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How to Ask for Feedback from an Interviewer

Asking for feedback in an interview isn’t natural for most people, but it can have a significant effect on your career. Interviewing is a skill that isn’t practiced often, so it’s critical to make the most of it when you are interviewing. Practice interviews can be done with friends, but it’s hard to replicate the environment of an actual interview. 

Here are 6 tips to help get the most out of asking for feedback during an interview.

Ask for feedback at the end of the recruiter screen.

Most interviews start by having a conversation with the recruiter. As your call is wrapping up, ask them “Based on our conversation, how do you think my experience matches what’s needed for the job?” You might be able to get some insights into what the hiring manager is looking for in this position.

Depending on your conversation, you can also ask the recruiter, “What additional information can I tell you to feel comfortable championing my candidacy for this role?” You don’t want to overstep, but this could help get you an inside track.

Ask for feedback after every round.

Assuming you make it past the recruiter, you’ll most likely talk to the hiring manager in a short period of time. Towards the end of your conversation with them, ask them “How do you think my skills can be leveraged to bring value to your team and the company?” Based on their response, you can get a feel for whether or not you communicated the things you wanted to highlight about yourself.

During your interview process, you can lean on the recruiter by asking them “Is there any feedback, specific focus areas, or anything I can do to improve my interviewing technique?” The recruiter should be on your team. Their job is to make sure a position is filled, so by providing better candidates, they are excelling at their job.

Ask culture-fit questions at the end of the process.

If you weren’t extended an offer, ask your recruiter, “Do you think, based on the feedback, I would be a culture fit for future opportunities? I wouldn’t want to waste my time or yours if it’s not a match.” 

Your recruiter might have positive feedback saying the interviewers liked you, but it wasn’t a right fit for this position. This allows for you to keep an open line with the recruiter and the rest of the company for future opportunities.

Sometimes you aren’t a good match with an employer and it’s best on both ends to decide to not work together. It’s unlikely the recruiter will say this outright, so you will need to read into the response.

Listen with curiosity.

If you receive non-generic feedback, take notes. This isn’t the time to explain away shortcomings that might have been uncovered. Use this as an opportunity to boost your odds of crushing your next interview.

Keep in mind the feedback you receive might not be as applicable to your next interview. The role you just interviewed for might need someone who is more hands-on, while the next one needs someone to focus on strategy rather than execution.

Analyze feedback holistically.

Most of the feedback you’ll receive will be sanitized. Don’t overanalyze one phrase or sentence. If you are still in an interview process, pivot as needed, or think about how you can improve for your next interview. Think critically about what you thought went well in the interview and the feedback you received. 

Adjust your approach, not yourself.

Pivot your interviewing strategy and approach as it makes sense to you. You shouldn’t change your whole personality based on the feedback you’ve received because you’ll compromise your authenticity. If you aren’t yourself in your interviews, neither you nor the company will see the true potential for a cultural fit.

Link to the blog post by Marlo Lyons at the Harvard Business Review.

End Note

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Have a great day,

Nick