my contract. My heart was shattered when I opened this email two weeks later to find those words every job seeker hates: "We regret to inform you..."

It was devastating, I mean, the chemistry between that Dave guy on the panel was natural, I passed all his questions. The joke I told Lillian, the HR person, is still fresh in my mind. For God’s sake, they even told me about the work schedule. “What went wrong? ” I wondered.  

Recently, I had the honour of sitting on an interview panel and I saw history repeating itself. I guess the universe was giving me closure on what had happened years back. Here comes the candidate who matched the job requirements we had. He ticked off everything on our lists, and there is no doubt that the entire panel wanted him. Guess what? He did not get the job because his salary expectation was out of the company budget and that could not be changed. So here is the fact, even the best candidates sometimes do not get the job. 

 

Here are 5 reasons why you did not get that job, yet everything else seemed right 

 

1. The company decided to hire internally

The hiring process can be costly both financially and time-wise for companies. In the event that there are more costs to be incurred in the process, the recruiter reserves the right to look at the possibilities of hiring internally. This, at times, comes at the cost of a successful external candidate. 

Hiring externally means training the new employee, at times, going over the fixed company budget, and stalling work in order to wait for the candidate's notice period. It should be noted that employees hired internally already possess key organisational knowledge and will easily step up in the role compared to external candidates. When there is an urgency of work, an external candidate will be dropped to be replaced with a better match internally.

 

Interesting read: 6 reasons why recruiters are ghosting you after job interviews

 

2. Unrealistic expectations 

You are asking for triple the salary of what is already budgeted for. Three days of work in a week, you want to keep your current job and work part-time, plus the company has to facilitate your family among other requests. That will make the recruiter find ways of moving on without you. 

Being the best candidate in the interview is no longer enough, there are other influencing factors that will get you employed, and these come into play after the interviews. Other candidates that scored averagely compared to you, are likely to become potential hires when they offer more favourable conditions to take on the job compared to what you are asking for. 

3. You had a long notice period

Sometimes you should know that the company needs to fill in that position urgently. Waiting for your 2-month notice period might not be valid at the moment. Even when you tick all of the boxes, a candidate with a more convenient notice period will be a better option. 

Olive, a human resources officer, says that some positions are crucial and cannot be left vacant in the company for a long time. As Human resources, we need to respond to the needs of the company. If the second-best candidate has potential, then we give them the offer. 

“I have had to explain to candidates that they were good but we needed someone urgently, so they missed out on the offer because the company could not wait any longer.”

4. The unsuccessful background checks

Recruiters say that a candidate is as good as their reference and background checks. If your background checks come out negative, there is a high likelihood that the job will go to the second-best candidate. There are many reasons why your background checks can be unsuccessful, from criminal history, discrepancies in employment history, missing records about your education, and unfavourable reference statements from your former employers. 

 

Read also: Employment background checks: 6 red flags to look out for

 

5. Company culture mismatch

A candidate’s alignment with the company culture is key when the recruiter perceives that your professional values as an individual are not in line with the company’s, then you might miss out on the offer. Let’s say you are more inclined towards a progressive company culture that encourages individualism and creativity, yet the company is a fully structured organisation with much more emphasis on teamwork. Recruiters will get this information from your interview responses and opt for a candidate who suits their culture better.

6. Personal social media usage

As part of background checks, recruiters do check the candidate’s personal social media platforms. This is done to examine if your online image might affect the company. Unless it is a marketing position, some recruiters might pull the brakes when it comes to hiring a person who is very active on social media, questioning how committed you will be to the job, also there is a risk of the company’s reputation being tarnished. 

7. Stability in the position

Interviewers will always assess much more of the potential candidate including their future plans, before an offer is made, they need to know whether the candidate will be holding the job for a while. Some candidates fail to make it past this stage when they have prospects of ongoing or future engagements. For instance, a candidate who is currently undertaking full-time study or has plans of enrolling back to school full-time. Other candidates may have travel arrangements for the future. In such circumstances, the hiring team will not be willing to commit to a candidate whose stability is questionable. 

Do not discredit yourself after being rejected by the recruiter. As we have seen in the article, some reasons that lead to being rejected are out of your control. Dust yourself and get back into the battlefield using these job search strategies. As the famous American motivational speaker Denis Waitley once said: “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. 

Written by

Mercy Mukisa

Hey there, I'm Mercy Mukisa, a Senior HR Officer writing to you from the lively heart of Uganda. Writing is my way of contributing to the professional community, grounded in the belief that knowledge is the key to empowerment. In the dynamic field of HR, I'm not just a participant; I see it as a privilege to share the insights and experiences gathered along the way. It's not just about the job; it's a commitment to enhancing your professional journey. So, let's navigate through the pages of my articles together, aiming for a balanced and insightful exploration of empowerment and growth.


Give a like!

17 Comments

Sign in to read comments and engage with the Fuzu community.

Login or Create a Free Account