Giving feedback to the interviewers

Soubrette

I had an interview last week and as usual I did a terrible job, I am too literal (what would you do if a better offer came up - well by definition I'd take it surely!!), I tend to struggle to answer questions that have already been asked on the application as under pressure I seem to think I need to come up with something new and I'm a blurter.

As part of my on going efforts to improve my poor interviewing techniques I always ask for feedback, I've yet to have something useful to work on but I live in hope (one time I was told the reason I didn't get the job was because they weren't sure I could work shifts, I was already working shifts and the person who did get the job wasn't!!)

So I've just had the expected rejection letter, part of it expresses the knowledge that I will be disappointed with their decision (one of my pluses is that I am positive so I'm glad that came through), but for a change, I'm not.

The interview was awful, it was conducted by three interviewers, one good, one quiet and one bloody awful. The interview went on for about three quarters of an hour, the awful one spent about 15 minutes looking at the question sheet and doodling on it (this was easily seen by me from the other side of the desk - he seemed to like geometric shapes and colouring them in), 15 minutes staring up the ceiling and was galvanised to become engaged for about 15 minutes and asked about 4 questions, contradicting every answer I gave. For example I explained how enthusiastic I was about computer technology and was told abruptly that often paper was the best way. I put forward some time saving ideas which I would have applied to my current job (similar to this one) to be told they were a waste of time, apparently it's quicker to look up information on a wall list of 100+ items than to search for it on an excel spreadsheet, although the good interviewer did grudgingly admit an excel sheet would be easier to keep up to date.

I had gone into the interview knowing that it would take a 20% payrise to tempt me to take the job and to be honest by the end of the interview I knew that this company and myself would not be a good fit as the awful interviewer was high up in a very small company.

Now the quandry - should I ask for feedback as normal and point out that thanks very much for letting me know I didn't get the job, I appreciate the courtesy but actually I didn't want it anyway for the following reasons.

Or should I just leave it and them, in blissful ignorance and just thank them for the courtesy of the letter and ask for feedback on my own performance.

Although I'd never work for this company, it is in the same field as where I work now so our paths might cross in the future.

whitewing

I'm all for being proactive, but on this occasion I think I would just do nothing, not ask for feedback nor give feedback.

Best of luck for future interviews.

Soubrette

whitewing wrote: »

I'm all for being proactive, but on this occasion I think I would just do nothing, not ask for feedback nor give feedback.

Best of luck for future interviews.

Thanks whitewing - I may post a thread about interview techniques at some point in the future, asking for some pointers.

I'm good at the application/CV stage, I'd say I get an interview 95% of the time but I'm poor at the interview stage.

Once I'm in a job though I do very well so it would be a shame to lose a dream job because one aspect of my application stage is so poor.

fuse

Interviews are never the most relaxing situations and most interviewers would take that into account.

Having said that there are many people who are terrible at being interviewers and this sounds like a prime example. The quality of the interviewer can have a marked effect on the interviewees performance. I have had the benefit of being an interviewer for my current work place and we were all sent on courses on how to be good interviewers and get the most out of peoples performance etc. Some people just don't seem to get it though, this sounds like one of them.

I'd say its not really worth dwelling on it anyway with the feedback issue and would just get on with it. When it comes down to it in the end if you have 2 people who you would consider for the job it really can come down to gut feeling etc as much as anything. Its just a case of finding somewhere that everyone is on the same wavelength and by the sounds of it going to this place would not be a great idea anyway!

good luck with future interviews though

PARIS_5000

Soubrette wrote: »

I had an interview last week and as usual I did a terrible job, I am too literal (what would you do if a better offer came up - well by definition I'd take it surely!!), I tend to struggle to answer questions that have already been asked on the application as under pressure I seem to think I need to come up with something new and I'm a blurter.

As part of my on going efforts to improve my poor interviewing techniques I always ask for feedback, I've yet to have something useful to work on but I live in hope (one time I was told the reason I didn't get the job was because they weren't sure I could work shifts, I was already working shifts and the person who did get the job wasn't!!)

So I've just had the expected rejection letter, part of it expresses the knowledge that I will be disappointed with their decision (one of my pluses is that I am positive so I'm glad that came through), but for a change, I'm not.

