5 tips for accepting and learning from negative interview feedback

What can you change going forward?

Try not to dwell on the past, and use reflective thinking to change what you need to for the future.

Have you been told you haven’t got the right level of experience?

Look at the person specification for the role you are interviewing for and find the areas where you could improve. Explore ways to build upon your existing knowledge, skills and experience in these areas. Showcase your commitment to developing your existing skillset and the transferable skills you can build upon.

How to accept feedback

Whether you receive feedback from the employer directly or an external recruiter, accept the feedback constructively. It can be natural to be defensive about your skills, but try to listen and take what they say onboard.

If you don’t feel ready to hear detailed feedback after a rejection, let your recruiter know and reschedule a time when you might be able to better take on their suggestions.

The more positively you engage with the feedback, the more attractive you will become as a potential employee. Remember that this will not be the only position that opens within the organisation. There may be other roles more suited to you further down the road.

In our recruitment practice, we often see the unsuccessful candidates who implement our interview feedback receive an offer with flying colours for the next role they apply for.

Know when to push back

There might be some cases when the feedback you receive is not constructive but offensive and rude.

Be up to date with your rights – under the Equality Act 2010 interviewers must treat all applications appropriately and fairly and not reject any candidate based on age, gender, race, sexuality or any other protected characteristic.

If you received unfair treatment because of these characteristics, you can make a formal complaint to the employer.