Cher Forman

"Ask Cher"

Cher Forman has over 20 years of domestic and international Human Resources experience in organizations ranging from startups to $3B. As Director or Vice President, she has managed Human Resources groups at Applied Materials, Stanford Telecom, Ask Computer Systems, Teledex and Tri-Data Corporation and consulted on H.R. philosophy, values and infrastructure with many start-ups as well. Cher has managed several of these firms through rapid expansion and significant organizational challenges. While at Applied Materials, she led her business unit as the company grew from 6,000 to 16,000 employees in three years. Ms. Forman has specific expertise in employment, corporate legal compliance, development of cost effective compensation/benefit strategies, organization development and international HR management. She has a degree in Organization Behavior from the University of San Francisco and has participated in advanced training at several other colleges and universities.

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Why Haven’t I Been Hired?
October 21, 2011 by Cher Forman
Question:
 
Dear Cher:
After 2 years of following job search advice about researching jobs, resume format, networking, and interviewing, I am still not working. I’m glad I’ve at least been invited to interview several times, but the interest seems to end there. Any advice for me that might help? It’s difficult to stay positive after a while.

Eddy B.

Answer:

Hi Eddy
That’s a tough question! You have a lot of company out there pondering that same problem. There’s no magic bullet, but I can give you some information that may help you find the answer for yourself.

The reason someone else is hired for a position you desire is often not clear cut, but can turn out to be something we say or some way we present ourselves that results in the interviewer feeling less comfortable that the fit is a good one. These things can be straightforward or nebulous, but nonetheless, they put off the interviewer.

I recently ran across a great list from jobERA.com, an international job search site, of the “reasons people are not hired for available jobs”. A survey was conducted of 153 American companies who were asked to list the reasons why they rejected applicants who were interviewed for available jobs. One interesting result showed that interpersonal skills and characteristics were the major factors for rejection. Only two of the 40 reasons given are related to educational and/or technical competence!

Yes, I’ll give you all the answers eventually, but only if you’ll pay attention to any of them that resonate with you, scare you or put you off. That may be the one with the answer to your dilemma.

Since 40 reasons seem overwhelming, and it’s not helpful if you zone out before getting to the one that may help you, I’ll give you 20 at a time. So stay tuned for next week’s “Ask Cher” to get the rest of the list:

Reasons for not hiring after an interview:

§          Poor personal appearance.
§          Overbearing attitude...conceited, arrogant, ”superiority complex”.
§          Inability to express oneself clearly – poor voice, diction or grammar.
§          Lack of clear career goals.
§          Lack of interest or enthusiasm – passive, indifferent, attitude.
§          Lack of confidence and poise – very ill at ease or overly nervous.
§          Overemphasis of money – interested in if best salary.
§          Poor scholastic record.
§          Unwillingness to start at bottom – expects too much too soon.
§          Evasive – makes excuses, hedges about unfavorable information, avoids answer.
§          Lack of diplomacy or tact.
§          Lack of maturity.
§          Lack of courtesy – ill mannered.
§          Condemnation of previous employers.
§          Poor attitude about school.
§          Lack of vitality – no spark
§          Failure to look the interviewer in the eye.
§          Limp-fish handshake.
§          Inability to relate skills and experience to position applied for.
§          Sloppy application form or resume outdated.

 
I hope this is helpful, Eddy. Be sure to read the rest of the answers in next week’s “Ask Cher”.
 
Best fortune to you,  Cher
Categories: Ask Cher (HR Executive), Interviewing, Job Search Help
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