First interviews are a bit like first dates. You actually like the other party, you do your best to influence them and then you sit back and expect they call you. So what happens if they hardly ever call?

Assuming you’re applying for positions that you’re qualified for you require taking a good look at yourself and the way you’re coming across during the first interview. There are six key reasons why you’re failing to progress though to the second interview.

Top Six Reasons You Do not Get Pass The First Interview

• 1. Cultural Incompatibility

Whenever a company advertises a position they are searching for someone who has the skills and experience to perform the job as well as the personality and attitude to fit greatly in with the existing team. It is not enough to just meet the skills and experience criteria. Problems arise when:

The company has a cultural issue already and is searching for a particular personality to balance things out

Company has a casual, outgoing culture and you, in your attempt to look professional come across as too formal and structured

Company is very corporate and you appear to have a more casual approach

If you suspect this is a problem then take the time to inquire the company culture before you even apply for future positions. Apply for those that best compliment you and adjust your style a little to appear like a perfect fit.

• 2. Short Term Joy

If the interviewer perceives that you’re not going to stay with them for very long there is little possibility you will progress through to a second interview. Things that make workers look short term involve:

Concentrate too much on next steps and your career progress instead of how perfect you are for the current role

Bring up pay and company benefits before you’ve proven you’re worth the discussion

Are overqualified or appear as if the current position is beneath you

The best way to ignore this is to remember that interviewers care about how you will make their life simpler and how quickly you can do that. Concentrate on how you best meet their requirements particularly during the first interview.

• 3. Look Like Hard Work

As above, you require addressing the employers’ needs. If you seem like hard work you’ll be quickly eliminated from the procedure. This could inadvertently happen if:

You’re applying for positions where you are under qualified and look like you’ll require a lot of training and development

You inquire lots of queries about benefits, training, future development and seem like you care more about you that the role or the company

Concentrate on the company requirements during this interview and touch on your own. During the 2nd interview you can send some more time on you.

• 4. Look Desperate

If you come across as desperate for the position you can pretty much guarantee failure. This occurs for some reasons:

If you look too desperate they consider no one else wants you hence you must not be a very good candidate

You look like you’ll become a needy worker which is hard work in any workplace

You appear as if you’ll bring your issues to work specifically if you mention why you require the job so badly

Play it cool, show interest in the position and come across as confident. Never ever highlight that you require the job or give any personal reasons why you need it.

• 5. Aptitude or Psychometric Results

It is strange that a company will conduct these tests after a first interview; basically they come as a sanity check after the second interview. Although, more and more nowadays the testing is being used to assist short list the candidates from the first interview. It may be that:

You scored poorly in the aptitude test

Your personality profile wasn’t consistent with the requirements of the team or company

There isn’t much you can do about the aptitude scores but the personality is much like the cultural fit. Do more homework next time and find out what they are searching for in terms of personality and emotional intelligence.

• 6. Failure to Sell Yourself

You position during the first interview is to do your best to sell yourself to the employer. Sometimes applicants fail to do this not because they aren’t qualified or talented but because they may:

Be worried they will come across as too confident or arrogant

Feel they are already overqualified for the position and still need to be in with a chance

Haven’t prepared great answers that show what they can do and the results they are capable of achieving

The key is preparation and practice.