Ever wondered why you didn’t get shortlisted for a tech interview—even though you ticked all the must-haves in the job description?

I was once hiring a Backend Developer for a Fintech client.
 

The must-haves? Python, Django, and APIs.

Preferred skills? AWS Lambda and Kafka.

At first, candidates with just the must-haves were getting interviews.
But guess what?

The ones who had Lambda or Kafka really impressed the hiring manager — they came across as stronger in system design and cloud skills.

So the hiring bar moved — now they only wanted to see candidates with those preferred skills too.

So if you’re applying and not hearing back — even with all the required skills — this could be why.

👉 If you’ve got those preferred skills, highlight them clearly on your resume. Don’t let them blend in.

Happy job hunting!