30 Applications, 30 Instant Rejections… Is This Normal?
I'm two years into my career and have been preparing to switch jobs for five months. I keep passing the resume screening, but I keep getting rejected as soon as I reach the first-round interview.
All the interviewers had expressionless faces, so I don't even know what I did wrong. Lately, this is the only thing on my mind at night.
4 answers
If you passed 30 document screenings, doesn’t that already prove your qualifications? If only interviews are the problem, that’s a completely different game—seems like it’s a matter of practice.
An interviewer’s blank expression really means nothing. I’ve also ruined an interview worrying about that, so just try sending one feedback request email. Don’t end it with “that’s unfortunate”—politely say you’d like to refer to it when you apply next time. Surprisingly, sometimes you get a reply, even if it’s just one or two lines. And if you keep failing at the first round, it’s more likely a problem with your speaking pace or stiff tone than with the content of your answers, so I recommend recording yourself once.