It’s time to talk about the “F” word. (No, not that “F” word.) Failure. Everyone wants to avoid failure but a few try to figure out why they fail over and over again. No matter who you are, what you do, the laws of failure are rarely prejudiced.
It goes without saying, we all experience setbacks. This truly makes sense in terms of your career. But it shouldn’t come at the expense of sacrificing your dream.
There are many factors which direct your job prospects and one needs to be aware of them. The time when you’re unemployed it’s not only hard on your wallet, but it’s also hard on your self-esteem.
Top 10 reasons why you may not get hired
You’ve spent dozens of weeks in the hope of HR emails and interviews, it’s unsurprising to get discouraged. You may fall into an inertia bubble or start to demonize your circumstances. The sad part is; it’s not the cure. But, the good part is; you can work on these to increase probability.
1. You’re Not Being Proactive
The sooner you understand that the perfect job doesn’t fall into your lap especially when you’re binge-watching Netflix (not intentionally demonizing). However, successful job seekers take responsibility for their life and proactively pursue jobs and keep on auditing their hunt until they make it.
Whereas other people keep blaming external factors that it wasn’t their fault, that they couldn’t have done anything to help it, you see how it generally rolls. By the way, it’s known as having-an-excuse-for-everything disorder.
What makes the difference?
Realize that in order to change it, you have to own it first. The belief that you have the power and ability to change your life remarkably surge your odds to achieve your dream job. That being said, Proactivity makes the difference. Many people wait for something to happen or someone to care for them.
One of the traits of proactive people is that they are ones who are the solutions to problems, not problems themselves. They seize the opportunity to do whatever is required to get the job done. You chose do you want to act or be acted upon. In simple words, what matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life.
2. Talent is Overrated
What it takes to be great? Well, If we look at the top performers from Winston Churchill to Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey are not determined by their inborn talents but from hard work and consistency honed over decades. Most of us tend to think if someone’s good at something it’s because their greatness was given to them. When it is just plain hard work.
Be it career or relationship, if you want to achieve success it’s essential to perform at the edge of your current level of ability. Relatively, a dream job can’t be fabricated out of thin air, hustle and grind are always part of the equation. The unfamiliar experience of success borns out of practice, deliberate practice to be exact.
That means when you put in work and practice while meticulously assessing your mistakes and wiping them out, you are destined to succeed.
3. Your Non-Verbal Cues Betrayed You
Body language speaks a volume about your personality. A famous research mentioned that; “human communication is only 7 percent verbal and 93 percent non-verbal The non-verbal component was made up of body language (55 percent) and tone of voice (38 percent)”.
The inability to communicate effectively determines your success rate in a career.
The average interviewer will talk to a lot of candidates, that’s obvious, right? It gets crucial for you to set yourself apart and stand out from the crowd to win the job.
Thus, behaviors like fidgeting or verbal tics “Ums” and “Ahs” can be a deal-breaker. Suppose you landed yourself a one-on-one interview. Congratulations! With so many candidates applying to get their name out you have made it by crossing all the obligatory filters. Now, all you have to do is crack the interview. In order to successfully land the job make sure that your non-verbal cues don’t betray you. Ensure a firm handshake, strong eye contact, good posture and leave with a gentle smile. Confidence is the key, my friend, even if you have to fake it.
4. You Quit too Early
“You are not defeated when you lost You are defeated when you quit”
Paulo Coelho.
Life can be tough, it can break you down, make you suffer but if you just manage to show up, you made all the difference. By doing so, you already surpassed the people who gave up. Rationally, the odds of your success have dramatically increased.
People who have risen to the top of their fields and are making a large contribution to their organization have worked for many years to climb up to this level. They have put in countless hours to refine their craft, learned more skills and bridged their gaps. Crave for better results, a better career, and a better life; that’s only possible when you don’t fall in the trap of instant gratification. Remember the consistency advice that’s been hammered in our heads since childhood? It’s actually Real.
5. You are Unprepared
Little things can make a big difference when you only have 30 minutes to leave an impression. Appearance counts, make sure to have the outfit that makes you feel powerful and appropriate for the company you will be applying for.
Managers pay close attention to details like hairstyle, body odor, and clothes. Lack of Polish conveys the message of your unseriousness. However, buying a new set of clothes is a wise bet. Even if you get rejected, you have a good outfit to put on for future opportunities.
Being prepared not only accounts for appearance but mindset as well. The mindset that “Either I win or lose I will learn something out of this experience” helps you cope with the uncertainty of the situation.
6. Failure Is The Part of Process
Failure completes the equation. If you fear failure, you fear success. Success often sits on the other side of the struggle, after every storm, there’s a rainbow. It brings us to the fact that Screwups are inevitable.
As humans, when our hard work doesn’t bring fruits, demotivation gets in our way. For a fact, your struggles are not getting wasted but keep storing up, layering up on the top of each other until it reaches a certain threshold. There’s a specific amount of effort you require to overcome that threshold and unlock the reward.
Follow the simple rule of thumb; that the most anticipated rewards are delayed. Albeit, failure is far better than the regret of not trying. The ability to play the long-game can make the odds of your success quite evident.
7. Reverse Engineer Your Failure
Reverse engineering can be an incredibly useful way to look back on your history of failures and reflect what caused it so. This way, you can walk into that moment and figure out what precisely happened and squeeze as many learnings out of that experience.
Putting your rejection into context enables you to systematically plan your future steps by looking through the lens of data. It equips you with the essential idea of Dos and Don’ts. Experience only turns into insights when we reflect on it. Otherwise, you’ll see tens of retired guys with little or no success. If you haven’t learned something out of your previous loss, you’re anticipating a new one.
8. You Lack the Skill to Sell Yourself
You’re always selling yourself, be it’s your products, thoughts or ideas it’s something you naturally do. When you’re interviewing for a job, your job is to sell the hiring manager on why you are the right candidate for the position. Firstly, you’ve to know what value you can bring, what are your strengths and weaknesses? What makes you different? With this awareness, you get a better sense of who you are and what you can do.
It’s important to clearly articulate your skills or abilities and back it up with results from your past work. It puts you on the map of success.
There’s a fine line between being corny and confident, so make sure to maintain it. Avoid touching both extremes.
9. You Don’t Have the Right Network
Networking is the bedrock of your professional success.
A strong network keeps you updated about the current trends and job openings within the organization. These days social media makes it easier than ever to connect with new people and expand your professional network.
A majority of employers tend to hire someone they already know and search among their current list of connections. If you aren’t already in their sphere of connections; make sure to chip in.
The best ways to grow your network includes attending conferences, local meetups, and industry events. Let me remind of the amazing quote:
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
10. You Haven’t Researched the Job
Probably, the most common reason why you fail in getting your dream job. If you haven’t done your homework, you’ll never get the chance to impress the employer. Research not only equips you with the crucial information that’s essential to land a lasting impression but also helps you compose questions about the job itself.
Thus, grasp as much information as possible about the company you aim to work with. Well, good research prepares you to answer the tricky questions such as why should we hire you or Tell me a little about yourself Etc.
Hope this article helped you get a clear idea of why people fail in getting a dream job. If you found it valuable, do consider sharing it in your network.
Ali Husnain is a Freelance Content Writer & a life enthusiast. He writes SEO optimized articles for businesses that want to see their search rankings surge. Crafting words that bring the most value to the readers stay his utmost priority. When he’s not writing, Ali enjoys getting immersed into reading Self-Help books. Reach out to him on LinkedIn or Facebook