To ask why I wasn't invited for an interview?

[Avaganda]

Three weeks ago I applied for what I thought was the perfect job for me. I researched the company for hours, got familiar with the team and their roles and spent ages writing a covering letter. I had the job/person specification in front of me and ticked off each and every point as I went along. I submitted my application 2 days before the deadline and received an email to acknowledge that it had arrived. I wasn't 100% sure I'd get the job but I was very certain I'd be contacted for an interview. However, this was the week that interviews were supposed to take place and I haven't heard a peep, so can assume I was unsuccessful
My confidence hasn't been great for a few years and this has really knocked me because I was so sure this was something I would be good at. I can't think where I went wrong and it's really bothering me and making me anxious about applying for anything else. Would I be unreasonable to ask them why? I don't want to be annoying but surely there must be some reason?

No harm at all in asking for feedback, but try not to feel defeated. As much as you thought you were perfect for the role, there were others who also ticked the exact same boxes. In the current climate, there are more people than jobs, so most likely they had plenty of applicants.

One thing I would advise is the earlier you apply the better, rather than waiting till the deadline (or two days beforehand). Unless HR hold back all applicants and review them after the deadline, chances are they sift through applications as they come through, so if there are candidates similar to you in terms of skill and experience who applied sooner, they may be shortlisted before they even receive your application and they have enough candidates for interviews.

I agree that timing might explain it -- by the time you submitted they likely had loads of applications already, it's possible no one ever looked at yours. Try not to let it affect your confidence.

Depending on the industry, it's possible they already had someone in the role but had to advertise a new position for bureaucratic reasons.

On the bright side, you have identified a role you really want and have a cover letter and CV all ready to go. Are there other organisations that might be hiring for similar? Is there any networking you can do in this area?

It can be disheartening, but most companies use software to sift applicants that uses word or key phrase recognition so some will be sifted out because the 'right' words aren't used. its a really cold way to recruit IMO but I see why it's done, especially where there are hundreds of applications.

Have you approached any recruiters? I've found it a much better way to job hunt as I'm in a specific field (rather than generic admin type work). A recruiter will only put people forward they feel have a good chance and will work with you. There are also lots of free cv reviews you can do online as well as covering letter templates designed to work with the software mentioned above to boost your chance at being shortlisted.

You can ask but I think your problem is that you applied 2 days before the closing date, they were probably innundated with applications and had already started sorting through them.
Ask for feedback but they'll probably tell you that there were more suitable candidates, a stock answer.
I used to recruit in a previous role and we would get so many applications we would start whittling them down long before the closing date, my advice is to get in early

@Dizzy1234

You can ask but I think your problem is that you applied 2 days before the closing date, they were probably innundated with applications and had already started sorting through them. Ask for feedback but they'll probably tell you that there were more suitable candidates, a stock answer. I used to recruit in a previous role and we would get so many applications we would start whittling them down long before the closing date, my advice is to get in early

I know it is only anecdotal but my DD applied for about 60 graduate positions during lockdown last year. One of the last ones she applied for was at the last minute. She did her application and submitted it minutes before the deadline. That was the job she was interviewed for and subsequently got. So getting the application in early doesn't always help.

“ getting the application in early doesn't always help.”

True - my (major museum) organisation reviews everything submitted up to the deadline, however many there are! Smaller organisations often state in their ads that they may close applications early if they receive a significant number.

...and we only get all the applications to review in one go after the deadline

So getting the application in early doesn't always help

It depends on the firm...some will wait until the deadline has closed before reviewing all applications, others will review as soon as they come in. If there were other candidates the same or better than OP who applied sooner, then it is irrelevant that OP meets the job - they'll have had enough decent applicants for an interview so OP's application won't have stood out as exceptional if they've already had a number of similar ones.

I applied for my perfect job, no interview invitation, when i rang to ask why ( day before scheduled interviews) they had not seen my application, did a search and found half of it so asked me to resubmit that day, offered me an interview and i got the job. It helped that it wasa narrow field in which i was known so they knew of my work and were pleased i had applied. Always worth asking there really is nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

I applied for my perfect job, no interview invitation, when i rang to ask why ( day before scheduled interviews) they had not seen my application

Another good point. My first application for the org I’m in seemed to be fine when I’d submitted it into the online system. If I hadn’t used the option to then download a copy of my application I would never have known that all that had gone through was my name! Had typed everything into their system but luckily had copied it offline. I had an hour before the deadline (yes, I do my applications late) to start again using Explorer rather than Chrome - guessed it was a browser error & luckily it worked!

They might just be behind schedule. I applied for a job early September heard nothing. Got email out of blue late October was I still interested. Yes. Interview over Skype got job mid November. Then took another 2 months to get my start date. Large organisation, lots wfh due to covid meant everything took a lot longer.

The current recruitment market has changed the playing field. I posted a role last week, received 21 CVs within an hour (didn’t ask for covering letters). I then spent 1 hour reviewing the batch last Thursday. Shortlisted 6 for interview this week. I’ve met 4 of the 6 so far and think I’ve already got a 1st and 2nd choice. I’ll wait till I’ve met all 6 before confirming next steps, but I’ll likely take 2 forward for psychometric tests and then final round interviews next week. I haven’t checked the recruitment system this week (the role is “live” for 2 weeks). There will no doubt be 100’s of CVs. There will be a few other similar roles coming up over next 6 months, so I’ll refer to those CVs when sourcing in future.

There are a lot of great candidates available, due to company restructuring at the moment.

Hope you get the feedback OP. Good luck with your job search!