We made it to 2024! And I have a feeling this is going to be a good year.
As a career coach, I am naturally excited about this time of year and the new opportunities it brings. This is especially true after a tumultuous year of rolling layoffs in 2023.
However, as you ring in the new year and start applying for jobs, I encourage you to remember one important thing: the ones you don’t get are probably not your fault.
Let me elaborate: some rejections are related to your qualifications or the application you submitted. But others have nothing to do with anything you have or haven’t done. If you follow me on LinkedIn, you’ll see I recently posted about why it’s important for recruiters to manage their job postings effectively. In fact, there are several parts of the recruitment process that need to be overhauled, such as:
- Requiring applicants to upload a resume AND complete an application with the same information
- Not providing feedback to top candidates about why they didn’t get the job
- Requiring detailed work samples/projects as part of the interview process
- Posting ghost jobs
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to recruitment, occasionally, you’ll find some companies that get it right. But, by and large, recruitment leans heavily in the favor of the company and not the candidate, which means that you will end up doing far more work than you should have to without a guaranteed job offer.
So, take this as your reminder that not getting the job (or, not even getting the interview) is probably not your fault. As long as you are applying for jobs you qualify for, submitting strong applications, and being consistent in your job search, you are doing the right things and I hope this is the year you finally see it pay off.
