Requesting interview feedback, pointless?

py2006

About a month ago I did what I felt was a fantastic interview. Without sounding arrogant, I tick all the boxes in terms of experience and qualifications plus extra stuff I can bring to the position.

I did not get the position and I would like to know why. Chances are it was offered to somebody before the interview process or whatever. I know you are entitled to request feedback but I would only just get the standard template they send to all.

Is there a polite way of saying I don't wan the standard reply, I want actual feedback based on my interview and where/why I came in the pecking order of things.

Is this pointless?

seamus

It's not pointless, but in terms of "don't give me your boilerplate response", there's not really a whole lot you can do about that. Companies either do it or they don't, they're not going to get personalised feedback for you just because you've said you don't want their standard PFO.

You've nothing to lose by asking though. Many companies will go back to the relevant interviewers and ask for feedback on the candidate to send on.

You could also go direct to the person who interviewed you. The HR people are scaredy cats and will always follow processes. Managers are likely to be more open in providing feedback.

If you really don't care what they think, you can make a data protection request and demand all information they hold about you. This will include all emails that went back and forth about you and everything that was ever saved on a disk or in a filing cabinet with your name on it.

https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/accessing-your-personal-information/14.htm

Doing this though will often get you blacklisted by that company for the foreseeable future because you come across as hassle.

py2006

Thanks for your reply. I doubt I would go down the data protection route but it is interesting to note that they must send you copies of all data within 21 days. I assumed you could only go in and view what they have. It is something I may do about a previous employer who gave me some grief.

I think I will politely request feedback though from last interview. I know exactly what it will say: "Due to the level of interest in the position and the hight standard of applicants etc etc unfortunately you have not been selected blah blah"

Clearlier

Seamus is right about nothing being lost by asking. There's very little in it for the company to be honest though.

You've also got to remember that a company will choose the person that they think is best for the job. They may actually have a few candidates who are well capable of doing the job. You not being offered the job is not saying that they don't think that you can do it but that they think that someone else can do it better.

I know of one scenario where a company picked up a high flyer coming down a level because they needed to move for personal reasons. Nobody at their level would normally have applied for this job which meant that all the other applicants were effectively ruled out.

P.S. You have my sympathies by the way - I appreciate the frustration you feel and I'm about to go through the same process myself

seamus

py2006 wrote: »

I think I will politely request feedback though from last interview. I know exactly what it will say: "Due to the level of interest in the position and the hight standard of applicants etc etc unfortunately you have not been selected blah blah"

I guess just make it clear that you're not looking for an answer on whether you got the job, you're looking for some specific pointers on where you fell short of the expectations.

Now, you may still get back a response like, "The team were very impressed with your application and interview, however the level of interest in this position was very high so we selected the candidate who had the greatest mix of strengths in all areas."

But you may also get feedback that's nice and specific which tells you that you didn't have enough experience in area X or that the interviewers felt your experience was to narrow/broad for the role, etc.

So frame your question something like,
"I am grateful for being given the opportunity to interview for this role and I am disappointed that I was not selected.

I would appreciate some specific feedback in relation to my application and any areas which the interviewers feel I could improve upon or specific skills that I am lacking, so that I may find more success in future."

You're not asking them to reveal why they didn't select you, but rather to give you some open pointers.


The company has nothing to gain here, but my experience as an interviewer is that these people aren't faceless, emotionless monsters. They've all been the guy on the other side of the table, they all know what it's like to get rejected at interview and be left in this weird void of not knowing what you did wrong. Sure you'll get the odd prick who doesn't care, but most people are willing to help and leave you feeling like the interview wasn't a complete waste of time.

Mrs OBumble

Clearlier wrote: »

You've also got to remember that a company will choose the person that they think is best for the job. They may actually have a few candidates who are well capable of doing the job. You not being offered the job is not saying that they don't think that you can do it but that they think that someone else can do it better.

Or cheaper.

Or they may have picked someone who ticked a few less boxes, but who they think will stay longer because they will be learning and developing for a longer period: If you ticked all the boxes, then likely you will be bored as soon as you've learned the specifics of the company.

Or maybe they just didn't like your hair colour or your weight or something stupid like that.

Or maybe they tossed a coin!

py2006

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Or cheaper.

Or they may have picked someone who ticked a few less boxes, but who they think will stay longer because they will be learning and developing for a longer period: If you ticked all the boxes, then likely you will be bored as soon as you've learned the specifics of the company.

Or maybe they just didn't like your hair colour or your weight or something stupid like that.

Or maybe they tossed a coin!

I doubt they would admit any of that in the feedback! :pac:

Jim2007

py2006 wrote: »

I know you are entitled to request feedback but I would only just get the standard template they send to all.

Really, under what legislation does that fall?

seamus wrote: »

If you really don't care what they think, you can make a data protection request and demand all information they hold about you. This will include all emails that went back and forth about you and everything that was ever saved on a disk or in a filing cabinet with your name on it.

