​Search engines are relatively understood mechanisms. People search for a term, they click on the description that seemed to most match what they intended when they searched. Or they start to type in a term, a list of likely searches pops up and they click the one that is closest to their intent.

Those clicks provide feedback to the search engine that their ability to match the parameters of the search was on target. (I apologize to my search friends of the massive oversimplification here.)

Now, here's the thing. When you're searching for a job, it's all or nothing. First, you either get a call for an interview - or you get a form letter followed by silence. Then, you potentially get an in-person interview - or you get silence. Then, you get an offer - or you get silence. Even if you don't get silence, you get a message that is roughly, "We found someone else for the position." ​

If you didn't get the job, then that means there is most likely something you can improve on. Those things include: ​

• Understanding of job descriptions. 
• Understanding of or ability to convey your own skills.​
• Presentation of yourself. ​
• Preparation.​

Now employers generally take the (I believe) short-term view that there is nothing to be gained by providing feedback and something to lose. I mean, the person's not coming to work here, so what do I care? And if I do tell them what's wrong, that's at a minimum a time sink for me and, at worst, a lawsuit. ​

So, let me address both audiences. ​

How can I get feedback when I'm doing my job search?

Job seekers - ask for feedback. You may not get it, but it doesn't hurt. Be polite and respectful for their time, but reinforce your interest in the company and get some insights into how they think about skills and experience. If you're not a cultural fit, then you know you should move on. ​

• Importantly, try and take notes during the process. Find a friend or a mentor and review the process with them so that they can tell you how certain things might be heard. (This is less ideal than direct feedback, but it's a good substitute.)
• Ask for general feedback. There are few times in life when people who know you feel comfortably giving you candid feedback about your quirks - the job search is one of them, but only if you give them the opening. I asked a friend of mine what my first impression was like. He said, "I'm only half-joking when I say that it was two years before I knew whether or not you liked me." That told me that I need to smile more, lean in and keep my posture more open. 

As a side note: recruiters are particularly good in this regard. They may not give you the "real" reason that you didn't get the job, but they will give you something that is true that will give you something to work on. Besides, they see a lot of applicants and resumes and can give you very valuable feedback.  ​

Why should a company give feedback?

For companies, understanding the downside, there are several good reasons to provide some feedback:

1. Depending on the feedback, you can get some in return. For example:​

• "Your qualifications didn't match what we were looking for in this job. Can you provide us with some feedback on how we could make our job descriptions more clear in the future."
• "We really enjoyed meeting with you, but found someone who is a closer fit to what we ​were ideally looking for. As someone who has gone through our interview process, we would love to get your feedback on what you liked about it and what you thought could be improved."

In other words, if you only ask successful candidates about the interview process, you're going to get a biased picture. ​

2. You want to leave a good impression on a candidate. Even if they aren't right for your company, think of it as good customer service. A poorly handled application can harm your reputation. In certain professions, the circles are really small. Don't count on horror stories being written off as "sour grapes" by their peers. 

3. Pay it forward. Feedback is the best way we have as human beings to improve. While we don't go through the job hunting process very often, the skills that are employed in the job search are vital to being successful in any role. ​

• The ability to summarize important points.
• The ability to listen and articulate a response. ​
• The ability to pattern match (a job description to their unique experiences).

The more you do to make people better - even the ones you're not bringing on board - the more likely the applicants who start coming through the door are going to be better prepared, for the interview and for the job. ​

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