It's funny but every time I talk to self-proclaimed "failures" (people who do job interviews but never get offers) they have a raft of excuses about their age, being out of the workforce too long, etc. I ask them how they offered to make themselves valuable to the company where they were interviewing. They typically have no answer.
They are carrying their insecurities and convictions regarding their imagined shortcomings into the interview; and those insecurities are sensed.
It’s a good idea to learn everything you can about a company before you apply - read their annual reports, read news items about them; find out what the company is really All About, and be able to talk knowledgeably about it and how you might benefit the company - or at least show that you understand some of the basic concerns and that they are interesting to you and that you have some knowledge of them.
Too many people come out of school thinking that all companies are basically the same, and that their own schooling has prepared them for ‘anything’. But every company is actually unique. You need to KNOW about them, before you can confidently apply and interview.