Interview Feedback

30 Comments

1. AnonymousMay 3,2023 at 10:38PM UTC

   You can try, but most likely you will not get it. There are legal reasons companies do not want feedback given. A lot of "inference" can be construed from feedback.

2. AnonymousMay 3,2023 at 10:49PM UTC

   I respect your efforts but you'll get nothing from them.

   Maybe you did nothing wrong except compete against the "wrong" people.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMay 4,2023 at 1:33AM UTC

   You could try if you want to but don't necessarily expect to hear back.

   Recruiters rarely provide feedback for one of two reasons - it's company policy not to provide feedback. Someone somewhere got sued for providing feedback and now it's usually not allowed per the Legal Department.

   Recruiter has provided feedback in the past and has been: argued with, cursed at, threatened, insulted and in one case I know of, met in the parking lot by an angry candidate. I know another recruiter who had to take out a restraining order.

4. AmyMay 5,2023 at 1:59PM UTC

   I will second this. Most recruiters also aren’t “built” to provide constructive feedback, either from a personal perspective or because they didn’t get valuable feedback from the hiring team. For those who do, most candidates are gracious and treat it as a learning opportunity, though there’s always that one who wants to argue their case.

   I have worked at companies who have no- feedback policies for legal reasons and those who do offer it. In my current role, I offer time to each candidate who has reached a certain stage (hiring manager and panel) to discuss the process and feedback.

   It never hurts to ask and I disagree that you were eliminated because you asked. That shows willingness to improve and self-awareness, which are critical traits.

5. Julia WilkinsMay 5,2023 at 5:29PM UTC

   I agree with your comment.

   As recruiters, we cannot/should not provide feedback for legal reasons for the very reasons you've mentioned. Depending on the rapport I've developed with candidates if they ask for feedback, I will share, but it depends on that feedback (technical skills), and we walk a fine line with that. Plus, I usually call the finalist and do not send a canned email response since they took the time to go through the entire process with our company.

   Although I give you feedback on what you might have needed for the particular role at our company, it might not be relevant for other companies you're interviewing because they seek different skill sets and deal with varying pain points. As another person stated, it comes down to the intangibles. There was a reason that you were selected out of several candidates to move to the final stages, but another candidate might possess the skills you do not have that are invaluable to that team's needs.

   Early in my career, I mistakenly shared feedback with a candidate, and they argued with me. Never again! I've also heard horror stories of vindictive candidates who went out of their way to make the hiring manager's life hell after receiving feedback. In the age of social media, this is scary. While these are not the norm, it makes our job difficult, and it is best not to share.

   I see both sides as a recruiter and a candidate; I've also asked for feedback. Sometimes I receive it, sometimes I do not, and that's fine. It's frustrating when you are rejected after going through the entire process, but do not take it personally because that was not the role meant for you. You're closer to landing the proper position.

6. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMay 5,2023 at 6:24PM UTC

   I'm not exactly sure how helpful feedback even is because it's completely subjective. A hiring manager may not want to move a candidate forward because of X - well that X may be exactly why a different hiring manager at a different company may WANT to move the candidate forward.

   And as another poster said, it's not the recruiter or hiring managers job to makes folks better candidates.

   I do always try to release anyone I've spoken to with a live phone call. Candidates always have all my contact info so if they think I've forgotten about them, they're free to reach out to me. I try never, ever to ghost candidates but I'm trying to keep a lot of balls in the air, so every once in a while, I may miss someone. Ghosting sucks - when I was in my last job search, I got ghosted on the regular.

7. Julia WilkinsMay 5,2023 at 9:02PM UTC

   I wholeheartedly agree. I have a similar process with sharing my contact info and encouraging the candidates to reach out directly as we deal with several things. Ghosting is one of the worst things, but then again, I was rejected over a text message, which wasn't nice. :/

8. AnonymousMay 4,2023 at 12:33PM UTC

   Same day expectations of feedback is tough to come through for any candidate. Often the interviews for the role aren't completed so please allow space for them to continue to do their job. Once you learn if you didn't get it, if that's the case, then asking for feedback is totally appropriate. You aren't driving the flow of someone else's process. good luck.

9. AnonymousMay 4,2023 at 1:43PM UTC

   I had a similar situation a few months ago. I made it through four rounds of interviews and then didn't receive any further communication. I followed up with the initial interviewer after more than a week had passed, and they informed me that they moved forward with another candidate. However, they didn't provide the feedback that I requested, and instead followed their response with a system rejection email. It's unfortunate, especially after making it through so many rounds.

   A great piece of advice I once received was to treat each interview experience as preparation for the next. This helps to keep the momentum going and prevent you from becoming too discouraged by rejection. Best wishes in your search!

10. AnonymousMay 4,2023 at 2:00PM UTC

    Move on. The decision they made was theirs. Ultimately, they had a better candidate that they felt was a better fit.

    Focus your prep on presenting yourself as the best possible candidate to fit their needs.

    You run the risk of appearing whiny, desperate, and disrespectful of their time and judgment.

11. AnonymousMay 4,2023 at 3:20PM UTC

    I just want to know what I am doing wrong if I am doing something wrong. I want to improve but how do you improve when you don't get any feedback. This is one of the most frustrating aspects of this whole job search process.

12. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 2:05AM UTC

    It's not the recruiter or hiring manager's job to make you a better candidate.

13. MandyMay 5,2023 at 12:31PM UTC

    They probably won’t give you the real reason and they probably went with an internal candidate or someone’s nephew or something like that.

    Assume that after 4 interviews it wasn’t about you.

14. Ashley ZMay 5,2023 at 1:06PM UTC

    If you want feedback, I would suggest maybe role playing the interview with a trusted friend or someone that will be honest with you.

15. Diane McDevittMay 4,2023 at 7:18PM UTC

    Ask - there is no reason not to. Every rejection that I have received - where I have built a relationship with the recruiter or Hiring Manager has given me feedback. Ask, the worst that can happen, you don't get an answer. But better - when you get that feedback you can adjust your posture and your resume to be better prepared for the next interview. Good luck.

16. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 12:11PM UTC

    Pause. Give them time.

17. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 1:02PM UTC

    I had three round of interviews and I had to do a case study, I was moved forward to the last interview, and was told the next day I was not the right fit, they would not provide feedback when I asked.

18. Ashley ZMay 5,2023 at 1:05PM UTC

    I might be controversial here in saying this, but they might have went with someone else because you asked for feedback. It could have read to them like you lacked confidence. I don't say this to be cruel, but from experience. In my last job they considered me asking for feedback as lacking confidence.

19. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 1:15PM UTC

    I would steer clear! That's a classic example of a toxic workplace if ever I've heard of such.

20. Julie EMay 5,2023 at 4:43PM UTC

    She asked for feedback after she got the rejection letter so I doubt that’s the case.

21. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 1:22PM UTC

    When you are a finalist who has gone through three rounds of interviews, the feedback is basically, “The other person had an intangible something that we decided was the better fit.” If you are getting that far, your skills and interview presentation are fine, and whatever “it factor” you didn’t have is going to matter only for that job with that company. And though it is discouraging, eventually you will be the one with the intangible something.

22. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 2:17PM UTC

    If they decided you were not the “right fit” there is nothing you can do to change yourself to match the “right fit”. Forget about it. Move on and good luck.

23. Leslie MillsMay 5,2023 at 2:41PM UTC

    I empathize with you. A week ago, I was interviewed twice for a position I had the credentials, experience, skills and personality to make me an excellent fit.

    I interview very well, but I do not ever kid myself. I know when an interview goes well, and when it doesn't. I know I interviewed well this time.

    I expected a reply by Friday, but instead I got a form letter from this company with the usual "we have decided on another candidate", and "Good luck to you".

    I was so surprised that I sent a return email requesting any feedback on what I missed in the interviews. I have received no response. This has happened to me before. It seems that once you are not hired, interest in you disappears. I do not think that contacting anyone else in the organization will help. I have tried that, too.

    Don't wait for the feedback. Anything might have happened.

    Just be as good as I know you can be. The right job is waiting for you, I know it.

    Best wishes and good luck to us all.

    Leslie

24. EMILY KIKUE FRANKMay 5,2023 at 3:27PM UTC

    You can try, but many places either have policies in place or simply choose not to respond to follow-up questions like this. It feels crummy, but it was probably not about you at all.

25. Julie EMay 5,2023 at 4:48PM UTC

    You can always ask. I had that happen a few years ago with not one, but two companies. The first one was very unorganized and put me through two sets of interviews. Who knows if they ever ended up hiring anyone. The second one I reached out to and asked for feedback. The recruiter did reply and told me they went with an internal candidate.

26. AnonymousMay 5,2023 at 6:24PM UTC

    I would reach out to the hiring manager and ask them for any areas of improvement that they could share. In this crazy market which particularly in tech is flooded with talent it could be that they had many good choices. If you don't get any information wait a few weeks and see who they hired on linkedin. That may help you to get past the rejection.

27. misskelleypMay 5,2023 at 7:24PM UTC

    it's worth a try, and framing it that way might get you something!

28. Krystin MorganMay 6,2023 at 5:05AM UTC

    Yeah, it can't hurt to do this. Often times recruiters aren't allowed by the company to share feedback, but a hiring manager may decide to do it anyway. And worst case, they'll just say no or ignore the email!

29. misskelleypMay 5,2023 at 7:24PM UTC

    Sometimes a recruiter will give you some feedback, but usually a hiring manager will not offer any. They're always afraid of getting sued, so it's better (for them) to say nothing. But I agree, getting that feedback would be SO USEFUL for an applicant!!

30. AnonymousMay 10,2023 at 4:28PM UTC

    It never hurts to ask for feedback on your interview.

    Depending on the interview/hiring process for that company, the recruiter or hiring manager may not be able to provide much information unless they interviewed you directly.

    I recently did a panel interview, but did not get it. I reached out to one of the panelists who had been my main contact to set up the interview and said:

    "Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. Is there any feedback you might have regarding my interview process? I'd like to do what I can to improve for the future."

    And their response:

    "You made it to the top two; however, the other candidate made it by a hairline so that shows you that your interview was great as well."

    Not necessarily any useable feedback, but it did let me know I'm on the right track.

    Best of luck in your job search!