Asking for Feedback After a Job Rejection - Dos and Donts - Career Sidekick

Asking for Feedback After a Job Rejection - Dos and Donts - Career Sidekick Asking for Feedback After a Job Rejection Dos and Donts After Your Interview / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If youre looking for advice on asking for feedback after a job rejection, youre in the right place.Im going to walk you through exactly how to ask employers for feedback, so you can improve and get hired faster. What well cover:When to ask for feedback after getting rejectedShould you ask via phone or email?What to say when you askMistakes to avoid when askingWhen and How to Ask for Feedback After a Job RejectionLets Start With When to AskId recommend asking the employer for feedback soon after they tell you they decided not to hire you.If you receive a rejection email, Id respond within 24 hours  (wait at least a few hours though; you dont want to sound desperate or panicked).If they call you and tell you the bad news over the phone, ask for feedback right on that phone call. And well talk about exactly how to do that in a second.One last scenario: If they call you, and you arent able to answer so they left a voicemail, Id call them back to ask for fe edback on the phone. If youd prefer to write an email, you can, but I think calling is better.Call during business hours, and if you dont reach them, hang up without leaving a voicemail. That way you can try back one more time to try to get them live on the phone. If not, you can leave a voicemail.Now lets talk about what to actually say when you ask them for feedback (and some things you should avoid doing)How to Ask for Feedback After a Job Rejection (by Phone or Email)Thank them for following up to tell you about their decisionExplain that youre always trying to improve yourself in your job search and careerAsk if there was a piece of experience that they felt was lacking, or something you could do to present yourself better as a candidate in future interviewsIf youre sending an email, end the email by thanking them again for their time and telling them youd appreciate any feedback they can shareIf youre on the phone, pause after asking and wait for them to respond. If they provi de feedback, listen closely to what they say and make note (so you can improve in the future)If they dont share anything after this, its very unlikely youre going to get feedback. Id recommend moving onNow that you know how to ask for feedback after being rejected by an employer, here are a couple of things you definitely do not want to doWhat NOT to Do When You Respond to a Job RejectionIf theyve rejected you after an interview because your interview went badly, they arent going to change their minds now.So asking for feedback should be all about improving yourself, finding out what you could do differently in future interviews, or what skills and experiences you could look to add to your resume moving forward.This is not an argument, or a chance to persuade them one last time. Its not going to work, and its going to make you look desperate.So here are the top 4 things you should avoid doing when responding to a job rejection1. Dont sound bitter or upset at the start of the call (o r email)How you start the call or email will make a big difference in the response you get. So make sure not to sound upset or bitter that they didnt choose you.Try to sound calm and professional. You should already be focusing on other opportunities and applying for other jobs. This call or email is all about gathering info to help you get hired by those other employers. So you really need to sound like that.2. Dont try to change their mindTheyve made their decision. One reason why it takes so long to hear back after an interview is because they are careful in their decision. If they tell you that they decided to move in a different direction, theyve made up their mind.So this call or email should not be about trying to change their mind. Youre gathering feedback and trying to get them to share information that will help you get *other* job offers.Arguing with them will not help you do that.So you dont want to start the call by trying to persuade them to reconsider. Thats going to completely kill your chances of getting any useful feedback.3. Dont act desperate or begNo matter what happens, dont start sounding desperate and dont beg. Its going to make them want to hire you even less (if a future position opens up, etc.)Leave things on good terms so they remember you as a great candidate that they can think of in the future for other positions.By doing this, you can also network with them in the future. Even if they dont ever directly hire you, maybe they end up connecting you with somebody who does hire you in a few years.4. Dont push back on the feedback they give youPart of asking for feedback or criticism is accepting it and listening to it (how else will you improve?)So if they share any feedback at all, thank them for it. Dont argue or make a counter-argument.Many employers will not provide any feedback after rejecting you.Even if you follow the steps here, you wont get feedback from every employer.Why? Company policies and advice from their lawyers ofte n prevents HR and hiring managers from sharing much feedback.So as frustrating as this can be, realize that they do not have to share anything.And if they do share feedback, it really is a favor theyre doing, and a sign theyre a great company in terms of how they treat candidates.This might be difficult to hear if youre struggling to find a job, but getting angry at an employer that does take the time to give you feedback wont help.Leave the Door OpenI mentioned above that you shouldnt be arguing or trying to persuade them to reconsider you for the job (because it wont work).However, theres nothing wrong with ending your call or email by saying:I really appreciate your time in this process even though it didnt end up working out. If a different role opens up that you think I might be a better fit for, dont hesitate to contact me. Thanks again for the time spent discussing this opportunity with me.Thats how you can leave the door open in a professional way without arguing without sou nding angry and without sounding needy or desperate.Remember to Stay Positive and Use the Feedback To ImproveIf you follow the steps above, youll be more likely to get feedback after job rejections. Youll never get feedback from 100% of companies you ask, no matter how you respond to a job rejection some employers just do not share this info. But youll have a much higher rate of success.Then you can use the feedback to improve your interview skills and boost your chances of getting a job offer in your next interview!