How do you interpret feedback in an interview?

After any interview—be it a practice session (mock interview) or an actual one—you often receive feedback about your performance. Interpreting this feedback effectively is crucial if you want to refine your skills and enhance your chances of success in future interviews. Here’s how to break down and act on the feedback you receive:

1. Listen (or Read) Carefully and Objectively

Seek Clarification If Needed

• If your interviewer mentions something like, “You seemed unsure about how to optimize your code,” politely ask for examples so you know exactly where you fell short.
• In written feedback, note any vague statements and consider requesting more detail via email or message if possible.

Avoid Defensiveness

• Feedback, especially constructive criticism, can sometimes feel harsh, but it’s meant to help you improve.
• Approach feedback with an open mind. Rather than responding with excuses, focus on the points made and think about how you can address them.

2. Categorize the Feedback

Technical Skills

• Coding Challenges: Did you structure your solution well and consider time/space complexity?
• System Design: Were your architectural choices logical and scalable? Did you address trade-offs adequately?

Communication and Soft Skills

• Clarity and Confidence: Did you clearly explain your thought process, ask relevant questions, and avoid rambling?
• Teamwork and Leadership: If the feedback highlights your style of interaction, it might be referencing how well you collaborate or lead discussions.

Behavioral Insights

• Cultural Fit: Did you demonstrate company values or relevant leadership principles?
• Conflict Resolution: Were your examples of resolving conflicts or working under pressure convincing and structured (e.g., using the STAR method)?

3. Look for Patterns and Frequency

Common Threads

• If multiple interviewers or mock sessions highlight the same issues (e.g., you often miss edge cases or need more clarity in system design), it’s a signal that you should prioritize improving in that specific area.

One-Off Observations

• Sometimes, feedback might be unique to a particular question or scenario. While it’s still valuable, decide how relevant it is in the larger context of your interviews or career goals.

4. Evaluate Relevance to Your Goals

Immediate vs. Long-Term Goals

• If you’re aiming for a senior or managerial position, feedback on system design depth or leadership examples is paramount.
• If you’re early in your career, coding fundamentals might be your top priority.

Company or Role-Specific Feedback

• Some feedback might be tied to a specific company’s culture or a unique role requirement.
• Identify which pieces of advice apply broadly (like better code optimization) and which are tailored to a certain position or environment.

5. Create an Actionable Plan

Short-Term Actions

• Address Low-Hanging Fruit: Maybe you need to practice explaining your solution step-by-step more clearly.
• Refine Personal Examples: If your behavioral answers lacked detail, prepare new stories or polish existing ones.

Long-Term Strategies

• Deepen Conceptual Understanding: If you repeatedly struggle with concurrency or distributed systems, dive into specialized courses such as Grokking the Advanced System Design Interview.
• Mock Interviews: Book regular Coding Mock Interviews or System Design Mock Interviews at DesignGurus.io to practice implementing your feedback in real time.

6. Seek Continuous Feedback

Schedule Follow-Up Sessions

• If you’re working with a mentor or using a platform like DesignGurus.io, arrange another mock interview or coaching session after you’ve had time to apply the feedback.

Track Your Progress

• Note which areas of improvement keep popping up, and see if your performance shifts positively over multiple sessions.

7. Maintain a Feedback Log

• Document each piece of feedback right after your interview while it’s fresh in your mind.
• Reflect periodically (weekly or monthly) to see how you’re progressing in those areas.
• Adjust your study or practice plan to focus on the issues that remain unresolved.

8. Balance Feedback with Self-Awareness

Maintain Your Unique Style

• Strive for improvement, but don’t lose sight of your natural problem-solving approach or communication style if it aligns well with your role and company culture.

Critically Assess Unfair or Irrelevant Feedback

• Occasionally, feedback may stem from an interviewer’s personal bias or misinterpretation.
• Evaluate whether certain critiques truly reflect areas you need to address or if they simply represent subjective opinions.

Conclusion

Interpreting interview feedback is about translating critiques into actionable steps that move you closer to your ideal performance. By calmly dissecting each point, categorizing it according to your goals, and actively practicing solutions—such as through mock interviews or targeted learning resources—you transform each piece of feedback into a catalyst for growth. Whether you’re aiming for a coding-heavy role or a senior system design position, continuous learning fueled by meaningful feedback will consistently push you closer to success.

Ready to hone your skills further? Schedule a session at DesignGurus.io—from Coding Mock Interviews to System Design Mock Interviews for Senior Engineers and Managers—and put your feedback into practice under the guidance of ex-FAANG engineers. Good luck!