An old friend of mine has been looking for a job for the last 3 years. He's done hundreds of interviews. But somehow he's managed to not get a single offer.

We live in different cities, but I catch up with him two or three times a year over a call. I try to help him figure out what he might do differently. Each time the conversation touches upon a similar list of reasons:

• he's in an extremely competitive field
• he's not willing to compromise on the kind of role he wants
• he gets passed in favor of someone who currently has a job
• he doesn't have North American work experience (but he DOES have a North American degree)
• he's been unemployed for too long (which raises doubts in the minds of interviewers)

One would think that after doing hundreds of interviews, he would have learned where he might be messing up and addressed any issues. Why that is not the case is a mystery to me.

It's not like he doesn't have the skills or the experience for the role. If that was the case, he wouldn't land many interviews. He's a talented guy, with enough experience to at least land a junior role. Definitely above entry-level. He has a quirky personality but knows how to present himself. But we can't really pinpoint what the root cause is.

Recently, he enrolled in a graduate program. His hope is that this will create a fresh start for him and create potential opportunities. I sincerely hope that it works out for him.