Requesting Interview Feedback from your IT Recruitment Agency

You are excited about potentially moving jobs. You have taken the time to research the company and prepare for the interview, you’ve envisaged what working for the company would be like… and then you’re rejected. It’s tough. However, it’s important to remember that you can learn a lot from interview feedback, so pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and ask the IT recruitment agency you are working with for feedback!

Asking for Feedback

Firstly, it’s important to remember that feedback is not always easy to obtain. Unfortunately, sometimes companies are vague about the reason for rejecting a candidate, and it’s not just you that will be frustrated by this! Your recruiter will want to understand the reasons why you weren’t the right fit, so work politely and respectfully with your recruiter to obtain some feedback.

Consider your timing when you ask for feedback. My initial advice would be to always ask for feedback then and there when you get that rejection phone call, after all, you want to capitalise on the phone call. However, I would definitely recommend trying to read into the conversation. Does your recruiter sound stressed or eager to end the conversation? Consider whether asking for feedback via email or calling back the next day, might get you the result you want.

Handling the Feedback

My number one piece of advice is not to get defensive! There are many reasons in and out of your control why you might not have been the right fit, so stay calm, cool, and collected, and don’t take your frustrations out on your IT recruitment agency!

If the company made an incorrect assumption about you, take it on-board and say to your recruiter that you understand why the interviewer might have come to that reasoning and that you’ll be conscious of this next time you do an interview.

I would also recommend asking if the recruiter is able to give a comparison between you and the candidates who were taken forward to the next stage or offered the job. It will give you an insight into any gaps in your experience and skillset.

If the organisation really appeals to you and you’re set on working for them in the future, play the long game! Discuss your interest with your recruiter and try to understand how you could become more attractive to the company. It’s estimated that just under 1 in 5 employees fail to successfully pass their probationary period, and you never know if you might have been their second choice!

Taking the Feedback On-Board

Listening to feedback can be hard at times, however, it’s what you do with it that really counts.

• If your recruiter gives suggestions of roles you might be a better fit for, take it on-board, and use the advice to narrow your job search criteria.
• You might find out that there were certain questions where you didn’t convince the interviewer with your answer. Consider how you can improve your answers to these questions.
• Your recruiter might share practical tips on what you need to practice and improve – whether that’s your presentation skills, answering questions with confidence, or not speaking over the person interviewing you.
• Think about what you could have done differently. Feedback from the interviewer is terrific, but do you honestly believe you aced that interview? What would you change if you could do that interview again?

From my experience, all candidates take feedback differently. However, if you listen to the feedback given by your recruiter, their IT recruitment agency is far more likely to approach you about additional opportunities because they know you have listened and adapted.

VIQU is an IT recruitment agency and consultancy, based in Birmingham and Southampton, with the experience and expertise to support you in your job search, whether you’re looking for a permanent or contract IT job. Please click here to send us your CV.