How to Ask for Inter­view Feedback

Asking for feedback can be a useful part of practice, but feedback may not be available. This guide covers how to ask a practice partner, a mentor or, after a real interview, a recruiter for feedback politely. It helps you choose what to ask, receive the answer well and avoid pressing for one.

The practice suggestions here are optional, so adapt them to your situation. Truth, confidentiality and consent are not optional. The wording below is invented and is not a script. This guide gives no legal or employment advice and no promise that feedback will be given or will help.

Choose who to ask and what to expect

A practice partner or mentor. A friend, mentor or adviser who has agreed to help you rehearse may be willing to give detailed notes. Ask for the kind of notes they are comfortable giving.

A recruiter or interviewer after a real interview. Feedback may not be available. It may be brief or delayed, and the recruiter may not be able or allowed to give it. You should not assume the reason. Check any feedback process or timeframe the recruiter has given, ask politely, and do not assume you will receive a reply. A feedback request is different from an appeal or a complaint. This guide covers feedback requests only, and it draws no conclusions about what an employer must do. Do not ask for a decision to be reconsidered as part of a feedback request.

Before a practice session

• Tell your partner what you are practicing: the question and a short summary of the role.
• Decide what you want feedback on, for example whether your own part was clear or whether the answer addressed the question.
• You can ask for a small number of specific notes rather than a full review.
• Agree whether you will record the session, and what will happen to the recording.
• Use true examples, and leave out confidential information about employers, customers or colleagues.

Ask for specific notes

Give your reviewer a specific question to focus on, rather than only asking "How was that?" You might ask:

• Was my own part in the story clear?
• Which part was hardest to follow?
• Did anything sound like it claimed more than I could support?
• Did my answer address the question that was asked?
• Is there one thing you would change?

You are asking about content. If a partner offers comments on your accent, appearance, a speech difference or a disability, you can say that you would rather have notes on the answer itself.

Fictional wording you can adapt

Fictional wording, asking a practice partner: "Could you listen to my answer to this question and tell me which part you found hardest to follow, and whether my own part was clear? Any specific notes would be welcome."

Fictional wording, asking a recruiter after a real interview: "Thank you for your time. If it is possible to share any feedback on my interview, I would be grateful, but I understand if that isn't something you can do."

Fictional wording, replying to feedback: "Thank you for your time. I'll think about it."

If you do not get a reply, do not assume one will come. Avoid repeated reminders or pressure.

Receiving feedback

Listen without arguing. If a note is unclear, ask what the person meant. Check it against what actually happened, and decide for yourself what to change. Do not change facts to fit feedback. A note that asks you to add a figure you do not have, or to claim a role you did not hold, is one to set aside. If you believe a process was unfair, you can seek appropriate qualified local guidance. This guide cannot say whether anything was unfair.

Keep it private and respectful

Do not send confidential employer, customer or personal information when you ask for feedback. Ask before sharing someone else's feedback or a recording that includes them. Thank people for their time, whether or not the feedback was what you hoped for.

If you want to see how feedback looks

Our guide to interview feedback examples shows annotated fictional before-and-after answers. For a routine you can repeat, see our guide to behavioural interview practice, and our interview preparation checklist covers the wider preparation.

In a real interview, do not use any tool to generate answers unless the organiser has explicitly allowed it, and do not record the conversation unless the interviewer has agreed.

This guide is published by Muqabala. You can visit our interview practice page for your next practice session. Use any method that suits you, and check how any tool handles your data first. Do not paste confidential employer, client or personal information into a practice tool.