Why Didn’t I Get The Job?

So you just went through rounds of interviews and got the sense that they liked you! You felt everything was going great and you were sure to land the job. But then you unexpectedly get the call that “they’ve decided to pursue another candidate”. This is devastating and you might wonder why you didn’t get the job.

We have some answers to that question…

1. They decided to hire someone internally.
2. The position was put on hold due to restructuring. 
3. The position was put on hold due to sudden budget constraints.
4. A reorg of the team shifted their hiring priorities. 
5. A hiring freeze was implemented after the interviews started. 
6. Budget changes made it impossible to offer the salary you wanted. 
7. Leadership changes altered their focus of hiring.
8. The role was changed and you were no longer an appropriate fit.
9. Team dynamics shifted and so did the culture, making you not the best culture fit.
10. The company went in a new direction and no longer needed the role. 
11. You were overqualified for the role, and they were concerned you’d be bored.
12. You were underqualified for the technical aspects of the role.
13. You’re too experienced for a junior position, leading to a mismatch in compensation.
14. You don’t have enough leadership experience for a senior position.
15. They decided they needed one more skill, but you didn’t have it.
16. You didn’t speak to the right kind of experience they were looking for.
17. You’re too specialized. They need a generalist.
18. You spoke too much about where you’ve been without discussing your future goals.
19. Your portfolio didn’t quite match the exact style they were looking for.
20. They had concerns about your lack of experience in their industry.
21. Your salary expectations were too high.
22. They couldn’t agree on a start date with you. 
23. They couldn’t allow the position to be remote after all—they needed someone local.
24. You said you weren’t interested in a hybrid position, but the company went hybrid.
25. They have concerns about the long-term commitment of relocating.
26. They couldn’t meet your benefits expectations. 
27. Another candidate was more flexible on salary or benefits.
28. They were concerned about the length of your commute. 
29. They couldn’t afford to relocate you. 
30. Another candidate has deep experience in their highly specific niche.
31. Someone else has stronger industry knowledge and leadership experience.
32. Another candidate was a super strong culture fit.
33. That other candidate did a better job on their technical assessment.
34. Some other candidate blew them away with their skills. 
35. Internal politics made them go with someone else. 
36. The company notoriously hires family members and BFFs 99% of the time.
37. There was a referral candidate with an edge over you.
38. Someone else’s personality matched the team perfectly. 
39. A candidate from a previous round of interviews was chosen this time. 
40. Your background check didn’t come out clean for some reason. 
41. There was negative feedback from one of your references.
42. They had second thoughts about your job history and experience.
43. There’s a typo in your resume or website. 
44. They had concerns about the short amount of time you’ve spent in previous jobs.
45. They had concerns about how long you’ve stayed at previous jobs.
46. They didn’t like something you posted on social media. 
47. Someone in the industry gave the company negative feedback about you.
48. You weren’t quick enough to follow up. 
49. You weren’t enthusiastic enough in your follow-ups.
50. You didn’t follow up with thank-you’s to each of your interviewers.
51. Your thank-you notes were poorly written or too generic. 
52. Someone on the team “didn’t get a good vibe” in their interview with you.
53. You failed to clarify important details post-interview with someone.
54. You showed up to an interview late. 
55. You were overly communicative with unnecessary personal info. 
56. You didn’t wear a good enough outfit to the in-person interview.
57. There are concerns you might leave too soon for a better opportunity.
58. They thought you might be more into the title or compensation than the job itself.
59. You didn’t seem interested in growth at the company.
60. Your ambitions were not a great fit for what the company could offer. 
61. They didn’t think you were passionate about the industry. 
62. They weren’t confident in your leadership potential. 
63. You were a little too harsh on former colleagues in your interview.
64. You didn’t mention how you worked on a team.
65. You seemed too arrogant or overconfident to them. 
66. You didn’t seem empathetic enough on behavioral/emotional questions.
67. One person thought you seemed aggressive or argumentative. 
68. You got too emotional while recounting a stressful time.
69. They criticized you in an interview and didn’t think you took the feedback well.
70. You came across as being unprepared or disorganized. 
71. You seemed unwilling to collaborate or work cross-functionally. 
72. The company filled the role with a freelancer. 
73. They pivoted and decided to outsource the job or even the whole team.
74. Someone they originally wanted to hire was now available again. 
75. The hiring manager left and the new hiring manager wanted to restart the process.
76. They received more funding, and so changed the role to a higher level.
77. A merger or acquisition delayed or stopped the hiring process. 
78. The team leader left the company and the hiring process stopped. 
79. The company had sudden legal issues to deal with and had to reprioritize. 
80. Project delays made the role less urgent or put on pause indefinitely. 
81. HR just found out there would be layoffs, pausing the hiring process indefinitely. 
82. Another department absorbed the role’s responsibilities. 
83. The company decided to use AI or automate most of the job’s responsibilities.
84. A new hire from a different department was relocated to the role. 
85. They welcomed back a former employee at the last minute. 
86. The market shifted, and so did the desired role responsibilities.
87. They moved the hiring timeline out because of other urgent project timelines.
88. A key decision-maker went on leave. 
89. They decided to merge two roles, making you no longer a viable candidate. 
90. They just launched a new service and had to refocus on internal needs. 
91. A senior executive had a different opinion about you. 
92. They wanted someone from a different background. 
93. The company wanted to shift and focus on a customer you have no experience with.
94. A large client ended a contract, reducing the need for the role. 
95. A new parent company that acquired the company wants to suddenly change hiring.
96. They opted for a temp—just until future business needs are clearer. 
97. A competitor made a similar hire, changing their minds about who to hire.
98. After business expansion plans changed, the role was made redundant.
99. They reprioritized, deciding to hire for an urgent executive role. 
100. You didn’t communicate in the same way that everyone else on the team likes. 
101. It wasn’t the right job for you.

Did you notice that 90% of these reasons are all out of your control? Good—that was the point! Much of the hiring process is totally out of your hands. It is not worth your time to wonder why you didn’t get the job. Instead, think about what you can control. Get feedback from their recruiter on what areas you can work on and take note. Most of all, get back out there—so much of the hiring process is about the right timing. The sooner you can start looking again, the better.

If you need help on beginning your job search, you’ve come to the right place. We specialize in placing people like you with great companies.