Use This Question to Get Interview Feedback
You know that dreaded, generic note you get from the HR recruiter? The one that says, “Thank you for your interest but, we’ve decided not to move forward with your candidacy at this time.”
It stinks. And what makes it all the more maddening is the lack of feedback. Was it something you said? How are you supposed to improve if you don’t get any feedback?!
We’ve all been there. It’s one of the most frustrating parts of the process for candidates.
Let’s dive in on what you can do and the questions you can ask to improve your odds.
Why interview feedback is rare
First, some context: companies are risk averse. The reason they have a generic, standard message is to protect themselves from getting sued, having bad PR, and other potential risks.
Frankly, there's not an incentive for them to take a chance and give you honest feedback.
Second, most of the time it is true that someone just had an additive experience or a different perspective than you had.
Everyone getting interviewed likely has the skills to do the job. So more often than not, it wasn’t that you didn’t do something or say something. It’s that someone else did have something that was more compelling to the hiring team.
Therefore, the most important thing you can do in an interview is to differentiate yourself. It’s your role in the interview to connect the dots for the hiring team on how your experience and skills match what they’re looking for.
Let’s start there.
How to best position yourself
First, spend time studying the job description to get a sense of what really matters. Those are the keywords and phrases you want to pull out and use.
Next, don't be afraid to ask early on in your interview "what matters most in this role?" or "what are some of the most important attributes that the team is looking for?"
You can even say "there's a lot I can share from my past experiences and I want to highlight what's going to be most relevant and important. Would you mind sharing a few things you'd love your dream hire to have?"
This could be something you ask before or after the typical “tell me about yourself” question.
Remember, an interview is not some secret challenge the hiring team is giving you to see if you can figure it out. The hiring team wants to find the ideal candidate – quickly – so they’d welcome the opportunity to share exactly what they’re looking for.
Here’s a bonus tip: if you’re meeting with various people, ask everyone this same question. Depending on their role, your interviewer may have certain things they care more about than their peers. That allows you to tailor your responses to what that person cares about. It can also help you spot red flags if the answers are wildly different.
How to increase your chances of getting feedback
I know it’s disappointing when you hear you’re not moving forward in the interview process – and it’s understandable when your disappointment only increases when you’re not sure why.
Try to find a sympathetic person you connected with during your interview and email them a gracious and professional note asking for feedback.
Most people empathize with how tough the job search process can be, so if you frame it as looking to learn and improve, occasionally someone will give you a few more details.
Make it safe for them by being gracious and generous. No one wants to go out on a limb if they think you'll argue or respond negatively.
Try saying something like "It was so great to connect and learn about XYZ. I just heard back that I'm not moving forward. While I'm disappointed, I understand the team's decision and hope that you're able to secure a great candidate soon. One of my philosophies is ongoing improvement. In that spirit, would you be willing to share something I could have done that would have improved my performance by 10%? I would value the feedback and will certainly use it as I continue to navigate my search."
If they do provide feedback, thank them for their honesty. And if they mention that some candidates had more of what they were looking for – believe them. In this market, someone may have 110% of what was laid out in the job description.
It doesn’t take away from what you can do and what you have to offer. Your job is to continue looking for that organization that just hasn’t found what you offer yet.