Author: Eta Sateles

Getting multiple interviews is a positive sign—your resume is making an impact, and recruiters see potential in your skills and experience. However, if you’re consistently falling short at the final hurdle, it’s time to reassess your approach. Here are some reasons why this might be happening and how you can improve your chances of landing that coveted job offer.

You’re Not Prepared Enough

Preparation is crucial. Researching the company, understanding its culture, and familiarizing yourself with the role’s requirements can make a significant difference. Interviewers can tell when a candidate hasn’t done their homework.

Solution: Spend time researching the company, its values, recent news, and the industry it operates in. Tailor your responses to show that you’re not just looking for any job, but that you’re genuinely interested in this particular role and company. Here’s our insight into this topic: Inform Yourself About the Company.

Your Communication Could Use Some Work

Even if you have the right qualifications, how you convey your thoughts matters. Rambling, using filler words, or failing to answer questions directly can leave a negative impression.

Solution: Practice clear and concise communication. Consider using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses. This technique helps you stay focused and provide detailed, relevant answers.

You’re Not Selling Yourself

It’s not enough to simply state your skills and experience—you need to demonstrate how you can add value to the company. Employers want to know what makes you the best fit for their team.

Solution: Use specific examples from your past experience to illustrate your achievements. Highlight your problem-solving skills, leadership abilities, and how you’ve positively impacted previous employers. Quantifiable achievements (e.g., increased sales by 20%) are particularly compelling.

You’re Coming Off Too Negative

Hiring managers favor candidates who are positive and solution-oriented. Being overly negative or critical can be a red flag.

Solution: When asked about potential improvements for the company or past employers, be mindful of how you word your responses. Focus on constructive feedback and offer solutions rather than just pointing out problems. Avoid badmouthing former workplaces, managers, or colleagues, no matter the circumstances. Presenting yourself as a positive and proactive individual will make you more appealing to employers.

If you are not authentically a positive person, don’t force yourself to put on a false front—but if there is at least one topic you view favorably, try to showcase that side of yourself.

You’re Not Showing Enough Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is contagious. Employers are looking for candidates who are excited about the opportunity and eager to contribute. If you come across as indifferent, they may question your interest in the role.

Solution: Show genuine enthusiasm during the interview. Smile, maintain eye contact, and express your excitement about the position. Ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate your interest in the role and the company. For additional preparation, check out these tips: Practical Tips for a Scheduled Job Interview.

You’re Not a Cultural Fit

Sometimes, it’s not about your skills but how well you fit into the company’s culture. Employers want to ensure that new hires will mesh well with the existing team and uphold the company’s values.

Solution: Reflect on the company’s culture and values during your research. In your interview, highlight aspects of your personality and work style that align with the company’s culture. Be honest—finding a company where you truly fit will benefit both you and your employer in the long run.

You’re Not Following Up

Following up after an interview shows professionalism and continued interest in the position. It’s a chance to reiterate your enthusiasm and keep yourself top-of-mind for the hiring team.

Solution: Send a personalized thank-you email within 24 hours of your interview. Mention specific points discussed during the interview and reiterate why you’re excited about the role. This small step can set you apart from other candidates, but it’s not a common approach in all markets. For example, in Serbia, it is not usual for recruiters to receive follow-up emails, so be mindful of this.

You’re Not Learning from Feedback

If you’re consistently not getting offers, it might be helpful to seek feedback from your interviewers. Constructive criticism can provide valuable insights into areas for improvement.

Solution: If possible, politely ask for feedback after you’ve been turned down. Use this information to refine your interview technique and address any recurring issues.

Getting multiple interviews but no offers can be frustrating, but it’s also an opportunity for growth. By addressing these common issues and refining your interview approach, you can improve your chances of securing a job offer. Remember, each interview is a learning experience. Stay positive, keep honing your skills, and the right opportunity will come your way.

Ultimately, just like in relationships with others, the one who doesn’t want us isn’t good for us. We just need to recognize that on time.

If you are still facing challenges and need support during your job search, see how Jaka Lounge consultants can assist you through career counseling.

During job search and the selection process, it is often the case that candidates are left confused after an interview because of unresolved concerns, or they realise there are questions they should have asked, but they forgot. Also, there are often questions like “what should and what shouldn’t be asked on an interview” that make the whole situation even more complicated.

In order to simplify the whole story, we will say the following – there are no questions that you should not ask, maybe just those that are not the best ones for the first round of interviews. But let’s look at the important ones that you need to ask, and which are perfectly okay to ask.

More details about the company

This is a question that is generally asked by interviewers to see if you have researched in more details about the company, and it can also show your motivation for the company or position. However, sometimes you may not find many details on a website of a company itself that may be of interest to you or that may be important to you. In such a situation, it is perfectly okay to ask for company details (company size, team structure, location, company culture, etc.)

