There are so many possible reasons that you don’t get a job offer. Even if your resume is perfectly crafted, there are things you can’t control about the process. When you submit a resume for a job there are likely another hundred, or several hundred, who have done the same thing. If your resume is selected you are still up against some stiff competition. On average, a company interviews three to five people for any given job and they can’t hire everyone.

What are some of the things you can’t control? Here is a short list to keep in mind:

• They’ve hired someone internally.
• Another candidate already had a network within the company.
• Your personality wasn’t a fit with the rest of the team in the office.
• The job was put on hold for organizational or budgetary reasons.

Pretending you are someone you’re not just to get a job, in the case of conflicting personalities, will always backfire. This situation needs to be chalked up as an experience and you can take the lessons you’ve learned to your next interview.

But what about things you can control? Here are some ideas that will help you ace the interview and get the job offer.

• Pre-interview preparation: Never walk into a hiring manager’s office unprepared. Before your interview research the company online to learn more about what they do. Look at the LinkedIn profiles of prominent employees. Know your own resume, be prepared to answer difficult questions, and most of all, make sure you present yourself in a positive and professional manner.
• Your interest level: When interviewing you always need to tailor your answers to the company for which you are interviewing. An organization doesn’t want to hire someone who is looking for just any job. They want to know that you are interested in their job specifically. Be able to explain why you want to work with them and what you have to offer that your competition does not.
• Provide verifiable details: You should have included accomplishments on your resume rather than just a laundry list of your previous duties. This is a great first step. Now you need to be prepared to talk about them. Have as much data to back up your claims as possible. If you saved your company money, know a ballpark figure of how much and don’t over-exaggerate. Don’t be timid when speaking about your accomplishments. A hiring manager wants to see someone with confidence and initiative.
• Choose the best references: So often candidates don’t take the time to talk to their previous employers or managers to ensure that they are available and interested in giving a reference. Just relying on the hiring manager to call your most recent place of employment may not provide the detailed reference that will put you over the edge as the top candidate. Talk to people with whom you had an excellent working relationship and get permission to provide their contact information to your interviewer.

Are you looking to ace your next interview? VincentBenjamin is hiring for IT and Accounting positions today!