Ace Your Next Interview: 16 Practice Question & Answer Strategies

The interview process should begin well before arrival to an employer’s office.  If you’ve recently been invited to interview for a position, you can boost your chances of success by diligently preparing unique responses to common questions. While you won’t have access to the hiring manager’s exact questions in advance, you can be sure that at least some of the typical questions will be asked during your interview. Several of these questions are listed below along with corresponding approaches for effective answers.  To best facilitate your preparation, the questions are categorized according to type:

• Personality
• Professional accomplishments
• Weaknesses and obstacles
• Career objectives 

Before your next interview, take some time to jot down what you’d say in response to the following questions, and consider vocalizing your answers to yourself in the mirror or to a friend for maximum readiness. By doing so, you’ll automatically gain an advantage over the other job seekers – before you even walk in the door.

PERSONALITY

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Surprisingly, this “easy” question often stumps candidates, and since it will likely be asked early in the interview, you can’t risk fumbling through it. Provide the interviewer with a brief employment history, beginning with your earliest relevant role. Supplement this information with corresponding details, such as the reasons for your initial interest in the field, your future goals and how your experience relates to the position for which you are interviewing. Omit personal details unless instructed. 2. What adjectives would you use to describe yourself? You can really provide any combination of numerous positive descriptors, as long as they relate to the nature of the position. The challenge is to supplement your choices with detailed examples. If you call yourself “diligent,” back yourself up with an actual professional experience, i.e., “In my position as a software developer, I compensated for my teammate’s temporary leave by taking on extra responsibilities, while conforming to management’s deadlines.” This is an especially helpful example if the position for which you are interviewing requires regular overtime. Going for a position that requires a significant amount of client engagement? Describe yourself as “personable.” Were you told that the role won’t stick to a particular routine? Use the word “adaptable” to characterize yourself. 3. How would your co-workers describe you? For maximum effect in your response, try to quote or paraphrase things that specific colleagues have actually once said about you, including their names and positions in relation to you.  While the descriptions need not be entirely positive, those that are negative should be complimented by your personal efforts to mitigate weaknesses. The priority is to use your responses to demonstrate your abilities to develop meaningful connections with colleagues, and appreciate their feedback about your performance. 4. What motivates you to be successful? There are several possible acceptable answers, so feel free to provide more than one to enhance your credibility. You can say that you are motivated by recognition of your accomplishments, or by being part of a hard-working, synergetic team in which everyone contributes to some desired end. You could also say the opportunity to become a leader in the organization, industry or field is a motivator for you. Or you could cite that constantly being challenged is your biggest source of inspiration on the job.

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

5. What is your greatest professional strength? It’s helpful to have a few responses planned here, as the employer may be looking for multiple answers. Similar to Question 2, the strengths you provide should be relevant to the role with supporting evidence. Unlike that question, though, this query allows for greater ease in explaining to the interviewer exactly what it is that you do well; you aren’t confined to describing yourself using just a few adjectives.  This is a great opportunity to boast about your technical skills.  6. What are the most important skills you developed in your previous role? Surely, several of the skills utilized in your past role are transferrable to the new position.  Select two or three of these capabilities and explain the processes through which you developed them and apply their usefulness to the new role’s responsibilities. If you do this effectively, you’ll position yourself as a candidate with relevant qualifications that are directly applicable to the organization and the role you are interviewing for. 7. What do you consider your greatest achievement? The achievement you select should be professional, relevant, and fairly recent. Ideally, it should pertain to the responsibilities in the position you’re interviewing for, and should be supported by measurable improvements to your former team, department and/or organization.  For additional credibility, highlight the extensive effort you put forth in order to achieve the desired goal. 8. Do you consider yourself successful and why? No matter what your level of experience is at this point, the correct answer in this instance is always “yes”.  Don’t sell yourself short; this is your chance to tactically brag about everything you’ve done to become qualified for the position you now seek.  The best way to do this is to talk about past goals that you have set, and how you consider yourself successful for having achieved them.

