You interviewed really well, but...

We've decided to go with another candidate. No one explains what that actually means. But it's the feedback that makes you question everything, because if you're getting interviews, you must be doing something right. So why aren't you closing?

After years helping candidates turn interviews into offers, here's what I've learnt about why you keep getting close but not all the way:

🔍 Getting the interview means your resume is working. Not getting the offer means something's breaking in the room. These are two different skill sets. You can be perfectly qualified on paper and still miss the mark in person. The interview is a separate game, and it has its own rules.

❓ When you answer the question but don't address the concern, you've lost them without realising. Every interview question has a surface layer and a deeper layer. If you only answer what they asked, you're missing the real conversation happening beneath it.

🗣️ When you talk too much, you're not being thorough. You're being exhausting. Interviewers remember how you made them feel, not every word you said. If their eyes glazed over, they've already mentally moved on.

🔉 When you undersell yourself out of fear of bragging, you're making them guess. And they won't. They'll assume someone else who articulated their value more clearly is the safer bet.

💡 When you don't prepare questions that show genuine strategic thinking, you fade into the pile of "fine, but forgettable." The candidates who get offers aren't just answering well. They're making the interviewer think, "This person gets it."

Here's what most candidates don't realise:

Offers don't go to the most qualified person. They go to the person who made the panel feel most confident.

💚 Confident that you'll deliver what you say you will.

💚 Confident that you'll fit the team and the culture.

💚 Confident that you won't become a problem they have to manage.

💚 Confident that hiring you makes them look smart.

That's not about credentials. That's about how you show up.

Here's where it usually falls apart:

❌ Your examples are vague. You're saying you "led a project" or "improved a process," but there's no specificity. No numbers. No tension. No result. It sounds like everyone else.

❌ Your answers don't land with structure. You're rambling, backtracking, or burying the point. The interviewer is working too hard to follow you, and that effort costs you points.

❌ You're not reading the room. You're giving the same answers to every panel, regardless of what they seem to care about. But a CFO and a Head of People are listening for different things. If you can't adjust, you'll connect with one and lose the other.

❌ You're not closing with confidence. When they ask if you have questions, you either ask nothing, ask something generic, or forget to reinforce why you're the right choice. The ending matters. A lot.

❌ You're too focused on proving yourself and not focused enough on solving their problem. They don't want to hear about your career journey. They want to know you understand what's keeping them up at night and that you can fix it.

Here's the truth about interviews:

They're not a test of your worth. They're a performance where the brief is, "Make them feel safe choosing you."

The candidates who keep getting "close but no offer" often have everything they need except the ability to land it in the room.

That's not a talent problem. That's not a confidence problem. That's a technique problem. And it's fixable.

If you're getting through the door but not getting the offer, stop tweaking your resume. Start auditing what's happening in the conversation.

Because the gap between "great interview" and "you've got the job" isn't qualifications. It's conversion.

Book now to start getting offers after your interviews!