If you are interviewing for a job, you are rarely the only candidate, in fact it’s often a case where many applied, a handful went into the first round, and just 2-5 will advance to next round of interviews.

If you consistently find you are dropping out after the first call, you’d be wise to take a deep look at what’s behind that and course correct. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to get specific feedback from the interview team.

Every single interaction, from a one-line text to an in-depth panel interview is a test.

Here’s the top reasons candidates don’t get that ‘call back’, the second ‘audition’ if you will:

Lack of Passion for the Mission
Companies want to employ people who are excited about what they are doing, enthusiastic about the market, the product. They simply make for more engaged, thoughtful, and committed employees. Far too often, in an interview, a candidate doesn’t express that they are jazzed about what the company is creating. Perhaps it’s nerves, getting too wrapped up in anticipating the next question, treating the interview like an exam instead of a conversation. And if you are not feeling it, it’s hard to fake it, probably not the right role for you.

Lack of Research
I’m constantly shocked by how little research people do before engaging on a call. It takes 60 seconds to scan a website and get a sense of the company and products. It takes less time to look up someone’s LinkedIn profile. Never take a call with a recruiter or business associate without an idea of who you are speaking to, that’s business 101. The moment I hear, “no, didn’t have time to look at this”, I think ‘lazy’. Preparation is important, it tells us something about you.

Failing the Technical Challenge
We’re the first to say an interview isn’t how we work, you probably don’t have to white board and explain your thought process on a daily basis in your work. However, interviewing is the tool we have, getting good at it is key. There are hundreds of mock interview coding challenges and tips online. Taking the time to become proficient in the art of interviewing will be worth your time, it’s not taught in colleges. Many questions can be anticipated, from sources like Glassdoor to simply thinking through what might be asked. Preparation is important.

Communication Skills
An interview is about expressing yourself, communicating what you’ve done, what you excel at and what you can contribute. If your communication skills need work, work on them by taking classes, getting a language coach, an interview coach, practice in the mirror, video tape yourself.
Written skills are equally important. If you must text, treat that with the utmost professionalism, taking care to consider time zones, identifying yourself, watching for typos. A much higher bar exists for written communications. Every interaction is a test.

Poor Interview Techniques
Excel at interviewing. Almost all interviews will ask about what YOU have done. Be prepared for that and don’t hide behind words like ‘we’, ‘the team’. Yes, we want team players, but we also want doers even at the executive level. Companies are running lean, all leaders need to contribute in a hands on fashion setting specific strategies, bringing their own thought leadership to the table. You should prepare for that question in advance.
As we return to the office in many roles, expect to be tested on that. Too many people in recent months have said they were fine being in office only to renege on that once hired. No one wants to micromanage someone on something so basic as office hours and location. Take a close look at the commute, ensure that you have the right support systems in place or wait for a fully remote role.

If you aren’t moving forward in your interviews, there’s something wrong, maybe the jobs you are applying for are the wrong level, but chances are it’s your own performance that’s at issue. Work on fixing that, invest in yourself.

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