WEAKNESSES AND OBSTACLES

9. What is your biggest professional weakness? Be careful with this question, as you do not want to expose a weakness that would hurt your qualification for the position, nor do you want to give a generic answer that is actually a strength, i.e., “I work too hard.” Your best bet is to discuss a skill that you haven’t had an opportunity to fully develop, or you are actively trying to improve. You could say, for example, “In my last position, I didn’t have much exposure to public speaking, but I look forward to the opportunity to give presentations in this role as needed” or “As a manager, I’ve realized I don’t always efficiently delegate work to my staff members and take on too much work of my own, so I’m currently working to reevaluate their duties based on individual performance.” 10. Describe a past conflict with a colleague, manager or client. How did you resolve it? It’s important to demonstrate your ability to work well with others.  As such, you should focus on your ability to proactively initiate resolution with others based on the conflict described.  Choose a minor issue, and then explain how you addressed the other individual to resolve it, thereby bringing about a more positive work environment. 11. How do you respond to intense pressure at work? Every position is going to entail some level of pressure, so it’s in your best interest to respond as contently as possible, rather than to suggest that you crumble under stress. You could tell the hiring manager that you perform well under periods of intense pressure or that you operate best in a fast-paced environment.  A different approach is to explain how you combat stress, i.e. developing better prioritization techniques, etc. 12. What is the biggest mistake you have made at work? Be honest, but don’t reveal a mistake that was seriously detrimental to your past organization or your career. The objective here is to concentrate on what you learned from the error to prove that you are capable of self-improvement. Therefore, briefly discuss a small, well-intentioned mistake, and then elaborate on how it was rectified and what you have gained as a result.

CAREER OBJECTIVES

13. Why did you leave / why are you looking to leave your last position? There are two possible approaches, depending on your situation. If the position you are interviewing for is significantly different than your past experience, you should explain why you are looking to make a career shift. For example, “Coming from public accounting, I have worked with several clients in the financial services industry. Through this exposure, I’ve developed a strong interest in the industry because of reasons A, B and C.” Or, if the position is a continuation of your current line of work, explain that your last role provided inadequate opportunities for professional growth. No matter what, do not talk negatively about your past responsibilities, supervisor or compensation. 14. Why do you want to work here? Your answer should reflect both your knowledge of the organization and your qualifications for the position. For example, you could explain that the company’s industry leadership and innovation are desirable, while adding that the position’s responsibilities align with your past experience. If part of your motivation includes a salary increase or mere desperation for a job, leave it out! Instead, be as specific as possible about what aspects of the opportunity encouraged you to apply. 15. Describe your ideal work environment. Align your answer to reflect the nature of the organization. If it’s a Fortune 100 company, explain why you enjoy large corporate environments; likewise, if a boutique firm, emphasize your ability to thrive in an intimate work setting.  Another way to tailor your answer to the specific company is to talk about the level of interaction with various departments and levels of management. This is perfect if you’re in the earlier stages of your career and the position; you can discuss that you prefer gain exposure to all facets of an organization. Or, if you know the position entails extensive teamwork, you can describe your ideal environment as one that is very collaborative. 16. What are your salary expectations for this position? Be very careful not to fall into a trap here. Rather than providing a specific dollar or range, your best response is that you will consider any reasonable salary offer. This answer demonstrates that your priority is the job opportunity itself, rather than compensation or benefits.

The Post-Interview Thank You Note: A Make or Break!

Imagine that you have recently interviewed for the position of your dreams and walked away confident that you would receive a job offer.  Professionally, there are very few greater feelings than sincere optimism about obtaining a role that could significantly advance your career. Now consider that, despite your outstanding qualifications and presentation, you find out that another candidate has been selected for the position. As you contemplate what could have possibly gone wrong, you eventually realize that you never sent a thank you note to the hiring manager.

Often professionals make the mistake of neglecting to follow-up with a thank you note after an interview.  Perhaps the relief of having survived a nerve wracking experience distracts them from completing this essential task, or the overwhelming nature of the job search process directs their focus elsewhere. Some candidates simply overlook the significance of the post-interview thank you note, deeming it an “old-fashioned” practice. Regardless of the motivations for failing to send this imperative communiqué, the error can cause an employer to eliminate a candidate from consideration.  By forgetting to send a thank you note, the candidate indirectly projects a lack of interest in the position, and/or decreases the likelihood of being remembered by the hiring manager.  Therefore, it is imperative that you conclude the hiring process by promptly sending a carefully written thank you note to the interviewer that incorporates the six guidelines below:

1. Show Gratitude
Obviously, the thank you note functions to express your gratitude for the opportunity to interview with the organization. The hiring manager has allotted valuable time from his or her schedule to meet you with you.  Therefore, before delving into the core of your letter, remember to be polite.  The employer wants to know that you truly appreciate consideration for the position and their time.

2. Reiterate Your Enthusiasm
Restate your passionate interest in both the role and the organization with supporting examples. An enthusiastic, high energy restatement of why you want the job will prove that your letter wasn’t written out of mere obligation, but out of sincere ambition.

