Every candidate deserves post interview feedback

The process of recruiting staff is constantly changing. Some changes are significant and have a large impact across the industry, some are small and don’t last for very long. Some changes are subtle – more a slow shift in behaviour that over a period of time becomes the new normal.

Over the past few years, some employers have moved towards providing an interview “result” instead of interview feedback. Candidates who are unsuccessful are literally advised just that, with no further insight as to why. Unfortunately our society has become increasingly litigious, and this has seen many large employers shrink back into their shell. In the UK it’s now common practice to not provide reference checks (but that’s another story for another blog).

Here is why all employers (and recruiters) need to take the effort to provide constructive feedback to unsuccessful candidates:

• It’s respectful. Think about the level of effort a candidate normally goes through. Writing resume and cover letter. Phone interview. Completing testing and other assessments. Arranging to attend agency interview. Arranging to attend employer interview. The least a candidate deserves in return for their effort and time is some feedback.
• It’s helpful for the candidate. Criticism should be delivered in a constructive way wherever possible. If a candidate was unsuccessful due to lack of experience, lack of qualifications, poor tenure, poor interview technique etc then it is very helpful for them to know. It allows the candidate to understand where their application sits in the market at the moment, and gives them the opportunity to improve.
• It improves the employer brand and the candidate experience. 9 out of 10 times when I offer a candidate some advice I get a genuine and warm “thank you”. It surprises me how often a candidate says “no one has ever mentioned that before”. The companies that do provide feedback strengthen their employer brand in the marketplace.
• It shows that an employer has a genuine interest in people. As C.S. Lewis said “integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching”. Job seekers are often unemployed, and can feel vulnerable. Providing some feedback to help them improve won’t help the employer, but may make all the difference in the world to them.

As an experienced recruiter I am aware that there are often reasons why a candidate is unsuccessful that might not be well received and probably can’t be directly communicated to the candidate. How do you explain to a candidate that they aren’t the right “culture fit”, for example? Within this I am sure we can still find enough reasons to speak with the unsuccessful candidates and provide them with some feedback.

What are your thoughts? Interested to hear from both sides of the fence.