Jobseekers it’s not you, it’s them.
Let’s take a few examples from my experience with companies and seeking a job. I recently interviewed with a company and the interviewer said he was blown away by my experience and thoughts. He said that I would be perfect for this position and was going to recommend me for the second stage. A few days later I got an email saying that they were going to pass on me and going “in a different direction.”
I had a recruiter contact me saying that another company that I interviewed for loved me and liked what I did and said but that “they were going in a different direction.” He said that they were indecisive and kept changing what they told him they wanted. He said that I didn’t do anything wrong and that he thought I was great and in fact, he argued with the company on my behalf. I have been lucky to have some recruiters that will do that for me and usually when that happens I get the position. He was more upset that I didn’t get the positions than I was. I had to tell him it was ok and that it wasn’t the right company for me.
Another interview went well and she said that I had all the skills and seemed to be a good fit for the company and I would know next week what the next step was. Then I was sent an email saying that the job is temporarily on hold due to some internal changes.
Still another company interviewed me and said that I would be a good fit for their organization. They liked my experience and knowledge and said that it was clear that I could do the job. He said he would get back to me once he spoke to the hiring manager. I never heard back from him.
When you don’t get contacted by a company and wonder if it is something you did, it isn’t. I once was told something that really made a big difference in my life. The way that someone treats you says everything about them and nothing about you. If a company/recruiter doesn’t treat you with respect, that is on them. I see many people disrespected here on Linkedin and they have the personal responsibility to feel that perhaps it was their fault. It isn’t. Sure you can absolutely mess up in interviews and you can cause people to hate you for who you are. However if you aren’t treated with respect and told that you aren’t hired for whatever reason, that isn’t you, it’s them.