What do employers look for

[FrustratinglyFrustrated]

Not really an AIBU but I always get good responses from here...

So, I'm currently out of work, have been for about 4 months.
I have applied for nearly 100 jobs, all jobs I've applied for are jobs i can do and have experience in, I have received 2 replies. That's it. I don't understand where I am going wrong. I always include a cover note stating why I'm suited for the role, include my CV which states my work experience.
What do employers look for when deciding who to interview/ offer the position to.
If it's relevant, I'm early 40s.

Unless it's a shit job on crap money that has a high turnover, (care work) then it's not what you know, it's who you know. And/or years of experience. E.g. Retail - you need to have worked in shops since you left school and know someone who already works there.
Otherwise, be qualified in something niche so there just aren't many people competing with you.

Experience and a well written application.

I suspect that you might be overqualified for the jobs you are applying for and might need to apply for the next step up.

I was out of work about 15 years ago for a while. Not a single response for jobs I could obviously do.

Out of frustration I applied for a few jobs that were a significant step up. Started getting interviews immediately.

I agree with previous. It's annoying, but if you are seen as better than the role then you are not likely to be called.
The company will worry that you will move on when something better comes up.

My workplace is advertising and has had loads of CVs due to other businesses closing nearby. Our pay isn't as good, so many strong candidates won't be considered as they are unlikely to stick with us at the rate we offer. For them: it's a job, staying in employment and well within their ability and experience. For us, recruitment and setting up new starters are expensive and time consuming.

Well. I took out my qualifications and took out all my management experience off my cv to get a job and have gone back in much lower.

I wouldn’t take it personally with rising unemployment it’s getting harder for people to get jobs at the moment. Just keep trying and good luck.

Just got a job offer, they said the job seems to be a step back for me but they still offer me the job.

If you are not getting offered an interview then you need to address how you are completing the application form. Lots of applications are now scored against the job description. Make sure each point on the JD is addressed with a sentence or two of how you meet it.

Thanks all for the replies.
Most of the jobs I am applying for are through a job site. I am applying for jobs that are in my skill set and I dont think I'm over qualified. I have a varied employment history though. My most recent was reception/admin, however I have worked in catering, retail and been a cleaner.

Make sure you follow the person spec very carefully and ensure that anything you need to write to demonstrate your suitability for the role relates to that.

I’ve done a lot of recruitment and see so many applications where there has been no attempt to link the application to the person spec and most of the time those don’t even get more than a cursory glance. I think that sometimes applying through job sites actually don’t allow you to do this so what I would also recommend would be to go to the website of the company itself and look at all the particulars there. It’s also the case that roles on job sites aren’t updated speedily so you might even be applying for roles that no longer exist.

Are you tailoring you're application time the job itself? Most people shortlisting have loads of applications to review so often just hone in on specific skills - boldly out the related skills and transferable skills you have to the job on the application and letter, if it's CV then have a few versions that you can tweak accordingly
Do you ring and enquire ever about the jobs? That's often helpful.
Have you tried local large employers (universities, NHS etc?)

Oh yes definitely enquire if you can. I saw a really interesting looking job recently and wasn’t sure if my experience would quite match what they were looking for. So I dropped them an email and they said yes, do apply. I got the job.