26 Reasons Why You Didn't Get The Job

Your resume is on point. You nailed the interview. And then, nothing. What gives? Turns out, a lot of things…or nothing at all. As maddening as it is, the reason you didn’t get a job could be because the hiring manager just discovered that the budget for the position was not as high as she thought it was. Or she just didn’t feel the same click she did with you as she did with another candidate. Or a million other reasons.

How do we know? Because we asked hiring managers to share their candid (and anonymous) explanations for why they didn’t hire someone. Of course, there are legal guardrails in place to prevent discrimination (and if you think that was a factor in why you didn’t get a job, you should absolutely seek legal counsel), but there's also a murky gray area where it is kind of subjective, and maybe even personal.

You don't want to spend too much time focusing on why a job opportunity didn't work out. But if you're going crazy wondering why, exactly, you didn't get an offer, read on. And then move on — there will be other jobs, we promise.