Twelve Reasons Why Your Skill is Not Matching the Opportunity
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -Thomas A. Edison
You’re talented. You have all the skills required for this job. But, you’re not getting the call back. If this is your current situation, you’re probably wondering what’s wrong. You may feel like you are doing everything right, but something is still holding you back. In today’s blog post, I’m going to share with you twelve reasons why your skill set may not be aligning with the opportunity at hand. By understanding these reasons, you can start making the necessary changes so that you can get closer to your career goals. Are you ready? Let’s get started!
1. Your salary expectation is not realistic.
You set your salary expectations too high or too low without considering the market value of your talent. You may be used to making $100,000 in your previous job and asking for $75,000 at the new company might be totally fine with you, but if you step back and consider where this new position fits within the marketplace, you will quickly understand that it’s low balling. If you are underpaid in your current company, you should stick around waiting for a more competitive offer. If you want to stay put, start looking for opportunities where you can use both current compensation and future growth potential together to maximize your total package. That said, don’t assume you need to start at the top of another company’s pay scale or that it would be realistic for you to request the same salary as your last position. If there is no relevant market data on this new opportunity, look at jobs in similar roles and make sure you are asking for the right amount.
2. You don’t know where you fit within that company’s pay structure (or how to negotiate).
Even if your target salary is reasonable based on previous opportunities, if there is no common understanding of what others in your role earn at this new company, then they will likely offer an amount lower than what you’re used to – at least until they have a better sense of who you are as a person and employee. In this situation, you will need to decide whether you want to accept the lower salary in exchange for fast-track entry into a new opportunity or if it makes more sense to wait until they have a better understanding of your value.
Read : Ramit Sethi’s Secrets to Landing Your Dream Job
3. You are only qualified for one role within a company and don’t have another fallback position.
You may be applying for a role that has several levels of expertise. So, while they might be interested in hiring an expert with ten years of experience, if you have only worked at smaller companies before, they may not initially see you as someone with enough experience to take on such an enormous responsibility. In this case, ask yourself how much time it would take you to ramp up and become productive in the role or whether it would be worth changing roles within the company to become more relevant. Perhaps you could get on-the-job training in this new position while you learn about other company areas?
4. You are not an expert in how to sell yourself.
Don’t assume that your potential employer can “see” your value based solely on your background and credentials (although they will do their best to compare). If there isn’t a clear link between what you are selling and what they are buying, they will most likely pass on you for someone more in tune with the opportunity. There is no substitute for showing them why they should hire you over someone else. It’s also important that you tell them what you want out of this job/career path, because if you don’t know then neither will they.
Read : Avoid this common mistake when job hunting during the pandemic
5. You are not telling them why this job/career path is essential to you.
Every opportunity has a larger purpose attached to it, whether that’s achieving financial independence, starting your own business, or making a real difference in people’s lives. Please don’t assume that anyone will be able to connect these career dots when you’re not talking about them yourself. Before you go into an interview, write down three important things about work and have one of these items ready during the interview so you can discuss how this particular position fits into your overall plans/goals for this next stage in your life.
6. You are not thinking about how to create value for them, instead, you’re just concentrating on what they can offer you.
Are you sure this opportunity is right for you? Perhaps it’s time to pause and do some critical thinking before accepting their next offer, because although options are designed with the idea of mutual benefit in mind, without a clear sense of what the employer needs from you (in addition to what they are offering), then there will be no way for either party to gauge whether or not this new job is going to be a good fit. Your goal should be to find out exactly how they plan on using your experience/expertise/skills during the interview process while highlighting how you can be a tremendous asset to them in return.
7. You are not going into the interview with enough questions for them (and they’re not asking you).
If this meeting is important enough for you to spend all of that time preparing then why wouldn’t you want to know as much about the opportunity as possible? Use this time wisely by deciding which questions to ask first and make sure that what you say next flows naturally from your train of thought – having an awkward moment on purpose rarely works, so don’t do it! This is where preparation pays off, as it will give you more confidence and allow your true personality to shine through during the interviewing process.
8. You are trying too hard.
You’ve heard the expression “play hard to get” well, this is a similar idea in that if you want them to see how unique/talented/ambitious you are, then taking a relaxed approach will always be more effective than trying too hard. Be yourself and just let it happen naturally, don’t overthink things or try so hard to impress them that you forget your strengths. You should also remember to ask questions about the company at some point during the interview, as this shows an interest in their overall structure and not just what they can offer you.
9. You have been sending out applications for different jobs but aren’t following up on these leads once they’ve turned into interviews.
Most people have a hard time following up on anything, but being in the job market is about being persistent in addition to being resourceful. You may have sent out 50 resumes for that one position you want, so when they call with an interview, this should be treated as the Holy Grail of all opportunities! Every opportunity has its own set of circumstances & requirements attached to it, which means that if you’ve had an interview with someone else earlier in the week (or even recently), playing your cards right will result in them seeing how excited you are about their company and not someone else’s.
10. You are too interested in what they can do for you vs. what they can do together.
Every employer needs to know that you can bring a particular set of skills/expertise to the table, but if they feel your only interest is in what you will get out of this job, then it will show through and ruin your chances. You should demonstrate how your past work experience fits into their current requirements and how passionate you are about moving forward with this opportunity instead of just talking about yourself all day long.
11. You haven’t been prepared for the salary conversation (or even worse – they ask you first).
This may seem like a no-brainer, but nothing is more embarrassing than having no idea what someone is willing to pay for your services. During the process, you need to know what their overall budget is for this particular position, and if you aren’t asking about it, they probably will (and will most likely do so in a roundabout way). The best thing to do is always ask about the salary range first (even before you know what they are looking to pay) because that way, you’ll be prepared when they bring it up.
Read: 8 Action Steps Before Asking For A Raise
12. You haven’t owned your past successes/accomplishments enough throughout the interview process.
Everyone has done some things right in their lives, even if these things don’t involve making lots of money or being famous on social media. As long as there have been “you’s” in this world, there have also been success stories attached to them, regardless of whether or not they involve winning a contest/getting that paper you always wanted/making top sales for your company. Don’t be afraid to show off a bit and mention what makes you different from everyone else – it may come up again in the future if they hire you!
It’s okay, we all have them. You’re probably wondering what you can do to change this and make progress. The answer is simple but it’s going to take some effort on your part. First, you need to be honest with yourself about where you are right now and then secondly, put in the time and effort to improve those skills that matter most for your career aspirations.