Navigating Feedback: The Post-Interview Silence

You received a ping from a recruiter on LinkedIn. She called you to brief you about the job role. You decided to go ahead.

She explained and scheduled interviews. She checked on your preparations. Things were going good.

One of the interviews did not go well. The company decided not to proceed. Suddenly, communication from the recruiter ceased.

After waiting for some days, You reached out to check the status. She replied with a generic email: "We have decided not to go ahead this time." No feedback, nothing to help you improve your shortcomings.

If you've been in this situation, You know it's hard to get feedback. If you explicitly ask for feedback in an email, It's likely to be ignored.

I gave thought to this problem from first principles. How can I draft an email that receives feedback most of the time? I dissected the thought process step by step.

The recruiter, at this stage, doesn't have anything to lose. They've already decided to pass on you. So, putting in extra effort to provide feedback is a low priority.

If we can convey that not providing feedback will cost them, It might increase the priority. But how do we do that? Something like this often works:

"Thanks for getting back.

Could you provide some actionable feedback? Feedback will help me improve and leave a positive impression of both you and the company. (They have something to lose now) The positive impression will be shared among my friends and colleagues. (With more people involved, it's a bigger concern now) Thanks."

What's been your experience? How do you obtain feedback?