Navigating Job Interview Feedback

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By Pamela Odukoya

Being rejected for a job is hard, but it’s even harder when the feedback you receive leaves you feeling confused, disappointed and undervalued. I remember experiencing this many years ago after interviewing for my first internal managerial position. I had invested a lot of time and effort preparing for the interview, and I felt positive that I was a strong candidate.

The job interview feedback I received was: “You need to have fire in your belly to be a manager.”

At the time, I found this feedback vague, unhelpful and with no clear actionable step and I felt confused. My confusion made it difficult for me to ask for clarification.

“Fire in your belly” is an idiom that refers to having a strong determination to succeed. However, its interpretation can vary. In my case, I was uncertain whether the interviewer was referring to my determination to secure a managerial role. If I did not have the determination, would I have applied for a managerial role?

Reflections

I reflected on this feedback for some time. From my perspective, I have a strong drive and determination, and my goal was to contribute to the strategic direction of the organization.

After discussing my experience with other professionals, I learned that they too have received unhelpful job interview feedback. This further heightened my disappointment.

Why did the interviewer, an experienced leader, use an idiom to provide my job interview feedback. Idioms are culturally specific and not inclusive. Is clear and concise communication not a hall mark for leadership? Although I was not successful in the interview, I would have felt empowered if the feedback was helpful; this would have prepared me for future job interviews within the organization.

With hindsight, I could have explored other options independently such as mentoring or coaching to help me prepare for future job interviews and hone my interview skills. Applying for external managerial roles could also have been a viable option. However, my confusion and disappointment made it hard for me to move forward.

I compared this unhelpful feedback to one which I had received from a previous job interview for a similar position with another organization. The previous feedback was helpful, and I valued it. By using clear communication, the interviewer highlighted my strengths, areas for development and offered suggestions to broaden my experience. The suggestions, which included becoming a school governor or trustee, offered me a clear road map to prepare for a managerial role.

Impact of poor feedback

• The initial feelings of confusion and disappointment impacted on my confidence and halted my professional growth.
• I gradually got disengaged from my role. My disengagement meant that the organization and my peers did not get my full contribution and commitment.
• Unhelpful job interview feedback to candidates can negatively impact the organization’s reputation. Consider the potential damage if all candidates share unhelpful job interview feedback on social media?

Importance of Feedback

• According to Ken Blanchard, a management expert, Feedback is the “breakfast of champions.” In my view, organizations have a responsibility to provide this “breakfast” in a helpful and structured way. Yet, research shows that 44% of leaders fail to provide helpful job interview feedback to candidates. Could this be due to lack of training, time constraints, fear of litigation or organization policy?
• Feedback not only benefits the candidates; it also benefits organizations. Interviewers should use the feedback opportunity to identify future talents, strengthen their reputation and create a motivating experience for candidates.

Tips to provide helpful and impactful job interview feedback.

Here are four tips’ interviewers can use to provide helpful and impactful job interview feedback to candidates.

• Use clear language: Avoid using idioms as they can be non-inclusive and can exclude certain demographics. Vague statements like “You are not a good fit are not helpful either. Clear language helps candidates to effectively evaluate the feedback they have received; without this, candidates are left confused.
• Make it evidence based: Provide specific evidence from the job interview to support the feedback. For instance, the interviewer could say “In your response about data analysis, you focused on one type of data sets. The role requires you to demonstrate your experience of dealing with large data sets at a strategic level; however, this was not evident in your response. Evidence based feedback builds trust and promotes transparency.
• Use relevant examples: Focus only on the aspects of the interview that are relevant to the job as outlined in the job description. Some of the irrelevant feedback other professionals have shared with me include “You seemed shy,” “Your PowerPoint slides seemed dull.” Both comments are not relevant; they are subjective because they are based on the interviewers’ perception. With regards to the PowerPoint slides, the interviewer could have focused on the content and structure of the presentation and not just the design. Relevant feedback should relate to the competencies highlighted in the job description.
• Make it action oriented: Guidance on how to perform better next time can help candidates enhance their interview skills. For instance, this sentence “Next time, consider using examples from different areas of your role to highlight your experience in stakeholder management,” offers a clear action for candidates to reflect on.

Conclusion

Feedback is an invaluable assert for both personal and professional development. Candidates merit thoughtful and helpful feedback after dedicating time, and other resources to prepare for job interviews.

I appreciate that lack of training, time constraints, and fear of litigation can account for interviewers providing feedback which is unhelpful for candidates. However, this narrative must change. Helpful feedback can increase self-worth and promote a positive perception of the organization.

I strongly advocate for all organizations to foster a culture that prioritizes Job interview feedback. A starting point could be enhanced training and thorough review of existing processes.

As an interviewer, what can you do differently to ensure that you provide helpful job interview feedback to candidates?

      Pamela Odukoya is a career coach, trainer, and leader with over 20 years of experience. She is also a member of Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit organization that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland.

You can learn more at her Calabash Careers Coaching site.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.