There is no perfect job and no candidate is perfect for a set job. There are only best-fitting jobs for mouldable candidates. Many a time, what happens with regards to a dream job that we aspire for is we lose and may not get shortlisted for the post. This causes a bitter feeling in us as we might feel that we are the perfect candidates for the job.
The interview must have gone well. Even the interviewer seemed well pleased with your responses. But when, instead of an offer letter, a rejection letter pops up in your email, you feel frustrated and possibly angry. But, remember these feelings are temporary, you will very soon move on from it. But what can possibly help you from a rejected interview experience, you say?
The most important takeaway is the feedback from an understanding interviewer if you politely request the same. This is a valuable opportunity in understanding the fall-backs observed by your interviewer. Knowing this will help you hone your overall interview skills. So, asking for a feedback after a job rejection is really important for you to know your fall-backs and work on them.
But simply asking in any manner won’t let you get good feedback. Let’s understand the DOs and DON’Ts while asking for feedback after a job rejection.
Starting with the…
The DOs when asking for feedback after job rejection:
1. When to ask for feedback.
This is very important to know as you may come off as rude if you ask the interviewer for feedback after quite a long time. The best time to ask is when they put up a rejection call. As each call will be a dedicated one, you can easily ask the interviewer for feedback.
In the case of mail, see to it that you respond back within 24 hours after receiving the rejection mail.
In case of a scenario where you couldn’t pick up their call, see to it that you call back immediately or within the business hours.
2. How to ask for feedback
As much as important is the timing of asking feedback after job rejection, more important is the way you word it to them. Your aim for feedback is not to anger them or make them feel that you are a better candidate than the one whom they selected, rather it is to improve yourself for future interviews.
Start by thanking them for taking the time to follow up after the interview. Project on them a feeling that you want to understand your mistakes and better yourself. Request them to put forward what they felt was lacking or needed improvement in you.
Take a pause so that they may take the cue to word their feedback. If they don’t, it’s likely that you might not receive any. In that case, don’t be crestfallen and say any harsh words, simply end the call with thanks.
3. How to reply in case of a rejection mail
Many a time, what you may receive is a mail from the employer’s end. In such cases, you need to write it in the same way as you would proceed with a call. Thank them first, request for feedback, and end with a thank you again.
If you have a doubt, take a look at the below format for formulating a proper response to the rejection mail.
“Respected [Hiring Manager Name],
Much obliged for getting back to me about your recruiting choice. While I’m saddened to hear that I was not chosen for the [Job Title] position, I extremely value the occasion to be interviewed for the work and meet a part of your team. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about your organization and would love to be considered for any future job openings that may become available.
If you have a second to save, I would be grateful to hear any input you have concerning my application and meeting. I’m certain any points you can give would be useful to my pursuit of employment.
Much obliged to you again for your time and thought, [Hiring Manager Name]. I trust our ways cross once more, and I wish you and the remainder of the team at [Company] all the best pushing ahead.
Genuinely,
[Full Name]”
The DON’Ts when asking for feedback after job rejection:
1. Don’t sound low or rude on the call
When you receive a rejection call, it is important to note that you come off as a calm individual if you don’t let negative emotions like anger, sadness, or rudeness color your tone.
Being calm headed in the conversation will help you gain a score with the interviewer and might lead to them giving you genuine feedback.
2. Don’t try to change their decision
The rejection calls are done to convey the rejection of a candidate, simply put. This is not an interview call rather a call informing you about the result.
Don’t try and use this as an opportunity to convince them into changing their minds, which anyways won’t happen. The only thing that might happen is they developing a bad outlook of you as a person who can’t take failures.
3. Don’t act desperately
As said earlier, the call is not an ‘opportunity’ to gain back the job. See to it that you maintain your calmness and don’t fall into a session of requesting them to take you back.
This will only lead to them, listing you as a person who acts desperate in negative times and not a good team player. This might cause you to lose a chance of any future interviews with the same organization which might have happened, had you not acted the way you acted.
4. Don’t get flustered on hearing the feedback
If your interviewer gives you some pointers concerning the interview, listen to it carefully. The feedback is provided for you to understand what you lack and not a moment for you to get into argument.
If you do so, you will be enlisting yourself as an aggressive person. So, remember no counter-arguments when the feedback is being provided.
Interview rejections are never ‘good’ moments. Also, asking for feedback after such a moment might be awkward. But no one can deny the fact that insight into your interview performance can bring a change in your approach. This might be the needed push for you to have a clear outlook into future interviews. To make you realize this, let us check out:
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The benefits of feedback from a rejected interview:
1. An improved perspective on interview performance
A recruiter was also once on the receiving end of such interviews. Requesting for the interviewer’s observation about the interview might teach you some things which you didn’t consider earlier.
Some are quite apt for the job yet lose the interview because of some small things they missed. Maybe the way they present, the way they react when negated, or maybe they just do not fit in the company’s work environment.
2. A better realization about oneself
We all have some habits that may come as in-appropriate especially in a formal conversation such as interviews. These habits of ours might come in instinctually and may become the reason for us being rejected.
With many people vying for a job position, you have to understand companies want to recruit people who are well rounded in all spheres of life. This feedback might open your eyes to your habits which may come off as inappropriate.
3. Developing an adapting nature to grow through negative situations
People casually write down on their resume or present in the interview that they are “eager to learn from positive criticism.” But when it comes to actually take one, how many are able to?
Taking rejection calmly and listening to the feedback proactively will put forward you in the interviewer’s appreciation list. Who knows, if any future job positions open up, you might be the first candidate to be considered.
4. Moving on becomes easier
Most of us are unwilling to accept failure in prospective job interviews. Getting constructive feedback will help you soothe those negative vibes and fill you with a positive outlook for the future.
Looking into how some companies don’t provide such feedback due to their policies, vocalizing your thoughts in form of requesting feedback will help you easily move on with the self-realization and ensures you keep your best foot forward in all such scenarios.
Conclusion
Good feedback from an interviewer will help you realize the things that you lack or need to work upon. It might be possible that some companies may never share such feedbacks. This might be because their company policy does not allow them to do so.
Thus, what you can receive from a rejection call is a golden chance to understand your shortcomings and become one of the best candidates out there.