7 Reasons Why You’re NOT Getting HR Job Offers…What Your Interviewers Know, But Aren’t Telling You!
by Alan Collins
Are you getting interviews but no offers?
While it’s great to get invited in to interview for your HR dream job, it a bummer when afterwards they don’t SHOW YOU THE MONEY!
However, let’s face it. You’re not likely to get every single HR job for which you interview. Some jobs are meant for you and some jobs aren’t.
But, when you habitually get overlooked when it comes to job offers, or even second interviews, it is a good time to step back and try to figure out where you have room to improve.
The simplest way to find out why you’re not getting offers is to just call up the people you interviewed with and get feedback from them. Easy to do, right? Yes, it is…
…BUT DON’T COUNT ON IT HAPPENING ANYTIME SOON!
Here’s why:
One, they’re too busy.
Two, they expect you to (of course) disagree with their assessment and they have absolutely no interest in having this to escalate into a full-blown verbal brawl.
And three, they don’t want to risk a lawsuit by saying the wrong thing.
Think about it. Who can blame them.
So, in lieu of getting direct feedback from your interviewers, here are seven REAL reasons you’re not getting offers….
1. There’s nothing special about you.
I’m sorry but you’re just like every other HR leader they’ve interviewed. There’s no difference between you and the last three “result-oriented HR generalists” they’ve talked with. Nothing distinguishes you from the rest of the flock.
Solution: Make a list of the things you’ve done that set you apart from others and ways you can solve their HR, employee engagement, retention, cost management or business problems…and be prepared to talk about them in your interviews. Rehearse communicating this information over and over until you are so good at it that you exude the confidence that shows that you know your stuff.
Also, cut out all the HR jargon, psychobabble and buzzwords. Use plain speak. Envision interviewing with your grandmother. Yes, it may be tough to avoid saying: “I’m strategic,” but try it.
2. You’re lazy.
You didn’t do enough homework. Or, you got so busy you didn’t have enough time to prepare the way you wanted. And, it showed. So, what should you be preparing for? In a word: EVERYTHING.
Solution: Find out as much about the position as you can so you can decide if you even want it and so you can position yourself as the best fit for the job. Knowing all you can about the company will help you decide if you like its direction and share its values.
Plus, when it comes to the all important “Do you have any questions for us?” portion of the interview, all this preparation will ensure that you have plenty of material to cover.
Also, to prove that you’re a well-prepared, smart, no-nonsense HR professional from the get-go, be ready to ask well-thought-out, specific questions. Write them out in advance, so that you don’t forget them under pressure. Be prepared to interview the interviewer. Sometimes all it takes to get the hiring manager’s attention AND TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM OTHER CANDIDATES is ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION or, better still, the right question that no one else has asked.
I know all of this isn’t glamorous and probably much of this is what you know already, but the key here is EXECUTION! PRACTICE YOUR PITCH IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR, to get connected to it and believe in it. This will allow you to feel confident, comfortable in your own skin.
3. You’re boring as hell.
Surveys of hiring managers and HR leaders show that the number one trait that HR job seekers lack is high energy, enthusiasm, passion for the job. The bottom line is that most HR folks want to be around other people who are upbeat, exciting and at the very least, energetic.
The perception is that high energy HR people are on the ball and exude confidence. Low energy people are lazy, unmotivated and no fun. Whether this is true or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you address this perception.
Solution: Do a gut check to determine how you come across. And I’m not just talking about the live interview where your handshake needs to be strong and secure (ladies included) and your voice confident and strong.
During your phone interview, your energy is even more important because no one can see the bright expression of excitement that is hidden by technology. The only way to portray confidence and high energy on the phone is to have the proper inflection, tonality and great volume. With blue tooth and other type headsets, it’s more and more important to speak up.
If you’re not excited about what you have to offer, why should anyone else be? And please get some honest feedback from a trusted colleague about how you sound. Do an autopsy of your interviews and networking exchanges. Do you come across on paper (and in person) as someone who is blah, boring, flat, disengaged and lethargic?
If you think that you might, how about injecting some passion, energy, drive, motivation, determination, and inspiration into the wonderful product – YOU!
4. You’re not memorable.
The reason you’re not memorable is that you lack a compelling story that the interviewer can relate to. There’s an old saying: “stories sell and facts tell.”
Interesting stories create emotions and get people connected. People can relate personally to stories and the more you know about the company and person that you are interviewing with, the better you can use a story drawn from your own experiences to get that person to relate to what you are talking about.
And getting personally and emotionally to your interviewers is the differentiator you need.
Solution: A powerful way to find your own stories is to call up former colleagues, employees and bosses just shoot the breeze with them. Write down all the wonderful, “remember when” stories as well as the stories of your HR successes and challenges that make you unique, interesting, personable and different.
If you’ve spent years in HR, you may need other people to jog your memory. If you can give your story personality and feeling, then you will gain instant rapport with anyone you talk to.
Stories are an instant differentiator. Find a couple that are uniquely yours, then use them.
