Sometimes it really is you. I always encourage people to ask for feedback in the interview process. The catch… you will rarely get any. But you might. One of the best ways is to ask at the end of each interview. No, do not just blurt out “do you like me?” Try to use a little tact won’t you? Maybe something like “I know we have only been speaking for an hour but do you feel that this position could be a good match for me and me a good match for the position? Just be careful what you ask for.
Just like dating you may hear “it’s not you, it’s us.” You will usually hear something to the effect of “we have chosen to pursue candidates that we feel are a better match.” But the truth is, unless you are in the final round, it is you, not them.
This is not as bad as it sounds. Would you want a company to hire you for a job if they truly thought you would suck? No. It would be like being mad if someone won’t go out with you because you don’t make enough money. If that happens you just dodged a bullet my friend. I won’t go into that here but trust me, you are WAY better off without that person.
So, what to do now? Ask if you can stay in touch and/or if they know of any other positions (in or out of their company) that you may be a better match for. Generally speaking HR people and recruiters like helping people. Yes, we have a dark sense of humor and are sometimes caught laughing about in appropriate things but all in all we generally like helping people, just not assholes. So don’t be an asshole.
The Man
You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test
George W. Bush