Signs You Will Not Get The Job Offer For Engineers

Reading into body language, something we don’t do as engineers, will indicate signs you will not get the job offer.

So you’ve been following my posts. You’ve used my resume guide, joined memberships in school, got good grades, and applied to as many jobs as you can. You’re finally in an interview, whether it be Zoom or real life, and you see that interviewer gives some tell tale signs that you’re not getting the job. This may hurt to hear, but here are some signs you will not get the job offer in engineering positions.

If you’re anxious about whether or not you got the job, try reading about the below signs and see if they apply to you.

February 29, 2024 by Kazu Fujimoto

6 Signs You Will Not Get The Job Offer For Engineers:

Your Interviewer Is Constantly Checking Their Phone

If your interviewer is constantly checking their phone for emails, the news, sports, politics DURING the interview with you, then you have messed up. However, this could be a twist. Your interviewer could be using this as a test to see if you can be confrontational. It is up to you to read the situation though. If you feel as if you’ve been boring during the interview, and your interviewer is constantly checking their phone, you probably didn’t get that job.

Your Interviewer Yawns

This should be an obvious one. You should be engaging your interviewer such that they should be thrilled to be interviewing with you. Make sure that when you interview, that you don’t sound like you’re reading off of a textbook that you’ve read over and over. Make your interview sound like a conversation. Ideally, you want to control the interview, as the interviewee. Read into frame.

Your Interviewer Does Not Make Eye Contact With You

If your interviewer is reading off of a piece of paper, and doesn’t bother to make eye contact with you, chances are you have failed to make a good first impression, and they have lost interest in you. If you realize this early on, just stop stressing about the interview, acknowledge that you have failed, and use the questions they ask as a learning experience. Failure is not the end all be all.

Your Interviewer Wraps Things Up Short

If your interview was scheduled for an hour and it only took 30 minutes, chances are they ended it short, and are not interested in you. Conversely, if your interview was scheduled for an hour and it took an hour and 30 minutes, this is a good sign. Interviews cost the company lots of money. The interviewers are employees themselves. They have tasks to do that they’re paid for and if they’re allocating extra time in the interview for you, this means that they are invested in you.

You were not able to explain yourself very well (Definitely not gonna get the job offer)

If you were constantly stuttering during the interview in an attempt to find what words you were looking for, this isn’t good. You should be able to explain yourself in a clear and concise way. If you were to ask someone a question, and they came back to you with ten sentences while stuttering, how engaging would that be?

You asked for too high of a salary (You’re expensive! Not gonna get the job offer)

Hint – When asked about salary, either in person or through Zoom, look at their non verbal signs. Are they raising their eyebrows? Do their pupils start dilating? Do they not react? This will give you an indication of where your answer lies relative to their expectations.

If you asked for too high of a salary, employers will see you as a high line item on a spreadsheet. This is an indicator that you will not get the job. Salary negotiation is best done when they come with a number first, not you. Make sure going into the job interview that you have an understanding of the salary. Don’t waste time – both for you and your potential employer.

Make sure you have a clear strategy on how to negotiate salary by looking at our guide. You can gain anywhere from $1K-$50K+ from salary negotiation when done correctly.

If you checked off all of the above boxes, don’t worry. Even though you might’ve missed out on your dream opportunity, treat the job hunt as a numbers game. I have literally applied to hundreds of jobs only to hear back from a handful. I’ve even been ghosted a few times after my interview, which is one of the worst feelings to experience.