We are all familiar with the waiting game after an interview. Sitting, stressing, waiting, and getting frustrated because you can’t remember the first question they asked you (it’s amazing how stress can affect our memory!). Before you know it, here comes that email/phonecall...
"Dear applicant, thank you for applying for this position. Unfortunately we regret to advise you that your application has not been successful on this occasion." Anddddd we're back to square one. We all want future success, and in the instances we fail, we naturally want to know why. A common question I get asked is, "How do I ask for interview feedback?" In my opinion, if the recruiter had feedback on your application, they would’ve/could’ve/should’ve included that in that email/phone-call.
The risk of asking for feedback, is that interviewers won’t always be honest about why you didn't get the job. The real reason could've been because your hair was the wrong colour, you had tattoos they didn't like, or they wanted to hire their friend. If that made headlines, it wouldn’t make their company look very good would it?
The worst part is the cover-up. Thinking back to the above example, if they can’t be honest about the real reason, they will shift your downfall elsewhere - all in the name of ‘feedback’. This can be damaging to job-seekers. For example, your feedback was that you didn't address the selection criteria with correct detail. You may take on this feedback, thinking you are improving your interview technique. When in-fact there was nothing wrong with it, and now you have potentially jeopardised future job applications.
This is not to say that all recruiters are dishonest. Rather, the key take-away is to not be so hard on yourself. You won’t always get the real answer.
Keep kicking your career goals, Simone x
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