Robert wrote:This post got me thinking about the issue of following up on an unsuccessful interview. In the Chronicle article linked to in the post the author describes giving an hour of feedback to an unsuccessful candidate. My experience has been that hiring committee members always refer to HR who will only give you the same boilerplate that is on the rejection letter. Does anyone have any tips for getting some post-interview feedback, especially in situations where you don't know someone and didn't find a soul mate on the hiring committee? Should there be a lawsuit-free forum for providing this kind of information? An unsuccessful interview seems like a great learning opportunity that often goes to waste.
Right out of library school, I applied for a research position in a large financial organization. It was an all day interview with many people involved. At the end of the day, I met with the HR person who was present several times throughout the day and also handled all the paperwork. She actually took the hour to provide feedback and advice. As a person that did recruiting in a past life, that nurturing nature was built into her style. I do not get the job, nor was I convinced the job was right for me. But, the experience was top notch that helped down the road. She pointed out some strengths that I should market better, and point out what I did well during the interview and in writing my application materials. She was very careful to avoid what I did poorly, but provides some hint of improvements.
She did tell me that she is a "red pen grader" when it comes to cover letters and resumes. She said the main reason I got the interview was that the cap never came off her pen. She said that is so rare that those applications get pushed forward immediately. It reinforce my belief and has become my gospel to recent grads, spend every minute possible perfecting and customizing your materials.
I think part of the concern is they are worried about lawsuits. But the person I dealt with had a strong understanding of what could and could not be said. I wonder if some HR people just do not have the confidence in their knowledge to help.
Brian C. Gray
Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian
Kelvin Smith Library
Case Western Reserve University
http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
