Post Job Interview Feedback Or, don’t let a good opportunity go to waste

If you’re engaged in a job search, you’re likely working incredibly hard; this isn’t easy, to say the least. After all, it’s highly unlikely that a magic fairy came down from the sky, tapped you with her wand and got you a job by casting a spell on you. There’s not a lot of magic in this process. 

Let’s think about how we might turn what is naturally long, arduous and truly complicated into something that might be a learning journey, regardless of the level of difficulty. 

Be open 

In every part of your job search, consider what you might learn, both about yourself and about your prospective employers and the field in which you work. What kind of data can you gather that might help you grow? What kind of data can you gather that might help you understand the field better? What might you learn about shifting values, goals or needs that might help you to refine the way you talk about your own? By considering what you might learn and how you might be open to learning from the hiring process, you present yourself as a learner. This is unusually appealing and shows up in a way that is inviting even for the most staid employer. 

Learn about the employer and not just about you

In many therapeutic settings, we are taught to think about how challenging dialogues or interactions teach us not just about ourselves but about the people with whom we are in relationship. What might the interview process teach us about the employer? What can we learn from them? So, for instance, if they were late to or disorganized in every phase of the interview process, what might you learn from that? Gather data like a researcher and form a perspective about the employer, and consider what you’ve learned. Recall that this is not necessarily about you and you do not need to see it as a reflection on you.

What does my stuff say about me?

This is a good chance to review your content and consider what story it tells about you, and to receive some feedback about the match between you and how you present yourself in the world. From your email communication to your resume to your LinkedIn page, what is the story of you that you are putting forward? Do you show up consistently across these materials? Does your prospective employer get an integrated image of you, and is it the perspective that you want them to get? Attempt to balance the professional and the personal, wherever possible. When there’s a healthy match, your content tells a story of integrity that unfolds from your creative content, and that integrity is what you want to be front and center. 

Why do you want this job, right now?

Being able to answer this question or not is an area which many prospective employers are prepared to give feedback: if you can’t answer this, your prospective employer might reflect on this and share that you didn’t define a compelling reason for joining this organization at this moment. Let’s recognize that this is a terrible question and any employer who asks it is not particularly creative. But it is asked often, and you should have an answer. And the right answer is not “because I need an income” or “because I need health insurance” (although both of these are valid). Have an answer at the ready that isn’t garbage and that takes the question itself seriously, even if you know it’s a bad question. Talking about being ready to move up, or to slow down, or to return to the workplace, or to make a lateral move, or to align with your organization’s mission and vision are all valid answers. Be ready to hear some feedback about how your answer shows up in the hiring process. 

Being open to feedback about how you did in a hiring process is deeply uncomfortable. And at the same time, it’s a great growth edge to test out. You want to know why you didn’t get the job. You also want to know, likely, how to improve. Partner with an employer and show them that you’re ready for some effective feedback to get some useful learning along the way.