We take it too personally when hear that our job application is rejected. Especially if it is the position we really wanted or spent hours on writing the essay and filling out the forms. All in all, we are people and it is hard not to take it to heart - what if it’s our qualification or skill set that matter?

But sometimes the true reason behind the rejection lies on the surface. Many other factors come into play and you should consider them all before you start doubting your skills. One of them - your manner of applying for a job. This may include your writing style and personal approach to human resource manager, as well as the point you’ve included into your application essay. Consider some of the following tips as reasons your application might be rejected and take steps to avoid these mistakes in future:

1) Not following directions exactly.

While an essay is quite a creative task to do, job application is a little bit tricky one. Yet you have to approach the task from an interesting angle, try to stick to application instructions a recruiter gave you. Be sure you read the directions very carefully and adapt your writing - including formatting requirements and company’s culture values. Even a small mistake or slightly contrary comment might cut you out of the race.

2) Leaving questions unanswered.

HR managers and recruiting representatives devote a lot of time to crafting employment applications, so they have a certain reason for asking you to answer their questions. The less information you provide, the less comprehensive picture of you as a worker they can obtain as compared to other applicants. If the essay requires several questions to be answered, try to build your story in order to include all of them. If there is a situation you’re strongly unwilling to give an answer to the question, provide a polite and founded excuse on that, just as you would explain that at an interview.

3) Ignoring large gaps and/or significant events in work history.

Having a breaks in your career due to any reason is normal, but not addressing (or even hiding) it can pop up alerts for a recruiter. Instead of omitting couple of years of your career life, hoping that nobody will notice that, drop a brief line explaining the gap. If you have some special achievements - don’t be shy about your professional development and state what are they about (or also what it took you to hit the score).

4) Formatting spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Yes, this is obvious, but still. There is NO EXCUSE for spelling errors in an application essay, even if you were writing it at 3 am in a candle-lit room. Leaving mistakes in your job application shows a) a lack of attention b) negligence c)illiteracy and leads to a quite unsatisfying image of you as a specialist. In our world of technology consider using a computer word-processing programs or ask an essay writing service for help. Be especially sure to check job-specific words - erroneous usage of professional terminology is an unpardonable sin for any serious candidate.

5) Telling lies or plagiarizing

Let me crystal clear on lying in a job application: No, No, No and NO! Job application essay isn’t a fiction novel and you are not excused for invented facts with the “flight of imagination”. You are asked to present yourself through written words, so you should make sure it shows you as a real person, who wants to take a certain position in a company. If you feel the lack of ideas, you may look for some essay samples online, but make sure to write your own. Failure to steal some other’s idea or falsifying a job application could trigger a whole bunch of problems, with being denied employment at the least.

Bottom line

If you have considered all the above and tailored your essay to fit in, there might be one more thing that slipped out of your focus:

You expected to fail.

Many applicants unconsciously express this attitude. A job search is a very tedious, discouraging and stressful process, which inevitably appears in interviews and application essays. Instead of focusing on being rejected try to notice positive things - your skills and abilities, professional goals and challenges. In your essay describe an employment gap as an opportunity to find better offers or evolve as a person/specialist. With a positive approach you will sound more confident and competitive candidate, that HR’s are looking for.