It’s rare for most recruiters to give you feedback when you’re not considered for a job. This could be due to the many applications they receive and hence lack time to respond, or they are just not sure about how you will receive the news.

But as an applicant, this is disappointing. Lack of response from recruiters has killed the morale of many job seekers and raised doubt in themselves thinking they are not good enough or don’t have what it takes. 

This is where interview feedback comes in. Asking for feedback can actually help you be better at job seeking.

But how do you go about that?

According to Justine Ikiriza, a human resource manager, asking for feedback requires one to be humble and not carry the frustration of not being selected for the job to the recruiter, you may sound rude. 

For her, if you’re lucky to receive an email informing you that they (the company you applied to) are sorry they didn’t consider you, but urge you to try your luck some other time, use that chance to respond to the email. Appreciate the fact that you were given feedback and bother to ask how and where you can improve to better your job seeking approach. 

"Don’t be afraid to ask about what didn’t stand out in your interview, and accept negative criticism in a good way. In case the feedback is given via phone, make some notes on whatever is said because it could be helpful in your next job interview, who knows?” she says.

She urges not to shun away from letting the recruiter know that you’re available in case of any future job opportunities. And before hanging up, on phone or via email, its kind to thank the person you are addressing or talking to for sparing their time and get back to you. They should know that you appreciate it and don’t take it for granted.

Ikiriza explains that asking for feedback enables one to learn from their mistakes. For instance, you may believe that you articulated yourself perfectly and was certain that you would scoop the job, but you learn that it wasn’t the case. "Knowing your mistakes can assist you not to repeat them in the future,” she says. 

She carries on that in case you didn’t qualify for the job because of lack of qualifications, experience and skills, you can take up a course in your domain as you volunteer to improve all that. 

What to take note of 

According to Career SideKick, if you’re ejected after an interview because it went badly, they aren’t going to change their minds now. Therefore, 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.

"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 didn’t choose you. You really need to sound calm and professional because the call or email is all about gathering info to help you get hired by those other employers. Don’t try to persuade them to reconsider because they will even lose the morale of giving you feedback and don’t beg or be desperate. Accept the feedback, maybe they can connect you to some other company.”