Candidate Experience when applying: 6 frequent reasons for cancellations

6 frequent reasons for cancellation from our consulting practice

After completing their studies, they look forward to their dream job and then there is a hail of cancellations ... "Unfortunately, we have chosen another candidate" - unfortunately, applicants often hear this statement.

Often they do not surprise us. The six most common causes for cancellations that we experience in our consulting practice are listed here - and the tips on how to deal with it right away:

1. Casting only with known companies

When asked: “Where did you apply for that”, we are often only given the industry leaders or very well-known brands. Most graduates hope to start their careers with a large company or even a corporation. But the big brand names can pick raisins. Corporations often get several hundred or even a thousand applications for one position, whereas smaller companies and less well-known names rarely get more than a hundred.

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Tip: Look for pearls beyond the mainstream. Send your application documents to Hidden Champions. Refer to employer reviews like Greatplacetowork or search for Glassdoor and Kununu.

2. No professional goal

Why do you apply for the company XY? Because you want to make a career and make good money? These arguments have nothing to do with your professional accomplishment in exactly the targeted company. The personnel and responsible persons want to know which goal you have and which will be found in your application documents. Just graduates apply too often to anything and nothing.

Tip: Analyze yourself and your career. Which professional goal fits your strengths and your CV? Career coaching and career advice help with orientation.

3. Lack of work experience

Without a professional experience, it is difficult to get a job. Many applicants are not aware that you have more professional experience than they think. Everything counts, including the promotion job and the unpaid development of a marketing strategy for the website. Many graduates collect competencies in university projects or compulsory internships. What is the definition of professional experience? This is experience that is needed for the profession. So just courage and the right preparation in the CV.

Tip: Stand up confidently. Their internships, university projects, honorary assignments are also professional experience. It is important to make a personal reference to the job in the application documents and to show that you have dealt with the subject.

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4. Application / Photo

Sometimes you score with good grades, practical experience and international experience and yet you are not invited. Then it may also be due to the form of your application documents and / or your photo. Surprisingly often, we see photos that immediately trigger negative associations, which many applicants are not aware of.

Tip: Externalities should not play a role, but the decision-makers are also only people and reject application documents with a bad photo consciously or often unconsciously.

5. Too bad notes

With bad grades, ie worse than 2,5, the application papers are probably not at the top of the application stack. Even in popular and large companies, you will come with a bad note probably not through the first online selection process. Nevertheless, there are reasons for bad grades - and they are relativized by the average score.

Tip: Say how the average score was when you know this to make your poor score relative. Apply to companies where grades are less important. Try it at smaller companies, the competition is usually not so great.

6. Too long study time

There are several reasons why some students spend more time studying. They range from illnesses to secondary jobs to the care of relatives. There are also motivational problems.

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Tip: If you extended your studies because of a stay abroad, a job-specific internship or as a student, no problem. They have accumulated professional experience or acquired language skills. Explain the long duration positively.