1. You didn’t tailor your CV to the position you applied for:

This is a very crucial first step as it determines if you’ll get the first call from the Recruiter or not. You need to ensure that the key description of the role, key hard and soft skills needed and key words in general have all been adapted to your cv. Having this in place will ensure that your cv makes the first cut of selection.

2. Your cover letter didn’t clearly highlight your passion, skills and experiences:

Recruiters are keen to know that you’re very passionate about the Industry, that you have the skills needed to excel on that role and that you’re willing to learn and develop more skills on the job. If this is an internship role, this might be your first experience and so they may not be keen on you having prior experiences.

However, if this is an actual job, they would want to see that your previous experiences are similar to the role that you’re applying for. If they are not, then you need to adapt your previous experiences to this role.

3. You didn’t have key / vital historical and current knowledge of the brand:

A lot of iconic brands have very strong heritage and so when interviewing with a Brand, you must be well prepared. It is imperative to know the brand’s history – when it was founded, it’s first product, it’s emblematic product, it’s founder, it’s current creative director, etc. This will portray your intentionality about wanting to work for the brand.

4. You weren’t memorable during your interview:

During your interview, you must tell a compelling story about yourself, your background and your career journey. When deep diving into your career journey, do not speak about your work experiences in a chronological order. Instead, make a story out of it which they are able to follow to fully understand your journey.

Try to make this interview a dialogue between yourself and the recruiter and not just a one-sided conversation where the Recruiter does all the asking and you do all the responding.

5. You didn’t ask valid questions during & didn’t send a follow up mail right after the interview:

Curiosity is always an attractive trait. Asking valid questions will further emphasize your interest in the role and in the brand. You need to ask questions about the team structure, softwares you’ll be working with, expected challenges on the job, etc. This will show the recruiter that you’re focused, driven & serious minded and would automatically make you stand out from other candidates.