How do I evaluate feedback at a job interview?

July 3, 2009 1:18 PM

How do I evaluate feedback at a job interview?

I've been having slightly more success recently in my search for a job, but after four or five interviews in the last six months where I've been told things like: (to give the most recent example) "Well, you're who I'm recommending as the candidate-to-hire, after my in four days where I'll present you, I'll give you a call, let you know where we go from here."

On that forth day, I received a form letter, dated the day of the interview, telling me "Thank you for coming in, we've decided to go with someone who more closely fits our... etc etc"

I am quite perturbed-- not so much that I didn't get the job (though I, every time, wanted it, showed my enthusiasm, etc), but for the false signals, and a few times for the outright lies. (Making sure I'm not giving the wrong impression here-- I assume people are telling me the truth, and don't really want to change that; I may have just had a run of bad luck.)


How do I evaluate the feedback that I get at a job interview? I can tell sometimes when the interviewer obviously isn't interested (setting the resume down and ending the interview a few moments later is usually a pretty good tell), or if I say something that shows that I'm not who they're looking for, but how do I approach someone who says "Yup, you're who we're looking for, we'll let you know in a day or two"

Is there a polite/politic way to say "I won't be offended if you tell me an honest yes/no/maybe... but I'd really appreciate a bit of blunt feedback."
(I understand, especially for companies that go through a lot of applicants, that time restrictions will prevent a lot of this, but on second or third interviews with the same company, I'd figure the applicant pool shrinks quite a bit, giving them the extra thirty seconds to a minute?)

A followup-- I normally send a two line "Thank you for your time" note to whoever does the interview; would etiquette see this as hostile to send it to someone who said "I will call you with your results" and instead, sent a form letter?

posted by Seeba to work & money (9 comments total)

"I won't be offended if you tell me an honest yes/no/maybe... but I'd really appreciate a bit of blunt feedback."

That sounds perfect.

It may be that the guy strongly recommended you for the job, but someone higher up had a niece that needed a job.
posted by musofire at 1:19 PM on July 3

I doubt you would get an honest answer if you asked. Giving you anything other than the vague "We'll call" kind of response opens the company up to discrimination lawsuits, if you were the kind of person to press the matter.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 1:38 PM on July 3

Is there a polite/politic way to say "I won't be offended if you tell me an honest yes/no/maybe... but I'd really appreciate a bit of blunt feedback."

When the interviewer asks you if you have any questions for them:
"How do you feel I relate to this job?"
"Do you need any additional information?"
"When can I expect to hear from you?" (If they haven't already said)*

I normally send a two line "Thank you for your time" note

This is good. Make sure to personalize the letter to the individual and to the company, to indicate your pleasure with what you've seen of the business, and to fill them in on anything you forgot to mention or wasn't brought up during the interview. And keep it brief and precise.*

Remember, too, that you don't have the job until you've signed a contract. (On preview, what musofire said).


*(These suggestions are from The Career Fitness Program, 8th ed., by Sukiennik, Bendat, and Raufman)
posted by clorox at 1:46 PM on July 3 [2 favorites has favorites]

Musofire, Clorox - Thank you-- good suggestions, and yeah, nothing I suppose I can do about the nepotism/in-house selection thing.
(I've always wondered how you justify that on performance reports and such, but I guess fudging paper is relatively easy.)

The question I have with some of the suggestions is that I'm, by saying something like "Tell me honestly yes/no/maybe" is that it gives the not-so-subtle implication that I don't trust them to begin with... hardly what I want to say to an employer.


SuperSquirrel-- to your point, is there a way I can emphasize that I am not the kind of person to press the matter? If I had on hand a one-page release form, would that come off as someone prepared and dedicated to improvement (... as it'd be intended), or as overly litigious and a flashing warning sign? (I mean, to my way of thinking, if I am suing them to get in, then it's not going to be a very good work environment anyway...)
posted by Seeba at 1:53 PM on July 3

Recruiters are evil robots that want to eat your soul.

No matter what you do or say, the recruiters will not give you an honest answer. Once you accept that, life becomes a lot easier.
posted by b1tr0t at 1:54 PM on July 3

"I won't be offended if you tell me an honest yes/no/maybe... but I'd really appreciate a bit of blunt feedback."

This is not a good idea. It can (and probably will) be interpreted as needy or insecure. At best, it will make you sound pushy, but not in the good, motivated, go-getter way.

There is nothing you can do. When an interviewer says that, but doesn't mean it, they aren't saying it for your benefit, they're saying it for their own. Having a candidate walk out feeling good is easier to stomach than having a candidate walk out feeling rejected. Why they lay it on so thick is anyone's guess. It's also possible that you were in the top spot before the next person they interviewed after you. There are so many reasons why this happens, unfortunately, the interview process isn't designed with the candidate's comfort in mind. There's nothing you can do to make them more honest or upfront, there's nothing you can do to keep them from sending mixed or false signals. The only thing you can do is manage your expectations and just keep yourself from believing you're in the running till you get the call to return for a second interview or offer.

This is pretty common, and like musofire said, you don't know the circumstances that surrounded their hiring decisions. Once, I had an interview for what was my dream job. I was the perfect candidate, I knew it, it was obvious the interview committee knew it. The head of the committee, the one with the final authority, said I was the top candidate and he'd get back to me by friday with their final decision, but reiterated I was their top candidate. Friday came, didn't hear anything. I called the next wed. to find out if they had made their decision. He apologized and said they had sent a letter (it actually arrived later that day), and unfortunately, they went with an internal candidate. What a let down.

