In my business, I recruit key people for businesses. I also coach individuals looking for work. Yesterday I experienced a real crossroads of those two lines of work when I received a phone call. When I finished the call, I thought, ‘wow, that was well done.’ I’d kind of forgotten – the power of asking for feedback is really huge.
The caller had been a candidate for a sales management position in which I had handled a retained search. I had conducted a phone screen with him (a couple of months ago). He had possessed many of the experiences and qualifications that we were seeking, successful record of managing sales reps, a successful personal sales record, and residence in northeastern Ohio.
In his what I’ll call ‘follow-up-for-feedback’ call, he casually asked whether the job had been filled, then what I was seeing in the sales management arena, and then what I thought of his phone interview, how had he presented: Where did he fall short? What could he do to improve?
What he did with that follow-up phone call was brilliant. He received some excellent feedback on how he handled my questions in the interview. He learned a bit more about what I’m seeing in the marketplace for sales management positions. And perhaps most importantly, he built a bridge with someone who might consider him for another position.
If you are searching for new job, who have you interviewed in the past three months? Call them back, ask them if the job was filled. Then ask them what they’re seeing in the marketplace. And ask them for their feedback on you.