How to… Ask FeedBack
TURNING A NEGATIVE IN TO A POSITIVE
THE bad news is you didn’t get the job but this is a great opportunity for you to turn a negative situation into a positive. If you ask interviewers for feedback, it gives you a great chance to think constructively about your performance, learn more about what employers want and ultimately help you to get the job in future.
How can getting feedback help me?
Without feedback, the benefits of interview experience are rendered almost irrelevant — you can’t use rejection as a learning curve when you don’t know where you went wrong. Remember, interviewers may have a lot of experience, so their advice can be invaluable. It’s also hard to judge your performance objectively — interviewers can do this.
Who to ask
If it was a standard panelinterview, you may have had emails from a member of the human resources department so may want to contact them.
How to ask
Email is probably the best option and it gives the interviewer as chance to respond at a time that is convenient to them. Don’t come across as aggrieved or criticise the interviewer’s judgment for not hiring you. You might go for another interview at their organisation.
When to ask
As for when to ask for feedback, this is usually fairly soon after you’ve been told you haven’t got the job. It’s wise to wait until any negative feelings have passed, but try to make the approach within 24 hours so the interview is fresh in the interviewer’s mind.
What to expect?
The more you receive this type of feedback the more you will get used to it. It can be a bit daunting at first, because you know there will be some criticism in there. But if they are professional it should be constructive criticism that you can use to improve your interview technique.