Every company needs competent and highly skilled applicants who can help them advance their businesses, bring great ideas that put them ahead of competitors, and not sabotage their reputations through unethical repertoires but many applicants appear at job interviews with a lack of this consciousness.
At every job interview, impressing the hiring manager to confidently show competence is germane. But applicants have always missed their chances. This is why in most job interviews, only 1 in 5 applicants often receive an employment call while the rest bag “love letters”—a term for rejections.
Based on this craggy chimney of job interviews, depression may lodge applicants into thinking companies are biased or the love-letter recipients are not good enough. But save the breath, this is far from the truth.
Every company needs competent and highly skilled applicants who can help them advance their businesses, bring great ideas that put them ahead of competitors, and not sabotage their reputations through unethical repertoires. Many applicants appear at job interviews with a lack of this consciousness. This is why hiring managers, who are constantly tasked to pool the best brains for the company, will find it difficult to hire them. This reason falls under the seven reasons, the cerebral founder of JobsWithAramide, Mrs Aramide Oyekunle, explains could be the cause of getting love letters as job applicants.
Seven Reasons Why Applicants Fail At Job Interviews
Illustration: An image of two individuals at an interview session. Credit: Forbes.
Lack ofPreparation
Failing to adequately prepare for the interview by researching the company, understanding the job requirements, and practicing common interview questions can significantly impact performance.
Poor Communication Skills
Difficulty articulating thoughts, providing concise answers, or effectively conveying qualifications and experiences can hinder interview success.
Lack of Confidence
Feeling nervous or lacking confidence during the interview can affect the candidate’s ability to present themselves positively and engage with the interviewer effectively.
Overlooking Soft Skills
While technical skills are important, employers also value soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Neglecting to demonstrate these skills during the interview can be detrimental.
Not Asking Questions
Failing to ask insightful questions about the role, company culture, or expectations can indicate a lack of interest or preparation and may leave a negative impression on the interviewer.
Inadequate Research
Not researching the company or industry thoroughly enough can lead to a lack of understanding of the organization’s goals, values, and challenges, making it difficult to demonstrate alignment with the company’s needs.
Negative Attitude
Displaying a negative attitude, whether towards previous employers or experiences, can raise red flags for interviewers and undermine the candidate’s suitability for the role.
Beyond these seven reasons, there are pitfalls and applicants need to watch out. According to Aramide, failure to conduct thorough research, be confident enough and remain enthusiastic, maintain resilience, and demonstrate needed skills, among others will impede the chances of applicants’ selections. This is why she listed the following as the major pitfalls of applicants during job interviews.
Quality time for research of the company must be golden to what gives an applicant an edge to succeed interview session.
Illustration: An image of two individuals at an interview session. Credit: Forbes.
Common Pitfalls in Job Interviews
Lack of Proper Research
To click that application button, upload that Curriculum Vitae (CV), write that cover letter, and kit up for an interview session are often lording over most applicants’ need to research. Thereby, a frog in at the application session and a frog out at the interview session.
Quality time for research of the company must be golden to what gives an applicant an edge to succeed interview session. The research will expose applicants to the company’s culture, values, and recent developments. If an applicant, says “I am a go-getter that doesn’t take no for an answer and I think this applies to one of the visions of ABC Company which is to forge ahead beyond difficulties,” to a company that thrives on undertaking difficult tasks and breaking barriers. Will it intrigue the hiring manager or turn him off?
Thorough research helps to align a job’s role and requirements in detail with the visions and missions of the company. This will give you an edge and establish the nonverbal, but loud thought that you’re passionate about the work.
Inability to Highlight Applicants’ Unique Value Proposition
Applicants have values but few know how to annex them to boost their chances of topping their interview sessions. Aramide said unique skills, experiences, and achievements that set applicants apart from other candidates, are needed to impress a hiring manager. Applicants need to clearly articulate how their backgrounds and qualifications make them the ideal fit for the role and provide specific examples of past successes that demonstrate their capabilities.
Lack of Soft Skills
Human Resource Management, Problem-solving, risk management, and leadership — are among many other soft skills that can barricade some applicants’ success. Though technical skills are highly invaluable, employers value soft skills, as well. Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability, are always added advantages. However, applicants need not only to show soft skills, they must relate their past experiences using all or any of those skills to successfully champion a course.
Timidity and lack of Confidence and Enthusiasm
Project confidence and enthusiasm throughout the interview. Maintain good posture, make eye contact, and speak clearly and confidently. Show genuine interest in the role and company by asking thoughtful questions and engaging with the interviewer.
I am a writer and investigative journalist who specialises in literary criticism and underrepresented narratives. Among other publications, I have been featured in Business Day Nigeria, TheICIR, Platform Times and Daily Nigerian. Right now, I work as a full-time staff writer for Unconventional Magazine.
I am a writer and investigative journalist who specialises in literary criticism and underrepresented narratives. Among other publications, I have been featured in Business Day Nigeria, TheICIR, Platform Times and Daily Nigerian. Right now, I work as a full-time staff writer for Unconventional Magazine.