The real story? They promoted the internal candidate before they even started the interview process, but their policy stated that they had to interview at least 3 external candidates. So the person was doing the job I was being interviewed for WHILE I was in the interview. I only found out about this because about 6 weeks after the rejection, they called me in and offered me a job. Someone who held a lateral position had a nervous breakdown and left, and the job was mine if I wanted it (yes, please!). When I started, they all told me how guilty they felt about the situation when I interviewed. For the record, after they hired me, they started the pseudo-interview process for their record keeping. Point is, you just never know what's going on in the interviewer's head, and there's no way you'll ever coax it out of them.
posted by necessitas at 3:34 PM on July 3 [1 favorite has favorites]

Having been on both ends of the hiring process, I'd tell you that you will probably never get a straight answer out of anybody who's directly involved. An interviewer does not know, right then and there, if you will be hired: there may be other candidates still to be interviewed, the decision is generally made by consensus after everyone has spoken to you, the hiring req may be frozen the next day, etc.

Also, expecting somebody to give you feedback on the spot is a bit unrealistic, except when it's clear you're not qualified. The interviewer needs a bit of time to mull over their impressions of your technical skills, personality, "fit" for the workplace, and how you compare with other candidates. If you press someone on this they'll just give you a bland non-answer.

I would always assume that any praise or promises you hear during an interview are purely hot air. In fact, praise may be a way of letting you down gently (in the interviewer's mind). When I interview somebody I keep it cordial but completely noncommittal - I make no promises and try never to give the impression that I make the final decision. My job is to play my cards close to my vest: I don't want to dash anybody's hopes but I don't want them to feel they're a stellar candidate because then they'll ask for a higher salary (heh). If you asked me for an honest appraisal at the end of an interview, I'd brush you off with something vague and mentally note that you seem naive and a bit immature, not knowing how the game is played. If you gave me a legal waiver form for feedback, I'd toss your résumé the minute you left the building.

Just get used to the idea of "Don't tell, don't ask" - interviewers won't tell and it only makes you look bad if you ask. Job-hunting is discouraging and nerve-wracking and I'm sorry to be so blunt and cynical about it, but it's a game with rules, like every other social interaction. Trust nothing until you get it in writing, and good luck!
posted by Quietgal at 5:06 PM on July 3 [4 favorites has favorites]

Necessitas- that's the read I was afraid about, yup.

Quietgal, thank you for the answer-- I'm the first to admit I'm naive about the way the game is played... it's why I ask, and any third-party information (books, news articles, anecdotes from other), is usually couched in vague terms that will change depending on the industry or my personal qualifications.
You're right, and I should make sure to remind m'self that I'm not looking for commitment for the very reasons you stated, and because of the steady diet of hot air, should keep trying to disregard anything good that I do hear... I guess I asked the question to try to see if there was a phrasing or style I hadn't come upon.
(As you put it-- tryin' to learn the rules... though with most other social interactions, there seems to be a lot more leeway and credit for honesty-- or at least penalties for dishonesty.)

I'm trying to go into all of this without "gaming" the system; I'm not nearly experienced enough, and it strikes me that any attempt would backfire. I'm an intelligent kid just out of school who wants to work his ass off, and will stand on my word... though that's hard to say without sounding like you're just as full of hot air as anyone on the other side of the desk trying to pacify me. It seems that any response given honestly about my own traits that would be useful would be filtered through a "The applicant is probably trying to puff himself up" filter, and I don't know a way to get across "If I will have problems here that I could forsee, I'd be just as forward with them, so as to not blind side you if you do hire me."

Live and learn, I suppose. Thank you.
posted by Seeba at 5:20 PM on July 3

Seeba, I think you're your own worst enemy in this process. You're over-thinking this to a stifling extent. Try to take a deep breath and allow yourself to let go a bit in interviews. If you are as sincere about your qualifications and enthusiasm in interviews as you've been in your posts here, it won't be interpreted as puffing yourself up. Enthusiasm is contagious, and sometimes the most effective approach is to make the interviewer as enthusiastic about you, as you are in the job. The only way to do this is to be genuine and stand apart from the talking robots with whom you're competing for the position.

I don't mean go in there and sound like a hyperactive 10 year old hopped up on too many pixie stix. I just mean speak extemporaneously. There's a difference between preparing to answer typical interview questions and rehearsing prepared answers for typical interview questions. You can not prepare a contingency plan for every possible interview scenario, and if you try, you might end up in the situation where you're asked a question and you can't remember which answer you've prepared for it, so you sit there for a few seconds, mentally saying "i know this one! I know it" as if you've been asked a trivia question. These sorts of things make a person look insincere.

If you're looking for a way to get the "if I have a problem that I could foresee" point across, that awful strengths and weaknesses question is a pretty good place. You don't have to spell it out as you have it up there, but let them know that you're not afraid to ask for help when you need it, you're realistic about your skills so you're never one to get in over your head out of pride. Obviously don't put it that way, but if you convey to them that you are realistic about your abilities, they'll probably realize that you are the type who wouldn't take on a job you couldn't do.

About getting passed over in interviews, this is nauseatingly cliche, but very true: it's not what you know but who you know. If you keep coming up empty handed, have you considered calling up the local trade association for your industry of choice and seeing if they'll take you on as an informal "intern" or volunteer while you're job hunting? This might give you a lot of advantage on the "who you know" side.
posted by necessitas at 6:03 PM on July 3 [1 favorite has favorites]