July 18, 2008 in Blog by Dawn Williams

Feedback

Everybody wants feedback but usually the good kind. I won’t dwell on the positive one; we all seem to be pretty good at receiving it. As a sales recruiter, I give feedback and receive it from both the client and candidate. This summer I got negative feedback from one of my clients about one of my candidates. I gave the feedback to the candidate so that he could correct it for further interviews. The candidate sought out the client on facebook and sent her a scathing email. This is so wrong on so many levels. As a candidate you do not always have to agree with me or with the client but as I always told my reps “perception is reality”. How others see you is as important as how you see yourself.

I know customers who will not hire a candidate if they do not try to close them for the job after the interview. It could be subtle or more direct. One of the ways is to ask for feedback on how you fare against other candidates or your performance in the interview.

I depend on candidates to give me feedback on their interview too. I want to know if what I have presented as the company and hiring manager is correct. I also want to know how they think they did.

As sales people, isn’t what we do, is give and receive feedback from customers? Doing a needs analysis and ultimately giving a product or service recommendation is feedback. We probe the customer and based on our understanding of his/her pain, we summarize what we learned then deliver a solution.

Look at feedback as a growing process. We should be used to getting it at least on an annual basis from our boss. Use it as a means of improving or changing the perception others have of you.

Happy selling
Dawn