3. Reflect on Interview Performance
Serving as a self-marketing tool, the thank you letter should emphasize the professional strengths and accomplishments you discussed during the interview.  This is your chance to remind the hiring manager why you are the best choice for the position. Additionally, use the thank you note to address any problematic aspects of your interview performance, such as your lack of qualification in a certain area, and how it will be overcome.  In doing so, you will demonstrate your willingness to eliminate a weakness and alleviate objections to your candidacy.

4. Keep it Short and Sweet
The thank you note is essentially the “home stretch” in the job search process; it’s unnecessary to go overboard, be long-winded or provide new, irrelevant information. After all, you already captured the hiring manager’s interest if you were granted an interview. That said, the thank you note should not exceed three paragraphs, and should only include the most important points possible. An extremely lengthy or digressive note risks the self-defeating possibility of remaining unread or being forgotten. To make the best impression possible, the note should remain concise and, therefore, memorable.

5. Send Electronically 
While a handwritten note may seem endearing, a thank you letter sent within one day of the interview via email will help to convey the urgency of your interest in the position. This is especially true if the employer is looking to fill the position immediately, or if the organization’s large size could prevent the letter’s timely delivery. 

6. Proof Read

The biggest mistake you can make when sending a thank you note to a potential employer is not proofreading it.  Sending a note with spelling or grammatical errors can not only be embarrassing, but it could cost you the potential offer.  When an employer receives a correspondence that is hastily written and filled with errors this shows them that the author lacks the attention to detail and/or professionalism they require. 

A conscious effort to implement these suggestions into your next thank you letter can go a long way.  Combined with strong performance in the other areas of the hiring process, the proper execution of the thank you note will help to increase your chances of success.

Life After Public: The Transition to Private Accounting

The long hours and intense pressure frequently endured in public audit roles often serve as an incentive for accounting professionals to transfer their experience to a role within a private organization. If you are a public accountant that is less than contently employed at a public firm, you may want to consider exploring opportunities within private industry. CPAs commonly pursue a career track consisting of public accounting experience followed by corporate accounting roles. The experience in Public Accounting provides valuable exposure to a broad range of clientele that is often sought by private industry employers, making this a natural progression.

Private industry accounting positions are available, but if your only experience lies on the public side of the field, you may be unfamiliar with your options. To explore which path may be best for you, contact one of our Executive Recruiters today at 212-812-8444.

While the public-to-private track is certainly promising, the process of actually switching to corporate accounting may seem daunting.  Despite these obstacles, typical to any career transition, you may be surprised by the numerous benefits of switching to private industry outlined below:

• Sincere interest in your firm’s performance.
• You will be strictly involved in the performance of your own organization rather than in that of multiple clients.
• Through your direct professional contributions, you will develop a sincere emotional and professional investment in the success of the organization, thereby bringing additional value and motivation to your work.
• Long-term leadership and team development.
• In a private organization, you will be leading and developing a team over a period of several years, rather than just during a single engagement project.
• You will be able to foster more meaningful and constructive professional relationships within a management role because you will be consistently working with and monitoring the progress of a group of professionals.
• More stability.
• Your responsibilities will be significantly more stable, travel requirements will be less frequent, and your schedule will have less variance from day to day.
• This is a benefit for the type of professional who functions best in a work environment grounded in a steady routine.
•  Concentration in a field of interest.
• In public, you will have been exposed to multiple industries, most likely giving way to preference for a certain field.
• You can transfer this experience to best succeed in the industry of your choice.
• Better quality of life.  
• Perhaps most importantly, you will enjoy a substantial improvement in the balance between work and personal life.
• While a private industry accounting position will be challenging the quantity of overtime hours should decrease.

If private industry accounting appeals to you, don’t draft your letter of resignation just yet. Provided are some guidelines to more tactically time the switch for maximum benefit to your career progression:

• Obtain the rank of “Senior” or higher.
• Otherwise, your public accounting experience will not be as valuable to your next employer.
• Employers seek not only a background in public audit, but the proof of your growth and success within the position.
• Never leave during busy season.
• Abandoning your public accounting position during busy season sends the wrong signal to future employers and burns bridges.
• Instead, try to time your resignation for shortly after busy season.
• Make sure you get your CPA first.
• This will help you secure a position in private industry with more responsibility, opportunity for growth, and more earning potential.
• In addition to requiring a background in public accounting, employers often require that candidates have obtained their CPA in order to be considered.

