If you never seem to make it past the first interview during the job-hunting process, a lack of preparation could be the cause of your premature exits.

For instance, hiring managers expect seasoned technology pros to have a basic understanding of the problems they will face in the role and some ideas about how to solve them. Yet a high percentage of candidates don’t bother to research the nuances of the position or the challenges facing the company’s industry before an interview. As the old adage goes: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”

What are the signs that you are failing interviews because you are either underprepared or focusing your preparation efforts on the wrong things? Here are some things to look out for.

You Keep Getting the Silent Treatment

If you seem like a perfect fit for the position and your phone screen with the manager or recruiter went well, only for all communication to stop immediately afterward, it’s usually a marketing problem.

When an employer stops responding, it’s because you were unable to distinguish yourself from the other applicants, explained Amanda Rader, managing partner for recruiting firm Normine Lombard.

“They’re paying attention to someone, just not you,” Rader said.

The brutal truth is you have to sell yourself. The only way to answer “why should we hire you” is to research the company and role and make sure the information you present in your resume and interviews explains the unique value you can provide to the organization.

You Are Frequently Stumped

If you’re unable to answer competency-based interview questions or succinctly link your previous success to the role you’re interviewing for, you may not have read the job description thoroughly enough to anticipate the types of questions you’ll be asked.

You need to take a strategic approach to the preparation process, advised Robin Kessler, senior lecturer of Business Communication for the University of Houston-Downtown and author of “Competency-Based Interviews.”

That includes anticipating what it takes to be successful in the role and being ready to intelligently explain why your skill set matches the major requirements in the job description.

Having a format to follow and some pre-planned talking points can also help you answer “think on your feet” questions that are designed to catch you off-guard, Kessler added.

Don’t worry about coming up with the right answer when you are required to think on your feet. What the interviewer wants to know is whether you have the ability to think critically when you’re under pressure. Being prepared can help reduce anxiety and uncertainty and allow you to muster some sort of response.

The Interviewer Didn’t Discuss Next Steps

Experienced interviewers can sense when a candidate is unfamiliar with the company, the position or the answers to basic technical questions. Some may equate a lack of preparedness with a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the position and the amount of time and energy you are willing to put into your work.

If you bomb the technical or skills assessment or didn’t do your homework at all, the interviewer won’t be discussing the next steps or when you will hear back.

The Interviewer Stopped Listening

If the interviewer’s eyes started glazing over halfway through your answer or they began checking email, that's a good indication that you lost their attention and most likely your chances of making it to the next round.

A little preparation and practice beforehand will allow you to communicate your ideas confidently and concisely and without resorting to technical jargon.

Scientists are taught to go through their hypothesis first; but in an interview or business setting, you need to give the answer first, followed by a very brief explanation of how you arrived at your answer, Kessler noted.

Getting feedback from colleagues or recording your responses in advance is the best way to correct issues like rambling, going off on a tangent or telling boring, pointless stories about your experience.

The Interviewer Shortened the Interview

If you aren’t able to forge a connection with the interviewer, many will shorten the interview.

This can happen when you don’t learn anything about the interviewer in advance, so you are unable to engage in small talk to break the ice. By discussing mutual interests or technical passions (instead of yourself), you can transform a one-way interrogation into an interesting, engaging conversation.

The Interviewer Abruptly Ended the Interview

If you don’t know what’s on your resume or can’t clearly articulate your background, you may find yourself heading for the exit. These days, recruiters and hiring managers are looking for reasons to screen people out. The best way to avoid “getting strikes” is to be ready for questions like “walk me through your resume” or “please explain this shift in your career path, this gap in your work history or why you were fired from this company.”

Other “strikes” that can be avoided through preparation include removing objectionable content from social media, ensuring that the information in your resume, online profiles and portfolio align, fixing errors in your credit or criminal records and having references lined up and ready to go.

You Didn’t Ask Questions

When you don’t ask questions at the appropriate time, the hiring manager will assume that you are just going through the motions and aren’t really interested in the company or the position.

The value of asking good questions is that they help you qualify an opportunity and decide if its right for you, Rader said.

Sometimes it's not as much about what you do but what you don't do that determines your level of success in an interview and a job search, she added. Personality can only take you so far. If your interviews don’t turn into offers, there’s a good chance that a more prepared candidate convinced the hiring manager that they were better able to meet their needs.