Why This Guy Was Not Hired…?

Why This Guy Was Not Hired...?

Why This Guy Was Not Hired…?


Chronicles of an HR Professional


So what inspired this post was today at work we had a guy come for an interview for a Java Developer and the team that interviewed him said no to hiring him. He had a great resume, he was a really nice guy, and I thought he would be a great cultural fit, but the teams unanimous consensus was a resounding NO.



Why? (I always ask them).

If you don’t want to read, feel free to watch video below.



If you do love reading, let’s get back to it…


In this post we’re going to talk about the number one reason people do not get hired and how it’s almost always the same reason just communicated in a different way each time + 3 Ways you can make sure that this doesn’t happen to you.


Ready? Stay tuned!


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As the HR girl I always ask for specific feedback when someone is a no, and then I deliver it to the candidate because I think that they deserve that much. I mean they took the time to come and interview and if we’re not going to hire them then we can at least give them a reason why!


A lot of companies don’t do this but I Do.


So what was the big reason?


Well the hiring team worded it like this:


“He doesn’t have much Java experience. When answering questions about projects that he has worked on it he didn’t provide enough depth in his answers.”


Now his resume was good, and it looked like he had enough Java experience, that’s why we brought him in to meet the team. I think this guy actually was a lot better than he presented himself in the interview .


This is the same reason everyone gives as to why they chose not to hire a candidate.


What it ultimately comes down to is: You didn’t communicate your value enough to the hiring manager or the hiring team and someone else came in and did.



So what are 3 things you can do to make sure you’re communicating your value to the max.


1) Get really specific.


This is where your stories come in, I talk about stories as my main interview tool. So I have a ton of example stories in other posts and on youtube, but my main one is comparing a story that’s super boring to a story that’s full of juice, interest and shows you and your skills off in an impressive way.

2) Tie the value of what you did to what you can do for this company in the future


When you’re asking them questions, Ask a couple of key ones at the beginning! Then use those answers they give you to tie in the value of what you can do for them during the interview. You want to get them excited about what you’ll be bringing to the table!

You can do this by doing preliminary research about what they need, and asking them upfront to see if you’re on the right track.

Then you can start to put together a plan of what you’ll be working on for them in the first month – 3 months of being hired.



3) When you’re done answering, get instant feedback on your answer by using these two questions:


“Did that answer your question? Does that make sense?




“Did that give you a good idea? I’m happy to go into more detail…”


The goal is to “satisfy” the interviewer with your answer, not leave him wanting more, or leave him or her uncertain.


If the interviewer is left wondering about something, they might not always ask you. You maybe able to tell by their facial expression or how they behave, but something I always like to do is say “Did that answer your question?” Or “I can provide more details on that if you’d like me to” and let them know that you’re happy to go into as much depth as needed because you are open and honest about what you know and what you don’t know.

This will also create a sense of trust with your interviewer and rapport. He or she will see that you’re there to give them a full picture of your history and you’re happy to explain or go more into depth if needed. Very often they will take you up on the offer to provide more detail.


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In conclusion


There you have it. The number one reason people don’t get hired?


They don’t communicate their value strongly enough and 3 techniques you can use to make sure that you are communicating your value effectively.


If you liked this post and you’re interested in going deeper on this topic I have a free guide that can help.

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What you’ll get inside the guide:




  • The S.A.R.I. formula breakdown of how to answer these questions


  • The step-by-step of why it works






















I’ll see you next time and I can’t wait!


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