Select with Certainty: A Guide to Candidate Phone Screens

A previous Abacus Group Blog post called Phone Screens: Five Tips to Favorably Impress explained guidelines for successful phone screens from the candidate’s point of view. Equally important to the hiring process is the employer’s thorough understanding of best practices associated with conducting phone screens. Given that phone screens function as a simplification tool, employers must administer them effectively to ensure that the most promising candidates are invited to face-to-face interviews.  The primary objective of the phone screen – to reduce the number of candidates – is entirely missed if the employer cannot adequately discern anything of value about the candidate’s qualifications and personality. In order to utilize phone screens to facilitate the candidate selection process, employers must familiarize themselves with the following strategies:

1. Create a single introductory script

Before you begin a series of phone calls, prepare an overview of the organization and a description of the position’s duties and requirements. Together, they will constitute a standardized, introductory guideline that can be used when speaking to each candidate. It’s helpful to compose descriptions of the organization and the position in your own words – rather than to read them verbatim from another source – to provide the candidate with a more personal understanding of both the culture of your firm and the objectives of the role. By explaining the organization and the position to the candidate in simple language, the conversation will flow more naturally, allowing you to better assess how well the candidate will fit in the role.  In addition, the process of preparing this text in advance will help reinforce the profile of your ideal candidate. Note that your introductory speech should not last more than a few minutes, as you will need to allot the majority of the phone screen to asking questions. 

2. Carefully craft a list of relevant questions

Your major objectives include both confirming the candidate’s qualifications and determining if he or she will successfully fulfill your organization’s needs.  To do so, you must create a list of standard questions to allow yourself to objectively assess each candidate. Begin with basic questions in order to eliminate any candidates who overtly lack the experience or skills necessary to succeed in the position, including questions involving:

•  Verification of past positions, duties and employment dates
•  Verification of particular technical capabilities
•  Verification of certain industry experience
•  Explanation of current organization’s business

Once the candidate’s basic qualifications have been confirmed, you can proceed to asking questions related to their achievements and professional goals, focusing on:

•  Major accomplishments in current or previous role
•  Challenges faced in current or previous role
•  How current co-workers would characterize the candidate
•  Reason for leaving current position
•  Reason for seeking available position
•  Management style
•  Ideal work environment

3. Consistently ask additional open-ended questions

When asking the questions listed above, constantly follow-up with additional questions such as, “Why did you do that?” in response to the candidate’s decision to pursue a career in a different industry or “What did you learn from that?” after the candidate discusses key involvement in a particular project. By consistently pressing the candidate for information, you will ascertain many important qualities, namely, their ability to think beyond standardized answers, their level of articulation and their capacity for responding quickly under pressure.  Additional probing also helps to ensure that you are receiving the most honest answers possible.  

4. Don’t rely on your memory; take notes!

Since you are likely to be screening multiple candidates in one sitting, you’ll benefit tremendously from taking notes about each person with whom you speak.  To facilitate your note-taking, print multiple copies of your interview questions with blank space to jot down each candidate’s answers.  Additionally, take notes about the candidate’s level of enthusiasm, including whether or not he or she had any questions for you at the end of the screen.  Finally, it’s helpful to include a brief “scorecard” section for the candidate on each sheet of paper, in which you can quickly evaluate his or her performance in various areas (communication, technical knowledge, experience, etc.) on a scale of 1 to 5.  By preparing sufficient notes both during and after the phone screen, you’ll save time and effort in determining which candidates should be further pursued for the position.

Sources

Heathfield, Susan.  “Phone Interviews Screen Applicants Prior to an Onsite Job Interview.” http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryp/g/phone-interviews-screen-applicants.htm 

McGinty, Debra Woog. "Seven Steps to Better Phone Screening of Job Candidates."
http://www.inc.com/articles/2001/06/22751.html  

Vasil, Tim. "10 tips for conducting an effective phone screen interview."
http://www.timvasil.com/blog14/post/2011/05/16/10-tips-for-conducting-an-effective-phone-screen-interview.aspx

Herrenkohl, Eric. “Ten Tips: Asking the Right Phone Interview Questions.”
http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/interviewing-candidates/phone-interview-questions.aspx

The Counteroffer: Why and How to Avoid This Losing Proposition

When an employee informs their supervisors of their resignation, they are sometimes confronted by what is known as a counteroffer - an employer’s “rebuttal” to the resignation in the form of a proposed salary increase or other perceived benefits. 

