Four Reasons Why Recruiters Don’t Call You

Looking for a job is a full-time job. It’s time-consuming and often frustrating. You can spend hours, days, or even weeks searching for a job that’s just the right fit. Then one day you find the “perfect” job. You fire off your resume. And you never hear a word. There are numerous reasons you don’t even get contacted for an interview. Some reasons are in your control, like triple-checking your resume for typos, but others are not.

Over the years, I’ve been both a jobseeker and a recruiter. I’ve talked to a bunch of recruiters and hiring managers as well. These are four common reasons why recruiters don’t call you.

You’re not qualified

Every day recruiters get resumes from people who are not even remotely qualified for the position for which they’re applying. While you don’t need to meet every single requirement to apply you should have a substantial amount. If you don’t have most, if not all, of the “must haves” or “requirements” it’s unlikely you’ll get a call. No matter how much of a “quick learner” you may be if the employer is asking for five years of experience they won’t be hiring a recent grad. Even one with a few internships under his or her belt. When an ad reads “SEO Manager” search engine optimization should appear on your resume.

Your salary is too high (or too low)

Jobs have a salary range and if your salary is way too high the recruiter is not going to call you. No matter how awesome you may be it’s highly unlikely they’re going to pay you $140K if the top of their range is $100K. On the flip side if your salary is too low they may think you’re under qualified. While the reason may be that you’re undervaluing yourself you may not get a call. It may not happen as often but it does happen. To help prevent these issues do your research with industry publications and salary calculators. Consider your financial situation and decide on your bottom line. You don’t want to price yourself out of the game.

Your social media profile doesn’t match your resume

After a recruiter reads your resume you can bet he or she will look you up online. When you’re looking for a job consistency is essential. If your LinkedIn profile doesn’t line up with your resume the recruiter is, at the least, going to wonder why. Many recruiters will also look at your Twitter feed or Facebook page so think before you post. A picture of you having a glass of wine on your birthday shouldn’t be a problem, but constant negativity, like ranting about your boss and/or colleagues, can hurt your chances of being hired.

They’re already pursuing someone else

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s a case of bad timing. While the job may not be filled yet they may have collected several promising resumes or the hiring manager may already be down to a few strong candidates. If you apply for a position once they are well into the hiring process you may just be too late. This is one of the prime reasons it pays to network – it can help you find out about jobs before they are posted.

Whether you’re out of work or currently employed it’s not easy to find a new job. If it were no one would be unemployed or stay in a job they hate, ever. When it comes to finding a new position do your best with everything that’s under your control, like preventing resume typos, and try not to obsess about the rest, like if they already have a front-runner. Remember you can’t lose a job you didn’t have in the first place.