Tasks and the team

Your future responsibilities are mainly described in a job ad that was posted, and we strongly advise you to read it in detail as your interviewer will surely ask you further about your potential responsibilities and how you understand them. On the other hand, if an ad was not detailed enough, you may have some concerns about the job itself. In these situations, it is quite fair to ask for an additional explanation so that you have all the information you need, and also to know if that job is really what interests you.

Also, information about your future team (if any) can be of great importance to you. What will be your future team, whether it consists of juniors or seniors, and how your cooperation with them will look like.

Working hours

This is one of the questions that candidates often forget to ask, and it can significantly influence further motivation. Be sure to check your working hours, and whether you work on weekends. Also, having shifts or on-call duties in certain positions can be crucial when deciding on a job.

Next steps

Most of the selection processes consist of several different rounds, and the first step is mostly talking to HR. After that, the process may vary, and the next interview may be with a hiring manager, or with top management, a director, etc. Also, be prepared to do different tests during the process: case study, aptitude test, knowledge test, presentations, etc. In this case, it is essential to be informed about what the test is about, what is its importance during the process, whether it is an elimination step, and what the test will look like.

Salary

This is often the thing that interests candidates the most and the one they ask the most about. However, in most situations, it is unfortunately not possible to find out the salary at the very beginning of the process. The interlocutor will mostly ask you in the first round what are your financial expectations and what financial package you would be happy with. While they may not be able to tell you the exact salary at the time, you can always ask them if your expectations fit into the company’s financial budget for the position, as well as pointing out that you are ready to discuss it in more detail in the following rounds.

These are just some of the most common concerns that candidates face. However, this does not mean that all other issues are not welcome or undesirable.

Remember that you will be doing a specific job on a day-to-day basis, at the company you have selected with the team you should fit into, so anything that can help you better understand what is waiting for you – feel free to ask.

There are some topics that should not be discussed during the job interview. Topics such as religion, sexual orientation, nationality, race, political beliefs and other very personal topics should not be the subject of interest of your prospective employer. The reason for this is to protect candidates from discrimination.

Discrimination is unequal treatment of a person because of their personal attribute, which results in inequality in their exercise of rights. Due to personal views and beliefs of an interviewer, candidates may be discriminated based on information that is not related to their knowledge and abilities for the job.

In addition to the topics previously mentioned, issues related to housing and family status are not welcome on the job interview because they are not relevant to the selection process.

Also, questions about marital status, children and pregnancy are not a suitable topic for job interviews.

Another topic that is very sensitive and that your prospective employer should not be aware of is your current salary. Your salary is a matter that should be kept confidential and solely between you and your employer. During a job interview, instead of sharing your current earnings information, talk about your expected salary.

However, before you conclude that a question has been asked with an intention to discriminate you on a personal basis, try to make sure of the interviewer’s intent. It can sometimes be that a person on the other side of a table is inexperienced or even unaware of the discriminatory nature of the questions they ask. People involved in the selection of employees should be aware of the processes and procedures of the selection process, but unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Also, what can be a discriminatory issue for one job may not be for another profession. For example, a question of whether you are a smoker or not is not as relevant for the job of a programmer as it is for the babysitting job.

General Data Protection Regulation (also known as GDPR) prohibits collection and processing of personal data that is not relevant for the business of the company, in this case, the selection process – so be careful not to give too personal statements in the pre-selection questionnaires.

If you find that there is no discriminatory intent behind the question or that the question is asked inadvertently, politely give a brief answer and navigate the topic toward your previous work achievements and other accomplishments that qualify you for the job.

If, however, you happen to be unjustifiably asked a question that does not relate to your work experience and skills, try to subtly point out to the recruiter that some other things are more relevant for the job itself. Remember that you are also in a position to choose, so be free to judge whether you want to work in such a work environment based on the questions and the entire interviewing experience.

Many candidates are not aware that an introductory question “What do you know about our company?” is actually trickier than a lot of others that are suspected to be. It is no secret that employers are flattered when candidates are interested in working at their company. However, this is not the only reason why an answer to this question is important for your adequate representation during an interview. Candidates who briefly describe the business of a company as a response to this question, mention an approximate number of employees and countries in which the company operates, and ideally some specificity about the company itself (awards they received, impressions of their users or articles in which the company is mentioned) will make a good impression even before they start talking about themselves and their work experience. Through this answer, a candidate shows the ability to analyse a large amount of information, conciseness in presentation, responsibility in preparation for an interview, and above all, motivation for a specific role and a particular company.

Describe the ideal company you would like to work in

Before you start looking for a job, think about what kind of company would you like to work for. Striving for perfection is not so practical, but defining a desirable work environment in which you would enjoy working can be helpful while choosing a suitable job ad you want to apply for.

Consider the following:

• Which area of ​​business are you most interested in?
• Do you prefer to work in a smaller or larger team?
• What are your personal values?
• Do you prefer procedures or freedom at work?
• What are other criteria personally important to you while assessing and selecting an employer of choice?

