Reasons why your job application is rejected by hiring companies

We’ve all been rejected from job applications, but so rarely do we get feedback as to why.

Here are some reasons why candidates turn down job offers and what you can do to prevent them from saying no to yours:

You're Overqualified

It can seem illogical that employers would reject you for having too much experience or too many degrees. But remember that recruiters and hiring managers are looking for people who will thrive in the job they have available. 

If you have an MBA and are applying for an inbound call center job, people will assume that you'll find the job boring, so they won't hire you. If you think you would enjoy a job for which you're overqualified, make sure you acknowledge this in your cover letter and explain why you're applying for this position.

Your Resume Is Sloppy

In real life, a typo doesn't make a huge difference. In your resume? A typo can constitute the difference between whether you get an interview or find your application automatically rejected. Never submit a resume that you haven't run through a spell checker and a grammar checker. Always make sure that your resume was reviewed by a human with a good command of grammar rules. Your formatting is also important. Recruiters don't want to see fancy resumes, they want to see resumes that are easy to read.

You're Trying to Change Careers

Lots of people successfully change careers, but it isn't easy. If you're trying to change career paths make sure that your resume and your cover letter detail why you're changing careers and why you're qualified for the new career path. Employers won't make the connection without your help.

Not Following the instructions given

The most basic error is not following the clear instructions on a job advert. If you’ve been asked for three ways you’d improve the role, then list them. If a request has been made in the job advert, then it’s not optional.

Don’t apply for loads of jobs at the same organisation

Applying for every available job at a company is a worrying sign, and easily spotted. Most application systems are web-based these days, and it’s simple to run a name search to see if someone has applied for a bunch of wildly different jobs. It doesn’t come across as passionate, it screams desperate.