The interview was awful, it was conducted by three interviewers, one good, one quiet and one bloody awful. The interview went on for about three quarters of an hour, the awful one spent about 15 minutes looking at the question sheet and doodling on it (this was easily seen by me from the other side of the desk - he seemed to like geometric shapes and colouring them in), 15 minutes staring up the ceiling and was galvanised to become engaged for about 15 minutes and asked about 4 questions, contradicting every answer I gave. For example I explained how enthusiastic I was about computer technology and was told abruptly that often paper was the best way. I put forward some time saving ideas which I would have applied to my current job (similar to this one) to be told they were a waste of time, apparently it's quicker to look up information on a wall list of 100+ items than to search for it on an excel spreadsheet, although the good interviewer did grudgingly admit an excel sheet would be easier to keep up to date.

I had gone into the interview knowing that it would take a 20% payrise to tempt me to take the job and to be honest by the end of the interview I knew that this company and myself would not be a good fit as the awful interviewer was high up in a very small company.

Now the quandry - should I ask for feedback as normal and point out that thanks very much for letting me know I didn't get the job, I appreciate the courtesy but actually I didn't want it anyway for the following reasons.

Or should I just leave it and them, in blissful ignorance and just thank them for the courtesy of the letter and ask for feedback on my own performance.

Although I'd never work for this company, it is in the same field as where I work now so our paths might cross in the future.

I would not ask for feedback if the interview was awful.

Oldernotwiser

Soubrette wrote: »

I had an interview last week and as usual I did a terrible job, I am too literal (what would you do if a better offer came up - well by definition I'd take it surely!!), .

Sorry, that's not being "too literal", that's just plain stupid.

Soubrette

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Sorry, that's not being "too literal", that's just plain stupid.

Do you mean my answer or the question? If the answer then I actually didn't answer it like that, that's just what I thought I did manage to talk about weighing up pros and cons but in the end I had to say that if it was genuinely a better offer I'd have to take it. Surely employers aren't looking for people who are obviously lying if they say that if a better offer came up they'd stay where they are, particularly in an interview situation where the interviewee is obviously looking at a different job.

My OH says I should have treated the question as 'what would you do if you were offered more money to take another job' but underpressure I'm not very good at doing things like that.

dickydonkin

I would have thought by virtue of giving a poor interview - you really have answered your own question and as Oldernotwiser has hinted at, perhaps the answer to that particular question was at best unwise.

Many positions (not all I hasten to add) are pre-determined before an interview takes place so even if you gave the best interview ever, the feedback is not exactly going to be truthful and not much use to you anyway.

I would suggest go to a website such as this one and be better prepared for you next interview for any questions where the answer could determine whether you get the job or not.

Maybe it is best to learn from this one and move on.

Oldernotwiser

Soubrette wrote: »

Do you mean my answer or the question? If the answer then I actually didn't answer it like that, that's just what I thought I did manage to talk about weighing up pros and cons but in the end I had to say that if it was genuinely a better offer I'd have to take it. Surely employers aren't looking for people who are obviously lying if they say that if a better offer came up they'd stay where they are, particularly in an interview situation where the interviewee is obviously looking at a different job.

I meant your answer, but if you didn't actually give that reply then I apologise.

Not everyone goes for the job with the largest salary and an employer might be trying to avoid employing someone who thinks that way.

Soubrette

Thanks dpassmore, perhaps you (or ONW) could tell me how you would have answered that particular question? Especially as not 10 minutes before the panel had been joking that if the quiet interviewer had won the lottery the successful candidate would be expected to step into her shoes temporarily, obviously no problem if any of them had a better offer

I will look at that website but I do look at websites, someone on the MSE emailed me a useful resource for interview techniques which I also use before every interview.

I am improving but I think as you and ONW have pointed out, there are things I need to learn.

Soubrette

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I meant your answer, but if you didn't actually give that reply then I apologise.

Not everyone goes for the job with the largest salary and an employer might be trying to avoid employing someone who thinks that way.

Well I kind of did give that reply in the end so no apology necessary. If they had asked the question specifically "what would you do if you were offered more money somewhere else", then I don't think I would have floundered so much but because the question was about 'a better offer' it took a few seconds for me to process it which I don't think looked that good.