5. You don’t talk enough about money in your interviews.
In tough economic times, EVERYONE is talking money. Around kitchen tables everywhere, most families are discussing how to SAVE money or how to MAKE more money.
The same is true in the companies you’re interviewing with. It is important to recognize that as an HR professional, you are an investment. The hiring company invests in you with the expectation that you will produce returns on that investment. What types of returns? Most employers are seeking HR folks who have the proven ability to SOLVE a challenging problem, to help them MAKE money, to help them SAVE money, or to help them INCREASE efficiency and productivity.
Solution: Keep in mind that employers are looking for “experts” and ”solution providers” that can address THEIR issues. By taking time to describe in quantifiable terms the results you have delivered against, you can easily set yourself apart from the masses of the HR folks who are just emphasizing the soft stuff.
6. You’re bitter and it comes through in your interviews.
Yes, you’re still ticked off that you were fired, laid off or forced out. And try as you might, you couldn’t resist a little subtle dig at your boss or your former company. And deep down inside it felt good to vent a little bit. But wrong time, wrong place. Not cool.
Nobody wants to hire a whiner Nobody owes you a job.. When unemployment is high and you find yourself in a competitive job market, it is easy to get discouraged. It’s a fact that right now there are more and more people competing for fewer and fewer HR jobs.
Solution: Focus on the positive in your interviews. Take the high road, even if you feel you’ve been screwed over by your last employer. Keep in mind that there are still great HR jobs to be found. Companies are still hiring and HR job seekers are landing jobs on a daily basis.
7. They’re just not that into you.
They don’t like you. You’re not what they want. You just didn’t click with them. The chemistry just wasn’t there. Why? Who knows? Have you ever talked to someone and they just make you turn your head and say, “this doesn’t feel right”?
Well how do you know if someone isn’t saying that about you? Here’s the best way to tell. If you have anything to hide, have covered something up, or speak in half truths or your resume doesn’t match what you say.
If any of those things are true, people will say to themselves, “this doesn’t feel right.” The biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves (think of your small kids who will swear they didn’t take the last pizza slice, all the while covered in pizza sauce). If this is you…no job, guaranteed!
Solution: You don’t have to be perfect and convey that you have no problems. In fact the only people with no problems are, well, dead people. Just be honest and be consistent.
There you have it, seven reasons why they’re not showing you the money. I don’t have any problem telling you that you are likely going to stay unemployed, unhappy and a complete burden on society if you continue to do the things I’ve outlined above.
So consider this a wake up call…and also a terrific opportunity to truly differentiate yourself and win that offer!
Onward!
CLICK HERE to comment on this article or provide additional insights.
About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of UNWRITTEN HR RULES . His new book, BEST KEPT HR SECRETS will be available in July on Amazon.
July 1st at 6:06 pm
I would expand on #2 by saying that “doing your homework” to find out everything you can about the job does not mean asking the hiring manager to spend time before the interview telling you about the job and the company.
Get your information elsewhere. Managers are busy juggling all types of things. They set aside a certain amount of time interviews and do not generally have extra time to spend on every candidate before the actual interview.
As someone who is often on the receiving end of such requests, I am not very receptive and in many cases, the applicant has been so persistent that it left me with a less than favorable feeling about the applicant. They didn’t seem to mind taking up my valuable time. I put decent effort into providing information to applicants during the pre-screening process. I don’t have time to talk with them in detail about the position before the interview. Sorry.
July 1st at 6:51 pm
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July 1st at 10:12 pm
True and right on point.
July 2nd at 4:56 am
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July 2nd at 6:13 am
I’ve came across a weired incidence while attending interview for HR job. I had interview directly with the CEO (mid size company). The CEO said that I’m the right candidate to get selected and moves on … instructs the Finance Manager to cover general aspects (Finance Manager is one who is dealing with everthing – Finance, HR and Admin) and interviews me which I felt is not required. At that time I felt only general details will be discussed and no more interview which didnot happen…
Also, the Finance Manager is already having insecurity and is seen on the face as if I am going to take away everything which is wrong. It’s been a week I have still not heard any reply from that organisation. Only answer I received after the interview is we will interviewing few more candidates this week. We will revert with the feedback next week.
I’ve never witnessed this situation before, as I’m always a go-getter and find this disturbing.
July 2nd at 8:41 am
Gracie – sounds like the senior leadership team at the company with which you interviewed is not aligned, or not communicating well. Either cause is problematic, and may be a sign of more significant issues. If you do get an offer, you may wnat to spend some time understanding the dynamics before you accept.
July 2nd at 11:02 am
Spot on. Great tips and reminders!
July 2nd at 2:36 pm
What’s your opinion about the mid-level Generalist market?
I find opportunities for entry level HR work ($35 – $40K) or senior level ($100K+) or specialist titles. I’m clearly a true mid-level generalist. Is my career not aligned with the HR job market?