No matter how much you need this job, it is superfluous to invest your time in a job application and then an interview meeting at a company with a location that does not suit you or in a company that requires from you to work in a shift that is not suitable for you. While researching, you might get a sense of a company’s work environment so you could decide if it seems appropriate and stimulating for you.

Collect as much information as possible before applying

Inform yourself about:

• what they do, what industry they operate in and what services or products they provide;
• their clients – whether they are business or private users;
• headquarters and countries in which they have offices;
• their brand – whether it is more corporate, formal or cheerful, informal as it can say a lot about their communication style or dress code of the company;
• awards and/or certificates the company has, etc.

You should do this not only to make a good impression and present yourself as a fit but for your own sake. The selection process is a two-way street, and as employers learn about you through your CV, you should also be informed about relevant details about the company, even before you submit your application.

Where can I find information about a company?

The most formal assessment can be done through the website of the Business Registers Agency, where you can find all the important information about the company, but in the first place, it will help you confirm its validity.

Knowing somebody who already works at that company is an excellent source of information, but you have to be lucky for this one. Be sure to ask your acquaintances and friends if they know anyone who works at that company. You will be surprised how small this world is and how easily you can get in direct contact with a person who works at that company and who can give you first-hand information, but keep in mind that the employee’s impression is still very personal and that it may not be entirely objective.

There are several channels on the Internet through which you can get the information you want:

• Job posting portals – Portals such as Glassdoor provide insight into the impressions of current employees as well as those who have left the company. Unfortunately, people who are dissatisfied leave comments on the internet more often than those who are satisfied, so consider that when evaluating. Indeed, it is good to know what employees resent to their management before engaging in collaboration.
• Company Website – After reading in detail about the company’s activities and services or products, invest additional time to read “About Us” or “Our Team” pages, where you can learn more about employees. The ideal situation is when the company publicly mentions their values ​​and causes that support because it will be easier for you to discover if they are a match to your personal values.
• Social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) – On social networks, companies often write in a slightly more informal manner about their day-to-day activities and events, so you can gain significant insight into the culture, the way they communicate and the atmosphere.

While it is one of the most important factors, salary should by no means be the only reason why you are motivated to work in a company. Short term, a higher salary can be a major incentive, but later on, it always turns out that if you are doing a job that is not fulfilling, in an environment that is unpleasant or is not encouraging you to progress, so it is not a good choice in the long run.

Take an opportunity to create an image of the company as a future employer in advance, and if you like their culture and values, you will inevitably show a genuine desire on the interview and thus gain the sympathy of the employer and place yourself among the top candidates.

Graduating from university is often one of the most beautiful moments in young people’s lives, and it also marks the beginning of a new chapter that can carry many doubts and ambiguities with it that are rarely talked about.

Searching for a job can be an exhausting process that often requires a lot of time, investment and persistence. During this process, we are generally not taught what it means to look for a job properly and how to do it. We are simply expected to find a job.

In the following lines, we will cover in more detail the common mistakes that can occur during this process with an idea to make it easier.

Not answering the phone

In the HR world, it is not uncommon for applicants to apply for a job advertisement and never answer the phone afterwards. When you apply for a job in any way (job search portal, e-mail, LinkedIn, etc.) you can expect that if you meet the requirements of the job ad, there is a possibility that you will be invited for an interview. Of course, you will not be expected to be available 24/7, but it would be advisable that if you have a missed call on your phone, to return that call, as it may be that this step brings you closer to finding a job. Alternatively, you can always send a message saying that you were not able to respond at that time and when you will be available again.

Interview/test delay

The rule that a 15-minute academic delay is just fine may not be the best option to apply while looking for a job. It is important to know that the interviewer has set aside a specific time to interview you (30-60 minutes mostly) and that there are often scheduled several more interviews and meetings after you. This means that if you are late you will be in a situation where the interviewer will not have enough time to devote to you, and you may not be able to present yourself in the best possible way. Therefore, make sure you also include the time you need to get to the location where an interview will take place in preparation for an interview. Also, consider potential roadworks, bus route changes, or changes in weather (rain, snow, etc.) that may affect the time required to arrive for an interview.

In case you are late, make sure you call the person you have an interview with, in order to inform them about the approximate time of your arrival.

Failure to fulfil an agreement

If you agree on the interview to do something (e.g. send an updated CV, supporting documentation, portfolio, etc.) it is very important that you comply with that. In this way, an interviewer can plan the further course of the selection process and arrange additional steps with a hiring manager or other colleagues participating in the process. Also, by fulfilling what you have promised, you reinforce the positive impression you have made on the interview and influence trust-building with an interviewer.

Not showing up on the interview

With being late, this is one of the more common situations that recruiters face. By not attending an interview, you can easily be characterized as an irresponsible person, and if you apply on another job ad again, it is likely that you will never be invited again.

What candidates often forget is that they are evaluated by interviewers from the very beginning, from the first telephone conversation until the moment the final candidate has been chosen. Accordingly, do not forget that it is crucial to leave a good impression until the very end, and also that these are the small steps to build a good reputation in the labour market.