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Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

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Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#11

Post by CodeWriter23 »

jiveturkey wrote: post #9

It's not unprofessional at all. It's the standard. Nobody on the receiving end likes it, and many on the hiring end don't like it either, but it is what it is. For a company the size I imagine The Atlantic is, you're lucky to have even gotten a no from the recruiter. Many companies just drop you without further contact. ( That is a bit unprofessional.) Sounds like this may have been your first job interview ever, TBH…

I wouldn’t ask during the interview because I believe the asking could be mistaken for insecurity.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#13

Post by mbfg »

It's absolutely status quo. If something other than this happens you should be shocked. There is the concern over lawsuits etc, which is real, but really, the issue (I believe) is that many companies really can't articulate valid reasons why they took the person they took over you. It's rarely about ability, experience or drive, but more squeemish things like cultural fit, personalities, and other 'like us' decisions like ageism, sexism, tribalism, etc.

Frankly, you should be honored that they actually contacted you to tell you they didn't want you. It is very common for companies to just hope you forget.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#14

Post by mbfg »

avitzurel wrote: post #4

We provide that feedback if the candidate asks for it. In engineering or any other role (product, project management etc...). It's never comfortable, but it's something that I think you deserve to get. Just as a side note, I think a lot of people know why they were rejected. It's rare that people think the interview went great and they still did not get an offer.

>> Just as a side note, I think a lot of people know why they were rejected. It's rare that people think the interview went great and they still did not get an offer.

i don't think this is true at all. Being on both sides, i know most people i interview have a higher opinion of the interview than i do.

But also the interviewer might truely like you, and so you feel good about things, but someone higher up nixes the hire, for nebulous reasons.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#15

Post by brudgers »

mabui91 wrote: post #8
fjones11 wrote: post #5

In many cases, a company is concerned about opening itself up to potential legal action. It sucks for candidates who really just want to know how to improve, but the safest action for a company is to simply not provide any information, rather than provide something that could be used against them later. It's not dissimilar to why many companies can't provide more info on reference checks than the dates of someone's e…

Is this specific to US? Since I have never had any issues with receiving feedback in Europe. Fun fact: The current job I'm at, I was declined at first, but after asking for feedback and having a follow up discussion about it, they changed their mind and offered me the position.

It is typical in the United States. In part due to the nature of employment law. In part due to employment law making the legally conservative approach normative. I would say your experience is not entirely beyond possibility here when dealing with a small company and an unadvertised position. It is unlikely at an organization of substantial size with an advertised position.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#16

Post by partisan »

CodeWriter23 wrote: post #11
jiveturkey wrote: post #9

It's not unprofessional at all. It's the standard. Nobody on the receiving end likes it, and many on the hiring end don't like it either, but it is what it is. For a company the size I imagine The Atlantic is, you're lucky to have even gotten a no from the recruiter. Many companies just drop you without further contact. ( That is a bit unprofessional.) Sounds like this may have been your first job interview ever, TBH…

I wouldn’t ask during the interview because I believe the asking could be mistaken for insecurity.

The right way is to position it as a learning opportunity. You ask if they have any reservations about your background. It gives you a chance to get some negative feedback and also gives you the opportunity to address their concerns.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#17

Post by partisan »

I had a similar experience with my first interviews in a very long time. I had two phone screens and a long in-person interview. And nothing ever again after that. It left me with a very sour taste. I was told I was one of two candidates and I would be notified by the end of the week either way. Literally the one thing I asked from them was to hear back either way. I won’t work with either the recruiter or that company again.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#18

Post by wjossey »

jiveturkey wrote: post #9

It's not unprofessional at all. It's the standard. Nobody on the receiving end likes it, and many on the hiring end don't like it either, but it is what it is. For a company the size I imagine The Atlantic is, you're lucky to have even gotten a no from the recruiter. Many companies just drop you without further contact. ( That is a bit unprofessional.) Sounds like this may have been your first job interview ever, TBH…

I'll tweak this recommendation and say that I'd probably not ask outright "how'd it go" to the final interviewer (they may not really know at this point anyway). Instead, I might look to say something to the effect of:

"I'm always looking for ways to improve, and I've found in my career that interviews are a great way to expose oneself to new growth opportunities. If you, or anyone on the team, has some feedback based on the interview, regardless of whether or not I get the position, I'd love to hear it."

This has the added benefit of showing a few things:

[1] You're committed to growing and improving. [2] You're open to feedback. [3] You're showing you'd value their team's opinion, which signals your own interest in the team.

Mind you, a lot of companies won't want to share any information for legal reasons. Not much you can do about that, but it never hurts to ask.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#19

Post by alephnullz »

I notice a lot of value judgments on here with respect to the original posting. In no way was it a comment on the job, frustration with the interview process itself, or a comment on my or the interviewer's proficiency. I was merely curious whether feedback is common.

I've had a reasonably long career and have been blessed (and perhaps lucky) to have gotten almost every job I've interviewed for, so I wasn't quite sure whether feedback is the norm or not, as I haven't been in the position to assess that.

The summary, though, seems to be not to expect feedback, at least not post-interview, if you are not made an offer. This is understandable from a liability perspective. More professional companies will, after an interview, at least notify you (or your recruiter) that they have decided to pass on your candidacy. And finally, lack of feedback is not necessarily indicative of a poor, nor a great, interview. Any number of factors may have come into play, including, as far as one knows, say, that at the last minute the CTO decided to hire his cousin.

Re: Getting feedback when a company declines to make an offer

#20

Post by alephnullz »

thelastidiot wrote: post #3

No feedback when you get rejected seems to be the rule these days. No one wants to take responsibility to carry the "bad" news. Radio silence for a few days and you know you are out anyway. The market is so competitive, they wouldn't let you free otherwise. I take it a sign that it's not a company I would want to work for and move on. F'em!

Agreed regarding the "radio silence." This at least seems very unprofessional, especially if a company (as in this case) has indicated that you are "very much in the running."
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