If the company has been complying with the DPA, they should by now have no information on the candidates that did not make the cut, as it is no longer necessary for the operation of their business.

py2006 wrote: »

I think I will politely request feedback though from last interview. I know exactly what it will say: "Due to the level of interest in the position and the hight standard of applicants etc etc unfortunately you have not been selected blah blah"

There is no obligation on the company to pick the best candidate for the job or an candidate for that matter. The recruiting process is all about discrimination despite what many may think. It could be that you are too old, too young, they wanted to pick a man/woman, the interviewers just did not like your face etc... Feedback in such cases is pointless because you have no idea of how honest or otherwise it is.

seamus

Jim2007 wrote: »

If the company has been complying with the DPA, they should by now have no information on the candidates that did not make the cut, as it is no longer necessary for the operation of their business.

That depends on interpretation. There are many valid reasons why companies might hold onto candidates' records for a short period of time (a year or so) in order to approach that candidate again for another role or to re-use feedback if they apply again in a short space of time.

Jim2007

seamus wrote: »

That depends on interpretation. There are many valid reasons why companies might hold onto candidates' records for a short period of time (a year or so) in order to approach that candidate again for another role or to re-use feedback if they apply again in a short space of time.

No that would be a very clear breach. You do not need such records to operate your business, despite what you may think, a business will not cease to function without them.

cml387

seamus wrote: »

That depends on interpretation. There are many valid reasons why companies might hold onto candidates' records for a short period of time (a year or so) in order to approach that candidate again for another role or to re-use feedback if they apply again in a short space of time.

That would presuppose that such records are held on computer. Many HR departments store data on paper only.

seamus

Jim2007 wrote: »

No that would be a very clear breach. You do not need such records to operate your business, despite what you may think, a business will not cease to function without them.

The DPA doesn't state that you're only permitted to retain data that's absolutely mission critical. You're permitted to retain data provided that you have a specified purpose for that data, and may keep it for as long as that data is relevant for that purpose. The purpose does not have to be core or critical to the business, it just needs to be specific.

The DPC themselves even recommends that a 12-month retention period is appropriate for applicants:
https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Data-Protection-in-the-Workplace/1239.htm#4

In relation to the retention of recruitment records for unsuccessful candidates, we would consider a retention period of 12 months to be appropriate.

If you believe this to be a very clear breach of the DPA, then I suggest you bring it to the Commissioner's attention so the office will stop telling companies to do it.

py2006

Jim2007 wrote: »

There is no obligation on the company to pick the best candidate for the job or an candidate for that matter. The recruiting process is all about discrimination despite what many may think. It could be that you are too old, too young, they wanted to pick a man/woman, the interviewers just did not like your face etc... Feedback in such cases is pointless because you have no idea of how honest or otherwise it is.

Sadly that is the harsh reality of life alright. However, they may be requested by the powers that be to show why the person they choose was the best candidate. I.e. the scoring system based on the responses to the questions asked etc.

I did read somewhere that the interviewee details are kept on file for a certain period of time (just in case). But I could be wrong on that.

py2006

I'm confused, is it 21 days or 40 days by which a company must send you on any data they have of you?

What is to stop a company just sending on basic records and choosing not to send certain other documents?

zoobizoo

Easier when going through a recruiter as they'll pass on the feedback.

I have only once asked for feedback - didn't even get a response from them.

A big retailer I interviewed with said to me before the interview, "we're looking for someone who will fit in with our ethos/style and if we don't find them now, we'll wait for the right person to come along - we won't hire for the sake of it now"..... looking back, I ticked the boxes of all the questions they asked but I wasn't the right person for the position as I was more entrepeneurial than they wanted - I was chatting about my ideas etc and they wanted someone to just come in and follow orders. I really wanted teh job at the time, but looking back, I was not a great fit for them and vice versa.

As people have said, there are myriad reasons for someone not getting the position regardless of how suited they are to the job and the interview they did.

Maybe they just liked someone else better...

Musicman2000

I wouldn't even think about asking for feedback. Move onto to the next Interview and forget about it. As some of the above posters have said it could be any reason you didn't get the job.

octo

I had a similar situation some time back with a public service organisation. They wouldn't give me any feedback after the interview so I submitted an FOI request for all documentation and correspondence related to my application. I found it informative because they marked me under various sub-headings such as relevant experience, presentation skills, education, etc and it was good to know where I scored well and where I fell short. See if their website has an FOI page and you can go down that route. No charge.

py2006

octo wrote: »

I had a similar situation some time back with a public service organisation. They wouldn't give me any feedback after the interview so I submitted an FOI request for all documentation and correspondence related to my application. I found it informative because they marked me under various sub-headings such as relevant experience, presentation skills, education, etc and it was good to know where I scored well and where I fell short. See if their website has an FOI page and you can go down that route. No charge.

How did you go about this request? It it simply a letter from yourself quoting the freedom of into act?

octo

py2006 wrote: »

How did you go about this request? It it simply a letter from yourself quoting the freedom of into act?

More or less. If the FOI act applies to the organisation then there will be an FOI page on the company website telling you how to apply. They must provide this information there.

seamus

FOI doesn't apply to every company, only public bodies/companies and a few other companies - generally those acting in a major public interest like Bord Gais or Irish Water.

For companies not bound by FOI, you have to make a request under the data protection act; https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/accessing-your-personal-information/14.htm

There is usually a fee, but it can't exceed €6.35.