Does interview feedback help or hinder your job search?

The answer is obvious, surely? Of course it helps. You need to know where you’re going wrong and what you’re doing right. Right?

Well, yes, but this also depends on how you process and internalise this information.

And this becomes even more problematic when you’re unknowingly interviewing for opportunities you only have an outside chance of securing.

In many cases, the main reason people don’t secure an offer is simply that they’ve been competing against someone who has more relevant experience and skills for that specific role and firm. Sometimes they simply don’t hold enough of the necessary experience the employer requires.

In these situations, even if your interview technique was flawless, the outcome will be the same.

But constructive feedback can still be expected and actively requested – one of the most common complaints about hiring firms and recruiters (external or in-house) is the lack of sufficient feedback for unsuccessful applications.

You’ve invested time and energy in to the process after all – the least you can expect is guidance on what you could have done better.

So at this point you can, and hopefully will, receive some constructive feedback which, crucially, may not be the reason you didn’t secure the role, but can be offered in the spirit of providing you with some help and guidance.

And this is where the problem can start.

If you suffer from imposter syndrome (the majority do at some point) this feedback can fester. You can over analyse it. It becomes ‘the reason’ you didn’t secure the job, even when that’s very far from the case.

When this happens a few times over, it’s going to hit your confidence and it’s going to tie you up in knots for future interviews. You’ll be in your head and not in the room. Which becomes a vicious circle.

Feedback will always be important. The good and the bad. But listen to *both*. Take on board the positives, see constructive feedback for what it is and don’t let it derail your confidence. When you secured your current role it was your turn to be the most suitable applicant, and that time will come again.

When using recruiters, be wary if you’ve got the impression your recruiter will submit you for each and any role you show an interest in, with the bare minimum information shared and no discussion. You’ll almost certainly be entering application processes to make up the numbers, regardless if you may only have a slim chance of securing the role.

If you work within legal finance and this resonates and you feel your interview technique is the problem, get in touch and let’s have a chat. Send me a note, give me a call or book a time in my diary from the following link: https://calendly.com/richardhooper/career-planning

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