Sometimes you are an outstanding candidate with all the qualifications asked for, and you don't get the courtesy of an interview. Other times you don't think you have a chance, and you make it all the way to the end, landing a fantastic job offer.

That happened to me once. I applied for a job that I was almost overqualified for. It was clear that I had all the qualifications, experience and requirements requested. I was so sure that I could land the job that I paid, out of my own pocket, to fly myself to the interview location so that I could do it in person. From my perspective, the interview went great. All that was left to do was wait for the offer. When I received the call telling me that I was unsuccessful, it was like someone had punched me in the gut. I was stunned and couldn't understand what had gone wrong. At the same time, I applied for another position, one in which I barely had the qualifications, experience and requirements. I was the least qualified candidate. Going through the process, I used the energy from the unsuccessful experience to amp up my preparation for the next interview. To my surprise, I landed the offer. In hindsight, I would not have been happy in the first job and the second job ended up being the job of my dreams.  

It doesn't make sense. How is that possible?

I read a story once that I think explains,

A father said to his daughter ''You have graduated with honors, here is a car I bought many years ago. It is pretty old now. But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it".

 The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, "They offered me $1,000 because they said it looks pretty worn out".

The father then said, "Now take it to the pawn shop and see what they offer you". When the daughter returned to her father she said," The pawn shop only offered me $100 because they said it was a very old car".

 The father continued and told his daughter to go to an antique auction house and show them the car. When the daughter returned from the auction house, she told her father, "You won't believe this. The people at the auction house offered me $100,000 for the car. They said, 'it's an iconic car and many collectors would pay handsomely for it'".

 The father looked kindly at his daughter and said, "The right place sees the car's value".

If you are not selected for an interview or offered the job, do not be angry, or worse, get discouraged. It means it wasn't the right place. The right place will recognize your value and appreciate your candidacy.

There are so many reasons behind the scenes that can explain what happened. Unfortunately, you are not likely to ever find out exactly what those reasons are. Here are some examples.

Not getting an invitation for an interview could be because:

• Tons of qualified candidates applied, and there was a limit to the number of candidates that could be interviewed
• The weight that the organization put on stated requirements favoured other candidates
• Your resume made a poor impression and/or didn't highlight what the employer was looking for
• Artificial intelligence was used to screen, and the terms you used did not match those searched for
• The employer already had someone in mind and designed the recruitment process to give that individual an advantage in the competition
• You didn't have everything the hiring manager was looking for
• You submitted a generic resume, one that you send to every potential employer

The list goes on.

Not getting offered the job could be related to:

• Who the interviewer was. Answers are typically scored. It's not unusual to have the same answer result in different scores depending on who was doing the scoring. 
• How you presented yourself. Was it consistent with the interviewer/panel's expectations? Each interviewer has their own expectations. 
• Did you leave the interviewer/panel with a feeling of confidence that you understood what the job requirements are and what is needed to be successful at it?
• How well did you communicate or sell yourself? Many candidates are so afraid that they will appear arrogant that they don't adequately express their value.
• Did you present yourself as someone who wants just any job, or did you demonstrate a sincere desire to work for that specific organization?

There is no limit to the number of reasons why someone is not successful in a recruitment process.  

In the end, you mustn't take the experience to heart. Taking the process personally can wreak havoc on our self-esteem. So if it happens to you, give yourself a little time to process your emotions, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and find another great opportunity. There is always another one right around the corner.  Remember, the right place will see your value.