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If you are concerned about not being invited to attend for interview, look critically at your CV, application forms and covering letters. Are you making it clear that you know what the job you are applying for involves? Have you a reasonably clear picture of the sort of person the employer is likely to be looking for? Are you being unduly modest about your accomplishments? You cannot change your history but you can:
• expand it, rearrange it, or alter the emphasis;
• acquire more relevant experience by taking new courses or taking part in voluntary activities or temporary jobs;
• read the Making Applications for more details;
• make an appointment to see a careers adviser.

 

Sometimes you have to accept that an employment area is very competitive and that your particular qualifications and experience are insufficient to get you in. It may be necessary to undertake more research, perhaps arranging to meet people in the field to get their opinion of your qualifications and strengths.

It is better to send a limited number of good applications than to flood the market with more generic efforts. Have you been focused enough in your approach, or have you, at a more basic level, not really thought hard enough about what you want to do? If recruitment in your chosen profession or industry operates through a network of contacts, you may have to consider starting at a more junior level than you would normally expect in order to find out about possible openings. Having carried out your review, you will then have to decide whether to rethink your career ideas or just rethink the strategy for gaining entry.

 

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If you are getting invited to interview you can safely assume that, on paper, employers consider you capable of doing the jobs for which you have applied, but that once at interview their opinion is changed in some way. There are two areas to consider here - are you able to back up and substantiate in person the messages you have given in your applications, and are you presenting a professional, confident image at interview? Look again at the sections in this booklet on preparing for interview and ask yourself whether you have been making adequate enough preparation. Be honest with yourself and replay in your mind some of the answers you gave, particularly the ones you found more difficult. Be very honest with yourself and consider whether you are actually pursuing the right career.

It is always worth asking an organisation for feedback after an interview; at worst they will say no, and at best you will receive a detailed critique of your performance. It may be that the impression that the interviewer formed of you strikes a chord with your own reflections, but it may be that they have rejected you on entirely different grounds, which you can now address. If it isn't obvious how you can improve your performance in future interviews, visit your careers service and see if an adviser can run through the interview with you. It may be possible to arrange a mock (or practice) interview with an adviser, so that you can discuss where you're going wrong. These are sometimes videotaped, so that you can see yourself in action afterwards and learn from any mistakes you are making.

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It's worthwhile making some notes of your own, whilst they are still fresh in your mind, about areas in which you did well and areas where in retrospect you could have done better. Most firms who ask you to selection centres will give you feedback on your performance. If you were faced with a similar situation again, would you react differently and how could you demonstrate the qualities which they were looking for?