Thursday 1 December 2016

"Crack the interview code" series - Q2 - Have you ever received a Critical/Negative Feedback? How did you handle it?


Never say “Never” to this one. Because that in reality would be a hoax and you would easily be tagged as a person who is not receptive to feedback

The aim of the interviewer is to understand the attitude of the person applying for the job,and assess his/her ability to handle constructive criticism. So here's how you must respond:

1. Be specific about the instance that you quote. Avoid using examples that are related more to a habit than a behavioral competency.For e.g. feedback on “coming late for meetings” might not fetch you brownie points since it cannot be categorized as a tough feedback and is something which can be easily mended/reversed. Likewise, talking about receiving a feedback about being on too many "personal" calls might not be a good idea either. Prepare instances related to a situation at work or a competency gap that you were able to resolve/bridge. You'll see an example in the next point. 

2. While you go ahead and acknowledge having received constructive criticism, it is important to detail out how you handled it and what measures you took to amend it.

A good example could be an instance where you reacted impulsively to a client mail resulting in an irate client. You may speak of a circumstance where you were under pressure of working on multiple projects. So when the mail came in, you didn’t pay much attention to the tone which in which you responded, resulting in a backlash. Upon receiving a feedback, you analysed the situation and understood what led to the escalation. Accept that this instance has made you more cautious and hence,you take a pause each time you receive a tricky email and if required, do not hesitate to take a second opinion from a senior. 

Have any further questions on this topic? Write to us at contact@innoquest.in or drop us a question in the comments section and your email ID and get a free E-Book on "The simply complicated 5 questions that can make or break your interview" ! 

All the best!

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