How to Respond to Negative Communication After a Job Interview

Job interviews that go poorly can be good learning experiences.

Job interviews are stressful, and it’s easy for even the most experienced of job seekers to make a gaffe or come off in a less-than-stellar light to the interviewer. After the interview, the interviewee waits for what he hopes to be good news. If he receives negative feedback about the interview, there are some constructive ways to respond.

Contacts in the Organization

Call any contacts you have in the organization. If you know someone in the company -- perhaps someone who helped get you the interview -- give him a call and see if he can do damage control by contacting the interviewer and going to bat for you or finding out what the issues are. If he can find out where you failed, it will help you to know how to go about responding.

Appeals to the Interviewer

Call or email the interviewer. It is standard practice to send a follow-up message after the interview to say thank you, which you’ve probably done by the time you received the negative communication, assuming it wasn’t immediate. There is nothing wrong with calling the interviewer to address issues in the communication, explain why you may have performed poorly and try to smooth over any mistakes you made.

Second Interviews

Ask for a second interview. Assuming the interviewer was not entirely put off by you, don’t be afraid to be so bold as to ask for a second interview. It may not be granted but it doesn’t hurt to ask. If you can get the interview, take the feedback that you received and work on getting ready for your second chance.

Move On

It may be that any damage is irreparable and your opportunities for employment at that organization are over. If you feel that’s the case, learn from your mistakes and move on. Take the negative feedback you received and adjust for your next interview opportunity so that you make a better impression, perhaps by doing mock interviews with colleagues or by seeking a professional who prepares people for job interviews.

References

• Best-job-interview.com: Why Bad Job Interviews Happen and How to Fix It
• Mywritingresources.com: Terrible Interview – Can You Recover?
• Virginia Tech: After Interviews