Didn't get the job after the interview? How to get interview feedback

Posted on April 06, 2012 by Meredith DiMola, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

How to get interview feedback? If you don’t ask you really won’t ever get an answer, BUT, if you do ask, you may just luck out. This is a tricky subject and requires some thought prior to asking the question.

The first step, is to ask during the interview. At the end of an interview, it is completely appropriate to ask each person you interview with the question, ‘how do you feel my skills match with what you are looking for?’. This is a tried and true approach that really can work. Make sure it is an open ended question. Questions that can be answered yes or no, will get you a yes or no answer. Also, this is a great chance for you do dispel any concerns the company interviewing you might have about you. You may get an answer like this, ‘well, we think you are a good candidate, but we are a bit concerned about your XXXX skills.’. Great! Now you can explain yourself in real life. As with any question you ask in an interview, be prepared to not get an answer.

So you didn’t ask during the interview or you didn’t get an answer during the interview. Try these tips-

If you went through a recruiting agency: ask your recruiter

Pick up the phone. Emails get lost or ignored, but calls are more effective. As a recruiter, I always gave constructive feedback to my candidates after an interview, if I could get. I know some recruiters do not, because they do not want to deal with it and some companies simply won’t’ give it. But again, you won’t know if you don’t ask.

If you went through HR: ask HR
Pick up the phone. Don’t hide behind emails, and ask the HR person you worked through. It can go something like this-
‘As you know I am looking for a role in XXX field and I had an interview with XXX people last week. I would really value any constructive feedback that you can offer as I continue on my job search.’.

If you got business cards: ask the team
If you spoke with folks on the team and were given a business card, feel free to contact them directly using a similar approach to the one with HR. I always vote for picking up the phone but ONLY if you were given a business card. Otherwise, it is a bit stalker-like. Try something like this- ‘Thank you so much for interviewing me last week. I am pleased to hear you found someone that will be an excellent fit to your team. As you know I am looking for a position in the XXXX field, and as I continue my search, I would greatly appreciate any constructive feedback.’.

If you want to hear what others say on the topic, check out these links:

How to get feedback following a job interview
You have to ask