Six companies have promised offers. Why haven't they delivered?

Q: The job market is tough. You interview thoroughly with half a dozen companies: phone interviews, first and second meetings, reference checks and finally promises of an offer. But no offers materialize. What could be going wrong?

Nick's reply: This could all be coincidence. Then again, it's probably not. Nowadays companies are indeed much more careful about who they hire -- they really want to make sure they've got the right candidate. But if you've been through this so many times, you can't ignore it. Let's look at the possibilities.

First, there may be some sort of selection bias involved. The employers might all be biased against you, but is it possible that you are creating the bias yourself? That is, for some reason you may be picking only companies that are inclined not to hire you, for whatever reason. You need to carefully review each situation carefully.

• What led you to each job? For example, were you responding to ads that were poorly written, thereby attracting the wrong candidates?
• How did you get the interviews? Were you introduced by the same headhunter, who might not be good at identifying good matches?
• What sector of the industry are all these companies in? Is it in a slump, or are companies less willing to commit if the candidate isn't "perfect"?
• Were all the jobs the same? Are they by nature difficult to fill?

Is there some factor that's common among all these situations (other than you) that might suggest a problem in filling them?

Second, consider your references. If everything goes well up to the reference check, and then the offers die on the vine, you might be suffering from a bad reference. Do you have a reference who's saying things you don't expect? You might be surprised: People sometimes find that their best reference is torpedoing them, whether intentionally or not. Some references just don't know how to deliver a reference properly. Talk to your references. Don't suggest what they should say when called. Instead, ask them to share their insights about your abilities. "What would you say I'm really good at, and what are my weaknesses?" This may reveal who is the weak link. Either discuss the problem with them, or leave them off your list.

Are the companies you're meeting with healthy? Are you picking the kinds of companies that might be exciting but risky? Smaller, entrepreneurial companies sometimes hire more selectively. They can't afford mistakes. Younger companies might have managers who are unsure of themselves and simply can't make hiring decisions. Are you leaning toward such companies, where interviews are more likely to go south?

We could continue to speculate, or you could do an outcomes analysis. Contact the hiring manager at each of those companies and ask why the offer didn't materialize.

"I was under the impression you were ready to hire me. I understand that things can change overnight, and I respect your decision. But I try to learn from every experience, and I'd like to do an outcomes analysis. In other words, what happened to turn a 'maybe' into a 'no'? I'd appreciate your thoughts about why this didn't work out. The truth is more important to me than feeling good. Can you tell me what happened? I promise: No lawyers will call, and I will not make a pitch for the job again." Chuckle as you speak that last sentence.

Even six similar outcomes could be coincidence. But if you don't look at yourself as the critical factor, you may keep facing the same problem. And the best insight on yourself might come from the people who interviewed you.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.