The Vet2Work Job Procurement and
Advancement
Series
Istock photo
After Interview Feedback
You were up for a position with one other
candidate. You received a
call that although you were both close in the final consideration
but they went with the other candidate.
Now you wonder - should you ask the hiring manager why they
didn’t hire you? If you know how to phrase the question
appropriately, then the answer is “yes, you should ask”.
Some hiring managers and recruiters welcome the
chance to talk with job candidates to help them to improve for
future interviews.
Asking if there is anything you could have done differently
or improved upon during the interview process is a very good way to
broach the subject. However,
you should be prepared to hear something that you might not like.
Some interviewers will provide constructive
feedback but often won’t give exact information regarding why the
other candidate may have been a better fit – personality or ability.
Many hiring managers fear repercussion from their
organizations for revealing too much information to a non-selected
applicant. Some
organizations may have rules that prohibit any exchange between the
interviewer and the rejected applicant.
If you cannot receive feedback, then make notes
from your recollection of the interview questions and your
responses. Often, you
will begin to find things you could have done or said differently
that might have made a difference.
Commit those items to your memory for your next interview
experience, and move on.
Often, one or more rejections, the experience, and the
changes you make lead to the perfect employment fit.
© Copyright Vet2Work/Naturallysilver 2011. No re-publication of this article is permitted without express permission.