Many misinformed professionals have no hesitation in considering a counteroffer.  In fact, many will reason that a salary increase in their present position alleviates certain difficulties or concerns they have in their current role.   Additionally, submitting to the pressure of a counteroffer might simply feel like the easiest thing to do in an uncomfortable situation. For instance, the counteroffer may be incorrectly perceived as an easy way to acquire a monetary promotion and enables you to bypass the adjustments associated with transitioning to a new organization. In reality, although a counteroffer may seem like a tempting, even flattering quick fix for many employees, its acceptance should be avoided in order to protect your long-term career interests.  

If you are among those professionals who, following the announcement of your resignation would consider a counteroffer, you may want to reconsider your decision. The list below details the most important reasons why, once you have stated your decision to leave your current organization for a new opportunity, you should not back down, even if tempted by higher pay:

• You’ve Wasted Your Time
You have already applied considerable effort in obtaining a better opportunity, motivated by some particular dissatisfaction within your current role. Why give that up? By accepting a counteroffer, the only “benefit” you’ll enjoy after all that effort is a higher salary. Meanwhile, you’ll remain unhappy with your manager, colleagues, responsibilities, the organization itself, or whatever it is that initially triggered your decision to leave.  And that higher salary may only be an upfront piece of any future raise you were going to get.  Thus, your future raises will probably be greatly diminished.

• Professional Relationships Will Suffer
You are going to significantly tarnish your relationship with both your supervisors and managers. Management may feel as though you pressured them into offering a higher salary, especially if your continued employment with the firm was important to them for the accomplishment of certain key objectives.  As a result of these strained connections, you’ll be placed at a disadvantage in terms of receiving recommendations or referrals in the future.

•Poor Implications for Promotions
The acceptance of a counteroffer implies that you are willing to take on additional responsibilities that you may be unprepared to handle. Unlike an organic promotion, your salary boost won’t be prompted by a display of outstanding performance or someone else’s resignation. Furthermore, you most likely won’t be considered by management for other promotions if the only way that you are able to obtain one is to admit that you have been offered a job at a higher salary.

• You Won’t Be There Much Longer
Statistics show that employees who accept counter offers won’t remain in their current positions for more than one year.  In fact, according to US News, between 70 and 80 percent of those who take a counteroffer will leave the organization within nine months.  In this case, you’ll need to begin your job search all over again.

Now that you understand the rationale behind rejecting a counteroffer, you should know how to avoid the proposition in the first place. Before you even approach management to let them know that you are going to resign, you have to be absolutely grounded in your decision to take the offer at the new firm.  Any doubts will leave you vulnerable to the temptation of a counteroffer, so be sure to constantly remind yourself of why your decision to leave is the best path for your career. To solidify your decision about leaving your current position, put it in writing for management in the form of a resignation letter. The letter should include your intended last day with the firm, as well as a statement of the fact that your decision is final.  Finally, you must reiterate the definitiveness of your resignation in person. If the inevitable counteroffer is made, you can politely decline while stressing that the opportunity – not the salary – offered by the new position is best for your career.  

Clearly, the resignation process will sometimes be difficult for professionals given the frequent use of the counteroffer tactic by employers. The bottom line is that accepting this type of proposition will only amplify your original job dissatisfaction and lead to your eventual resignation or termination.

Sources
Gerald Alexander Consulting Group. "Parting Company: How to resign professionally."

Green, Alison. "Why You Shouldn't Take a Counteroffer."

Gutner, Toddi. "Is Asking For a Counter Offer a Good Idea?"

Olson, Lindsay. "Think Carefully Before Accepting a Counteroffer." 

Phone Screens: Five Tips to Favorably Impress

When beginning the candidate selection process for new positions, many employers conduct a phone screen prior to a face-to-face interview.  Such conversations serve as a way for HR to confirm a candidates’ experience and qualifications, and to eliminate anyone who seems to be an overtly poor fit for the position.  To ensure that you will advance to the next stage of the hiring process, you need to be equipped with not only excellent in-person interviewing skills, but superior phone etiquette as well.  Be aware that phone screens, unlike scheduled phone interviews, often take place without prior notice.  Therefore, your familiarity with how to perform effectively is especially crucial in passing this sometimes unanticipated initial assessment.  Here are five recommendations for conducting a successful phone screen.

