Giving interview feedback is a skill that needs to be incorporated into corporate policies, as it brings valuable opportunities for both candidates and organisations. We know that hearing about job rejections can be demoralising, but it's time to redefine how we approach giving interview feedback.
No longer is it acceptable to leave unsuccessful candidates in the dark. By giving interview feedback, candidates gain structured and actionable insights to enhance their future success and better evaluate their skill alignment for similar roles. Organisations also benefit from providing feedback by preventing potential brand damage and improving the candidate pool for future recruitment.
This guide delves into the significance of giving interview feedback, the ideal methods for delivering it, best practices, and pitfalls to avoid when providing feedback.
Why is giving interview feedback important?
As mentioned in the introduction, there are important reasons why giving feedback is just as essential for an organisation as it is for a candidate. One of those reasons is that by not providing any feedback, it can be seriously detrimental to an organisation as candidates can go online and leave reputation damaging reviews - which can adversely affect reputation.
According to a recent study, four times as many candidates who receive constructive feedback will consider the company for future opportunities and promote the brand. While 94% of candidates want feedback, under half receive it. Not only are they leaving bad reviews online, but they’re telling their peers - people who could be perfect for positions in your organisation but would hold serious doubts about even interviewing if the treatment their friend received was poor.
That’s just one of the many reasons why providing feedback to all interview candidates benefits the organisation. Here are 10 reasons why giving interview feedback is important:
- It prompts the organisation to note exactly what was good and not so good about the interviewee.
- It can help provide an economic boost as the job market has more candidates who know their strengths and weaknesses and apply for more accurate roles based on these.
- It helps organisations be objective in their candidate assessments and comparisons.
- It reduces the risk of miscommunication about the process, the candidate and the results.
- It is not time consuming - in fact, it is an efficient use of time for the organisation and the hiring managers.
- It contributes to a positive candidate experience which they might tell others about.
- It positively contributes to an organisation’s overall reputation.
- Unsuccessful candidates are more likely to reapply for other roles.
- It actively improves the interview process within the organisation.
- It helps candidates understand their strengths and weaknesses and develop themselves, nurturing more competent candidates for the job market.
For candidates, receiving feedback is beneficial for a variety of reasons including these 10:
- It energises the candidate to understand where they can improve - such as interview technique or developing specific skills.
- It keeps the candidate engaged in the process.
- It provides something of value to the candidate
- It provides candidates with insight regarding the objective assessment carried out.
- It helps candidates understand their strengths and weaknesses in the professional context even better.
- It keeps the candidate engaged with the business after feedback - if they really want to work for you.
- It makes it easier for the candidate to reach out when there is a suitable job opening in the future.
- Failing to provide interview feedback can lead to negative perceptions of the company and damage its employer brand. Candidates may post negative reviews on platforms like Glassdoor, deterring potential future applicants and impacting the company's reputation.
- When candidates don't receive feedback, they miss out on the opportunity to learn from the experience and improve for future interviews, which lowers the overall quality of the talent pool in the long run.
- Leaving candidates without feedback results in a lack of closure. This stressful waiting period can foster negative feelings towards the company and affect their potential future interactions with the brand.
How should interview feedback be delivered?
Providing feedback after an interview is essential for both candidates and organisations. The process, when conducted effectively, fosters growth, promotes a positive brand image, and ensures closure. Here is a step-by-step guide to giving candidate interview feedback:
- Determine candidate interest: Understand that not all candidates might be interested in receiving feedback, especially if they've decided the role isn't a good fit for them. Always ascertain whether the candidate wants feedback.
- Communicate with the candidate: Reach out to the candidate via email or phone call to discuss their interest in feedback. This step will help determine their readiness and willingness to accept feedback.
- Understand preferred feedback channel: Identify how the candidate prefers to receive feedback. It could be through a phone call, email, letter, or video chat. Using their preferred channel can make the feedback process more efficient and comfortable for the candidate.
- Communicate feedback timeline: Let the candidate know when they can expect the feedback. This information should ideally be shared during the initial contact to manage both parties' expectations. For instance, mention that feedback will be provided within three days.
- Utilise a feedback summary email: Provide a feedback summary via email if the candidate agrees. This summary should include key points for their immediate understanding, with an option for them to request detailed interview notes for further insights.
- Implement a structured feedback process: Make sure your feedback process is well-structured and consistent. Using a best practice template can be beneficial in delivering constructive and uniform feedback.
Interview feedback best practices
There are many different ways to give feedback from an interview. Some of the best practices mentioned in many of the templates include:
- Aim to be positive
Some organisations don’t provide any negative feedback and instead choose to aim for a positive approach. Talk about the candidate’s strengths and showcase how they can build on those in other interviews.
- Be prompt
Clearly, as previously explained, being prompt in delivering feedback is essential to keep your candidate engaged with the process. Remember, the longer you leave it, the worse the reputation you will build in their mind. Aim for a 48 hour window if you can.
- Express gratitude
Letting a candidate know that you are thankful that they took the time to apply and showed interest in your organisation matters. It shows common courtesy and good manners - things you’d expect from your candidate.
- Acknowledge their strengths
Share what they did well, and what it appears that they are good at. Be sincere, don’t force any platitudes which aren’t real.
- Provide honest, clear and actionable feedback
Candidates need something that they can build from. That kind of insight is needed for them to develop and take something positive away from the experience.
- Consider noting / recommending areas for improvement
Share what you thought was missing from their experiences and knowledge or even their responses. It should be delivered to be useful and not to be hurtful in any way.
- Invite them to stay in touch / reapply for other positions
Keep the door open by saying as much. “Please keep in touch with our team and site for potential job openings.” This will give them a better overall feeling about the feedback and their potential for a future application.
- Think of every candidate as a potential brand advocate
This is one of the most important reasons to provide feedback - and yes, it’s important. By doing so, you are using other people to advocate for your business, and it’s why it’s needed.
- Always be polite and considerate
Ultimately, you are delivering bad news to a candidate so you must be mindful that how you deliver it is going to make a statement. Remain polite throughout and considerate to the candidate. They are dealing with disappointment so a subtle touch is required as well.
What to avoid when providing feedback
Naturally, there are good things to do when providing feedback and alternatively, there are things you shouldn’t do when providing feedback including:
- Never be late with your feedback
The longer you leave it, the worse impression you give your candidate about the business they applied to.
- Don’t raise false hopes
This is the delicate balance of providing fair and concise feedback without raising hopes that they might be considered for the role. You need to make it clear that they have been unsuccessful but be delicate about the feedback you give as well.
- Be highly aware of potential claims of discrimination
Be very specific about skills/competencies that are lacking or any educational requirements that are essential for the role. Be highly aware that you are reviewing a person’s ability to do the job so you must avoid any language which could indicate bias or discrimination of any kind.
- Never compare them to the winning candidate
Importantly, don’t make comparisons with the person that got the role. Be clear about the reasons where they were lacking in being successful.
- Adopt an appropriate tone in the feedback.
Be sure to use a tone that is fair, balanced and concise. You’re not trying to be friends with the candidate but equally, you don’t want to appear cold or detached at their lack of being successful.
In summary
No one enjoys receiving bad news when it comes to a job interview but the days of not receiving any feedback are long gone. It’s an important branding tool for a business to give feedback as well as making sure that the candidate has everything they need to be successful for upcoming interviews in the future.
The Thomas recruitment platform helps you keep track of the whole recruitment process whilst also being able to make notes about applicants suitable for providing feedback to any unsuccessful candidate.
