Dealing With Negative Interview Feedback

November5th

InsideInsurance wrote: »

There are ultimately 3 types of candidates, Yes, Maybe and No.

There is no point keeping a "no" hanging on as it is unfair to them and so giving you feedback straight away to me at least is positive, many dont give any feedback these days and of those that do most simply say there were stronger.

Obviously someone can be a no for a whole host of reasons from either them being the wrong person to the job through to not being their mate who's also applied for the job.

You could give negative feedback on the interviewer but I personally wouldnt. That is the sort of thing that gets put into a HR candidate file and burns your bridges of working there in the future.

An agent I wouldnt trust any further than I can throw one. It could be the guy had an off day hence not as the agent described him or it could be the agent knew perfectly well that the guy is a depressive but didnt want to say that in case it put you off from applying.

I did avoid giving negative feedback to the recruiter, she knew he had been late and disorganized - I did mention surprise at the comments but we moved on to chat about her helping me with interview practice - always the positive. She is sending other candidates and will know soon enough if the man isn't the best interviewer.. I know recruiters who can get quite frustrated with their clients over this - they don't like sending their candidates to a bad experience or time wasted. I value my lovely recruiter over that job!

Ninjawombat

Those are good questions to ask though, LadyMissA and if the employer was not prepared or could not answer, that shouldn't reflect negatively on you. Of course you want to know why the position is vacant! I also ask that question.

Also, 'feedback' does not mean 'negative', provided what you are saying is constructive. I have been thanked for it in the past. Telling an interviewer that they were crap is not going to do you any favours, obviously!

I wish more candidates realised that they are not there just to be questioned. You got to the interview because you have the skills, so you are of interest to them already. You have to question your interviewer so you know if the job is really of interest to you.

InsideInsurance

In the interview, absolutely agree in asking relevant questions. Have known people who didnt get an offer because effectlively they didnt realise it is supposed to be a two way Q&A session and both working out if the other is a good fit.

I am less certain about giving feedback about the interviewer themselves, certainly general feedback or asking additional questions etc can be relevant

LadyMissA

Ninjawombat wrote: »

Those are good questions to ask though, LadyMissA and if the employer was not prepared or could not answer, that shouldn't reflect negatively on you. Of course you want to know why the position is vacant! I also ask that question.

Also, 'feedback' does not mean 'negative', provided what you are saying is constructive. I have been thanked for it in the past. Telling an interviewer that they were crap is not going to do you any favours, obviously!

I wish more candidates realised that they are not there just to be questioned. You got to the interview because you have the skills, so you are of interest to them already. You have to question your interviewer so you know if the job is really of interest to you.

Oh I have never given feedback on an employer who was interviewing as never been allowed to. It makes no difference really as if they don't like you, someone else will.

I had one once (over ten years ago) who said to the agency 'there was something about her I didn't like' which was rich from the bloke who turned up to the interview late, no suit jacket on (he was a partner of a large London company), shirt sleeves rolled up swigging on a nice cup of tea where I wasn't even offered a glass of water.

November5th

LadyMissA wrote: »

Oh I have never given feedback on an employer who was interviewing as never been allowed to. It makes no difference really as if they don't like you, someone else will.

I had one once (over ten years ago) who said to the agency 'there was something about her I didn't like' which was rich from the bloke who turned up to the interview late, no suit jacket on (he was a partner of a large London company), shirt sleeves rolled up swigging on a nice cup of tea where I wasn't even offered a glass of water.

I do wonder sometimes if some interviewers think about the impression they are giving? I was recently interviewed at the managers (very nice) house while his wife was cooking dinner (all open plan). It was the end of a long day, right next to the kitchen, and he did not offer a cup of tea!
Add to that I was really hungry, it was hard not to laugh really. This is a fairly well know company too.
What's going on? In 20 years I haven't come across this...

dave4545454

make sure you send feedback of his incompetence to his bosses, they shouldn't really being employing someone as poor as him.

Uncertain

InsideInsurance wrote: »

There are ultimately 3 types of candidates, Yes, Maybe and No.

There is no point keeping a "no" hanging on as it is unfair to them and so giving you feedback straight away to me at least is positive, many dont give any feedback these days and of those that do most simply say there were stronger.

Obviously someone can be a no for a whole host of reasons from either them being the wrong person to the job through to not being their mate who's also applied for the job.

I would entirely agree.

I really do wonder about the value of asking for feedback. I've responded to such request in the past but it comes down to a finding a nice way of saying either "Sorry, somebody else was better" or "We wouldn't employ you or anybody else we interviewed so we are going to advertise again"!

OK, being told "Sorry, you were the runner up out of a very strong field of applicants" is slightly re-assuring if it is true but you will never really know if it is just a platitude.

Uncertain

dave4545454 wrote: »

make sure you send feedback of his incompetence to his bosses, they shouldn't really being employing someone as poor as him.

I really wouldn't.

Unless you have hard evidence to support a proper complaint for clear misconduct it will just look like sour grapes.

dave4545454

Uncertain wrote: »

I really wouldn't.

Unless you have hard evidence to support a proper complaint for clear misconduct it will just look like sour grapes.

ok do nothing and let the poor interviewer mess up other people's chances of employment.

you need to grow a pair.

November5th

dave4545454 wrote: »

ok do nothing and let the poor interviewer mess up other people's chances of employment.

you need to grow a pair.

Looking at this from a business point of view - it isn't clear that this guy should be hiring for his team, giving the impression that he was being forced into it by his bosses - who had identified the need for the role. The guy admitted somewhere in the business where it was going wrong, he seemed tired of dealing with it but unwilling to hire someone to do it. (This is where I had offered a proven solution). At least one of his bosses, or HR should have been at the interview, in fact in an organisation of that size you could have expected it.
However - it is not my place to say - I don't know what is really going on there, and it would serve no purpose.
I can suppose that the guy will drag his heels until fully pushed by his bosses to get it sorted - and hire the next person who walks in through the door, possibly a lucky day for them if they don't run a mile from his attitude

Another fact about this one - he actually lives right round the corner from me (although I had never seen him) and I do wonder if that is a bit off putting - on both sides.