If you’ve never received a rejection when applying for jobs you may not be trying hard enough or you’re very lucky! Even really great candidates get rejected, often multiple times. Very often, there’s just one opening and many good candidates applying for it. The numbers just aren’t in your favour when that happens. In this economy especially, hiring managers may get several highly qualified candidates for almost any position advertised.

So how can you keep from getting discouraged when you’re not getting interviews or job offers? After all, the tendency when you get rejected for a job is to feel that you failed, but more often than not, that’s not what it indicates at all.

Only yesterday I spoke to a prospective candidate who told me that he had applied for over 3000 jobs this year and kept getting rejected – he wanted to know why. Well there are several reasons, some of which I have listed below, but in his case he didn’t have the right experience for the job role. Sending out that many applications will get you rejections by the boatload – it’s far too many and means that you are not targetting the jobs market effectively.

Whilst it’s tough when you are out of work (I’ve been there), you feel that applying for many jobs that you “think” you could do is being pro-active and a good use of your time – it isn’t. It will result in more rejections, which we tend to take personally and will end with you feeling rejected, dejected and eventually, depressed. Your plan should be to really target the jobs that you can do, where you have the experience and the skills to do a great job for someone and your CV should highlight what you would bring to a company.

A list of your employment history is not enough, you MUST highlight your achievements and how you can help a new employer to – solve problems, make money, save money, keep customers happy, keep processes running smoothly etc., What have you done before that would be a major benefit to your new employer? Tell them in your CV.

Here is a list of some of the other reasons your CV could get rejected and end up in the reject folder.

• Typos, spelling mistakes, slang and abbreviations -  These show that the application was done in a rush. Don’t use abbreviations and too much technical jargon as your CV may be read by a recruiter who may not be familiar with them and please don’t use text speak. “i wud lk 2 apli 4 this jb” will get your CV straight into the reject folder. Check your CV and get someone else to check it before sending it to ensure there are no typing or spelling errors.
• Writing lots, but saying nothing – If recruiters or hiring manager have to concentrate too hard to find relevant information on your CV, they won’t read it!  Grab their attention with bullet points rather than long sentences. Two pages of A4 are more than enough to persuade people that you’re worth contacting for an interview! According to researchers, the 10 top words/phrases to use in a CV are: achievement, active, developed, evidence, experience, impact, individual, involved, planning and transferable skills.
• Applying to positions you are not qualified for – Recruiters and hiring managers don’t have time to sort through hundreds of CVs that are in no way a match for the requirements they are trying to fill. If you are interested in a company but they don’t have a relevant position at present you could write in your cover letter ‘please accept the attached CV in anticipation of future, suitable opportunities’ but as mentioned above it’s better to target your market effectively and ensure you are qualified for the job vacancy.
• Not including achievements - This is the section that is missed out most on CVs. Your CV is about you and your results and not about the jobs you did. Highlight specific achievements that are relevant to the job. Think of new procedures, time saving activities, successful campaigns, increased sales and money saved and made. This demonstrates to employers that you are commercially focused and results driven. Although not all roles have quantifiable key performance indicators, think of the impact you have had on the businesses you previously worked for and TELL a prospective new employer about these on your CV.
• Not including dates or inaccurate dates – A CV that does not include dates especially for long periods of time sends “red flags” to the recruiter or hiring manager that you’re trying to hide something.  If you have gaps, explain them in your cover letter but not in your CV.
• Not including a personal profile – Without a summary of your skills the hirer needs to read your whole CV and pick out the skills themselves and if they have two hundred CVs for one position and only need to find ten good candidates then they may not have time to read your whole CV. Make sure yours gets chosen by showing clearly you have the skills required. Use a three to four selling statement summing up your career background, areas of expertise, key skills and motivations.
• Being vague and clichéd - Vague statements that could apply to anyone e.g. ‘seeking a challenging position in a professional environment’ tell the reader nothing. If you have worded your achievements well, clichés such as ‘good communicator’ and ‘team player’ are not needed because it will be evident from your experience that you already have these skills.
• Not tailoring your CV to a specific role – Do not send your CV to as many companies as possible in the hope that you will increase your chances of getting an interview. Each employer is looking for a CV and cover letter that applies to their role and as all roles are different, you should make small adaptations so that it matches their specific requirements. Show that you understand what it is they want you to do.
• Using ‘I’ too much – There’s nothing worse than reading a CV that’s full of ‘I did this’ and ‘I did that’. Using action verbs to start sentences is a good way to overcome this e.g. achieved, organized or developed.
• Poor formatting – Pay attention to the layout of your CV. Recruiters only look at CVs for a few seconds before deciding whether to continue reading so clarity of information is important. You should present information under clearly labelled sections, with education and employment history documented in reverse chronological order i.e. current job first. Contact details should always be clearly visible at the top of your CV. Choose a plain font like Arial which is easy on the eye.

Be positive, think carefully before you apply for a job, read the job ad and read it again. Do you have all of the skills they are looking for? Do you have good experience in the marketplace they are advertising? Does your CV “sell” you – don’t hide your light under a bushel here – speak about your achievements and how you can help the next company you work for by proving the right skills and experience to do a great job for them.

I hope this helps. I really do hate sending out “rejection emails” but we do take the time to respond to every application we receive and please don’t take rejections personally just check out if the job really did have your name on it.