Interview Feedback
Post-application feedback is an important part of an effective selection process and, should be offered to all applicants. It is
recommended that you seek feedback as it can provide you with information about your performance in the assessment process and can be a positive tool for your career development.
Information provided in feedback should be based on your:
- assessment against the job description and/or selection criteria;
- strengths and areas for improvement; and
- gaps identified in comparison with the selected applicant.
If you don’t get the job the first thing to do is not to beat yourself up. Do what other successful candidates do and put it down as a learning experience. Beating yourself up will only undermine your future confidence.
Whether you get the job or not, it can always be of benefit to seek feedback. It helps to prepare for the feedback meeting and have a few questions ready (eg, I thought I understood what you were asking me in the interview. Do you have any feedback in this regard? What opportunities do you think I could explore to be more competitive in the future for this type of position?).
When seeking feedback, don’t become defensive and don’t attack or debate the person/s providing the feedback. Remember, the point about asking for feedback is to learn how to improve for next time. Further, if you learn during the feedback stage that you were very competitive take the opportunity to tell the person/s providing feedback that you would be interested in any future positions.
Always thank the person/s for the feedback and their time providing it (this continues a profile with them).
Take the time to give some serious thought to the feedback provided. Then ask yourself the all important question: “What can I do to ensure that next time I capitalise on my strengths and don’t repeat the same mistake/s?”