1) Prepare in advance.
If you’re looking to change jobs, chances are you’ve applied to multiple positions, and may not remember every specific detail about each one. In order to prevent being caught entirely off guard, compile an accessible list of job postings to which you have responded, complete with a few short, easily explainable notes about how your past experience, qualifications  and accomplishments directly relate to the responsibilities of each position. To simplify things further, you should include some key words about the organization, its objectives and any relative news.  Don’t prepare too many notes, though; otherwise, you run the risk of getting distracted in what is typically a very short conversation. 

2) Call back later if necessary.
As previously stated, phone screens are sometimes conducted without prior notice.  There is a chance that you will not be in a private and quiet location when you receive the call.  For example, if you’re at work, within earshot of colleagues or supervisors whom you would prefer not knowing about your job search, it would be best to defer the phone screen until a later time.  The same rule applies to noisy city streets, social settings or areas with spotty cell phone service. The interviewer will appreciate your concern for making sure that you are in a quiet area in which you can speak freely about the position.

3) Sound confident and competent.
One of the easiest ways to disqualify your candidacy in a phone screen is to sound unsure of yourself. Since the HR representative cannot see positive body language or a neat, professional appearance through a phone conversation, you will need to rely on confident, intelligent diction.  Specifically, avoid using trivial words or phrases like “um,” “like,” or “you know,” and refrain from turning statements into questions.  Applying the first suggestion, Prepare in advance, and having a basic outline of your main points sitting directly in front of you, you’ll be less dependent on “filler” language that will detract from your credibility.

4) Listen very carefully.
Since you will be unable to rely on the interviewer’s facial expressions or body language to gauge whether or not you have made a favorable impression, make sure you listen to every sentence very carefully.  If you need to, pause for a second before answering questions to make sure that your responses are thorough and you are getting your points across effectively. Although it may be tempting to spend the majority of the conversation thinking about what you are going to say next, you actually have to listen very carefully during a phone screen to ensure that you obtain all the necessary information about the position.

 

5) Close professionally.
Nothing says, “I’m not interested in this role” like closing with, “Thanks, bye.” If the interviewer doesn’t inform you about the next steps in the hiring process, be sure to show initiative by enthusiastically asking on your own.  This will demonstrate that you’re serious about obtaining the position, not just anxious to get off the phone. Be sure to reiterate your interest and to thank the interviewer for the opportunity to speak with them.

Sources:

Cenedella, Marc. “Acing the Phone Interview: Preparation is Key.”

James, Geoffrey. “How to Work the Phone: 6 Tricks.”

Trunk, Penelope.  “Five ways to do better in phone interviews.”

WetFeet.  “Mastering the Phone Screening.”

How to Turn a Job Rejection into a Learning Opportunity

A February article from The Ladders by John Batteiger provides valuable advice about an often difficult and daunting task for professionals: obtaining critical feedback from an employer after being turned down for a position. Typically, hiring managers will merely inform the unsuccessful candidate that someone else has been chosen for the role, without delving into the specific reasons for their rejection. Likewise, most candidates will accept the bad news without much further inquiry. While this submissive routine may seem like the most respectful and least painful approach to ending the application process, it certainly won’t help you improve your interview skills for the future. Although a discussion about what went wrong may seem challenging or even uncomfortable for you, it’s the most practical and beneficial way to conclude your application attempt. Considering that you made it far enough in the candidate selection process to interview with the organization, you undoubtedly deserve the opportunity to know where you fell short so you can learn from your mistakes. Taken from Batteiger’s insightful article, here are some suggestions for requesting constructive criticism after a turndown:

1. Be professional and polite
Hostility would certainly be the worst way to approach the request for feedback, so use a friendly tone to be clear about your motivations.  Thank the employer for the opportunity for the interview with the organization, and then ask if there was anything you could have done differently.

2. Make it clear that you aren’t looking for a “second chance”
The purpose of your inquiry is to find out how you can improve your interview skills in the future, not to request further consideration.
 
3. Speak directly with someone within the organization who you expect will be honest and informed about your rejection
This suggestion may not always be feasible, but if you were referred to the organization by a friend or acquaintance, it may be best to ask them, rather than the hiring manager. Alternatively, if you feel that you made an especially strong connection with any of the individuals with whom you interviewed, you may benefit from reaching out to them directly.

4. Talk to recruiters ( if applicable)
If you’re working with a recruiter for your job search, don’t hesitate to ask him or her for more detailed feedback regarding your rejection. Since the recruiter serves as your direct representative to the hiring manager, he or she has likely been given thorough reasons why you were not chosen, and will be happy to share those with you so you.

Source

Batteiger, John. “How to Force Feedback Following a Job Interview”