Why You’re Rejected Before the Interview Even Starts — The 3 Top Reasons, and How to Avoid This Happening
Rachel May @LRDG
Have you ever felt like a job interviewer had rejected you as a candidate before the interview even started?
This Reddit user is still smarting from a years-ago interview that seemed doomed from the beginning: “I may have been overthinking but it felt like I was doomed from the start and getting an interview was just a formality of having a referral and that they were just teasing me… I’m sure I’m just being salty for something that happened years ago but it was an incident that really left me feeling worthless.”
Yes, as painful as it is, the reason you didn’t get the job might be that the interviewer decided not to hire you before the interview even began. Forbes explains that at times, interviewers do agree “to interview candidates who have no earthly chance at the job.”
Here are some possibilities for why you can be rejected before the interview even starts, and what you can do about them:
The interviewers don’t want to hire you because they have already prioritized an internal candidate
Forbes admits that companies will interview people just “to pad out a candidate roster only in order to get approval to hire someone they’ve already chosen for the role. They don’t mind wasting job-seekers’ time on fake interviews.”
Whether you find the potential job through networking or through your own search, try your best to find out: is the company hiring internally as well, or have they only opened up the position externally?
Doing as much research as possible before the interview can help you avoid the experience of being interviewed by someone who actually isn’t interested in hiring you, then wondering why you didn’t get the job.
They’ve decided not to hire you because they were biased against something they learned about you before the interview even started.
According to the Harvard Business Review, “a vast body of research shows that the hiring process is biased and unfair. Unconscious racism, ageism, and sexism play a big role in who gets hired.” Unfortunately, categories like race, age and gender are all often observable from resumes and cover letters before the interview starts.
Avoiding bias in the traditional hiring process is difficult, but Artificial Intelligence is increasingly becoming part of the recruitment journey. Recruiter Box explains, “The right hiring software is able to scan these documents and pick out keywords related to the job profile. This feature saves recruiters a tremendous amount of time by freeing them from the tedious task of going over each applicant’s resume and cover letter.”
If you’re concerned about how to find a job amidst ever-present hiring bias, why not research hiring platforms that use Artificial Intelligence as part of recruitment?
They didn’t want to hire you because they already decided to hire someone who was interviewed before you
If a stronger candidate just happened to show up earlier in the interview process, the reason you didn’t get the job might not be either the interviewers’ fault or your fault.
Glassdoor, as quoted on zety.com, reports that on average, “each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of these candidates, 4 to 6 will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job.” You might be wondering how to find a job fast, but unfortunately sometimes the most important skill in the traditional hiring process is slow, steady perseverance.
That’s all the more reason why you may want to explore alternative hiring solutions:
A soon coming direct-to-hire platform called Geekbidz uses AI to allow job seekers to rank their skills. The software then matches job seekers with employers when their skills are the best fit for a particular job opening.
These employers can then invite users to an on-the-job evaluation. Users stay anonymous throughout the whole process. In this way, Geekbidz entirely eliminates the process of submitting resumes and references and giving an interview. As a result, this hiring platform also holds promise for reducing bias, and speeds up the slowness of the traditional hiring process by matching users immediately with a position that fits their skills.
Find Solutions Within the Traditional Hiring Process, But Also Explore New and Innovative Hiring Solutions
Participating in an entire interview that seemed doomed from the start can leave any job seeker with discouraging memories.
If you’re wondering how to find a job without having to endure this feeling of futility, researching the company beforehand, preparing well and being persistent are important strategies; but don’t forget to also explore new Artificial Intelligence technology and try new hiring platforms that can truly revolutionize the unwieldy traditional interview process.
Photo Credit:
Adobe Stock
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