July 6th at 11:39 am
As usual, another insightful article! For me, #s 4 and 7 are near and dear to my heart. I have always found that compelling stories work for me. They are part and parcel to who I am and what makes me unique. I have often had the interviewer say to me afterwards, “What a story you have!” Also, I have been forced to own up to my many misgivings which is a very vulnerable state to put yourself in when you’re in an interview (with everything on the line) and need most to be seen positively. Unfortunately, most of us confuse that with being perfect. As Alan alludes to in the article, none of us is and it’s better to provide logical reasons for our shortcomings and, more importantly, convey how we’ve learned from them.
You are, after all, a unique individual. Why then would you do everything possible to not standout and simply present yourself the same way as 95% of interviewers do?
September 30th at 11:46 pm
Your 7 reasons for not seeing the money are candid and probably correct. You have forgotten one, however…. over qualified, unaffordable.. OLD. Age discrimination is alive and well. I may look younger than my age and work out and take good care of myself, but, once I fill out that application, they know how old I am. And no one wants a 50 year old bag, let’s face it. I can run circles around the sweet young things who’s breasts still flip, but, my experience and savvy business smarts don’t seem to matter. That’s ok. There’s always consulting.
November 29th at 11:42 pm
These are great tips that help us to look very honestly about any number of items. I agree completely with them all. I would add an eighth item which is timing. Sometimes you are the right person at the wrong time and vice versa. I believe that timing is everything. I also believe that there are times because of timing that you may be offered a completely different job than the one you are interested in because of timing.
Dr. Craig Follins
June 11th at 8:29 pm
Great Article, and I can see some of my errors in interviewing especially after reading it. Very Helpful. I do need some help, I love telling the truth, I believe I am ethical to a point of fault. So, in two of my jobs, Indian Casinos, I was never given a reason, honestly. Just told we have to let you go, one after 5 years, 2nd after 18 months. the second one was because I addressed my boss with a Sexual advancement from his boss, not 2 months later I was told they have to let me go. I just took the news, because I could not longer handle the advancements, and seeing a couple of other advancements the Chairperson made on other female workers. I also addressed that Chairperson to his face, (professionally of course).So knowing that is why, what do you suggest I say, mutual resignation.??
June 12th at 1:05 pm
Thanks Alan for another gem. All the points are right on, as are the couple of additional comments about timing, and overqualified/too expensive (with the presumed tenure risk concern). In our very unbalanced supply/demand employment marketplace, employers are often looking for the “purple squirrel” that has all of the content skills AND have the most recent several years in their specific industry, to even get invited in for the interview. Never mind the 80-90% transferability of HR (or IT or Finance). Frustrating.
June 13th at 5:53 am
Dear Alan,
I really enjoyed your article. You approach direct with no sugar coating. I have been on my job search for 5 months. I have a strong HR Generalist background, but I have been recovering from brain cancer and now I got it beat. I know if I can get an interview I can positively sell the fact that I am a surviror who has kept up with my craft. Thank you in advance pearls of wisdom that I will reference back to you article at my next interview.
June 13th at 11:17 am
I found this article very helpful especially as a searching candidate. I have tried the “please offer me feedback” and you are correct, nobody would assist me.
I had a job interview wtih 7 people, the last to see if I fit their mold and she came out and stated just that; never got a call back, not even to say no thanks and spent 4 hours there!
June 17th at 11:43 am
I appreciate your article. It was very helpful, and provided me with a better understanding of why my job hunting has not been as successful as I would prefer it to be.
In addition to what you discussed, I have another concern, credit checks. I don’t understand why credit is a factor especially in today’s economical times. Credit may not be part of the actual interview process, however, it is a part of the HR portion. Should bad credit prevent you from getting a job, and good credit a determining factor in going to the next level in the hiring process. Can you give me some feedback. Thank you
June 30th at 4:35 pm
I quite agreed with Alan and also appreciate the article. It really opened my inner eyes to discover most mistakes I have been making that support the reasons why I have not been able to bag any offer after attending about 14 interviews in two months. Its either I’m overqualified or underqualified. Having said this, I still have some few questions to ask:
1. What difference does interview with Agencies make from direct interview with employers?
2. When interviewers insist on salary expectation, what should the right answer be?
3. When one attends interview with an Agency and unknowingly, you have already applied to the employer directly, and the Agency got to know, does this have any negative implication from the Agency perspective?
4. My last question is, If an Agency contact you for a job opportunity with a client, and submit your resume to the client; could you still forward your resume directly to the client if you come across the same advert via Indeed, the employer’s website or the like?
I will be more than grateful if Alan or someone else could help break these bones!
July 1st at 9:42 am
Great article, but I agree with some of you, age discrimination is doing very well is the current market. I do not act, look or behave like the “old” 59 year old, I come across as energetic, enthusiastic and I love what I do. Even after 3 interviews with the same company, suddenly the calls drop, with no reason other than “we are still interviewing other candidates”.
There was another article I read today about modesty in the way one sell oneself, that one hit me right on the face. Had a phone interview last week, it was from overseas and I figure I will get in as much as I can, the end was very cold, and I still have not heard from them.
It has been 12 months, I have reduced my salary range by 15K, no takers.
Thank you for a good article, it gave me great pointers to follow on my interview in within the next 45 minutes.
August 1st at 12:08 pm
good reminders. Thanks!