What are the best strategies for providing feedback on technical skills?

Focus on specific examples and real-world scenarios to assess the candidate's proficiency and enable exceptional feedback on technical skills. Pose situational or problem-solving questions that require the application of technical knowledge, allowing you to observe their problem-solving approach and depth of understanding. Afterward, provide feedback that emphasizes their demonstrated skills, highlights areas of excellence, and gently addresses any identified gaps.

By framing the feedback in a constructive manner, focusing on areas for improvement rather than solely pointing out mistakes. Additionally balancing the feedback by acknowledging both strength's and areas that needs development. This provides a holistic view of the candidates performance. Providing concrete examples to illustrate the feedback is one of the best method.

Feedback should always be in a positive manner so that candidates can focus on their area of improvement. In terms of technical feedback there must be specific details pertaining to the benchmarking of skills required or some suggestions which can help in enhancing the level of requisite skills in future.

In my opinion when giving feedback on technical skills, be clear about what's working well and where improvements can happen. Use constructive criticism to inspire growth, making sure to acknowledge both the positives and areas that need attention. Set expectations, provide actionable steps, and foster an open dialogue for a supportive learning environment that keeps evolving.

Feedback needs to be specific and constructive, merely sharing that you did, or didn’t do something is not as helpful as you think. People want to know how to improve, and the best way is to share specific examples of feedback from an interview. Just because things didn’t go as planned this time we can all learn from our mistakes so the next interview can go better!

Feedback about why an interview didn’t go as well as planned or why a candidate is not advancing, should be shared in a thoughtful, professional, and constructive manner. Try to give specific examples and also highlight what the candidate did do correctly. There are moments we shine, and then there are moments we can use as learning opportunities, both should be discussed in an open and honest forum.

Sharing feedback is one of the most important aspect for building a good experience for the candidates Let the candidate know what went well in the interview Let the candidate know what could have been better/the improvement areas Ask feedback from the candidate on the interview experience Let them know the cool off period before we can reconsider the candidature for a similar role.

Start off with the requirements as you see them. Then work backwards, feedback can often open the door to further the clarification on attributes like speed, volume, complexity, and the relevance of the previous experience. Just because one person assessed the answer to an interview question one way doesn’t necessarily mean that is the reality. This can sometimes give potential candidates another chance to give more examples or share their perspective in further depth.

A balanced and fair approach to feedback in talent acquisition is essential. It ensures that evaluations are grounded in objective criteria, promoting credibility and respect. By highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement, candidates receive a comprehensive understanding of their performance, fostering a transparent and constructive interview process. This perspective reflects the professionalism and integrity of the hiring process, contributing to a positive candidate experience.

A talent acquisition perspective values constructive and actionable feedback. Providing specific guidance and measurable goals enables candidates to enhance their skills effectively. This approach not only empowers candidates by offering a clear path for improvement but also showcases the hiring team's commitment to fostering growth. It contributes to a positive candidate experience and reinforces the partnership between the candidates and the hiring process in promoting continuous development.

Feedback is only useful if it provides the candidate with specific areas of development. Feedback is an important part in the development of candidates and I think organizations should institute it as a practice for their employees who interview. Feedback also allows for candidates to understand why they did not get a job offer and allows for transparency in the selection process. Especially for technical skills, feedback should be specific. Technical skills are well defined and specific without shades of grey thus the feedback should mirror this characteristic.

The best feedback is the one that uses SMART technique - be specific, give measurable task that is attainable for the person and always add time frame. Then you both know where you go and when improvement will be achieved.

Matching to an original criteria is certainly the ideal scenario. In many searches, the criteria can change based on who has been presented and how they tackle the hypothetical challenges ahead. This is particularly true when the role has not been recruited for in the past. If one finds it hard to maintain consistency throughout the search process, then be clear about how it might have changed as time goes on in order to maintain personal and company integrity.

From a talent acquisition perspective, maintaining consistency and alignment in feedback is paramount. This ensures a fair and reliable evaluation process for candidates. When feedback reflects the established expectations and aligns with input from other interviewers and the hiring team, it fosters coherence and transparency. Such consistency not only provides a clear picture to candidates but also highlights effective collaboration and communication within the interviewing team. It strengthens the overall integrity of the talent acquisition process.

Being respectful and empathetic in feedback is crucial. Recognizing candidates' efforts with a positive tone fosters a compassionate and considerate environment. This approach not only respects the candidates' feelings but also showcases emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills within the interviewing process. Prioritizing empathy in feedback contributes to a positive candidate experience and reflects positively on the overall professionalism of the talent acquisition team.

Encourage regular one-on-one meetings, provide specific and constructive feedback, create a culture that values continuous improvement, and implement peer reviews or 360-degree feedback mechanisms to foster a collaborative environment for discussing technical skills.

If it's been a while since you have been a candidate, get out there and feel the pressure. It helps you stay sharp and keep your level of empathy high for those on the receiving end of an interview.

Being respectful & and empathetic are the keys to providing great feedback. First of all because it's part of the candidate experience (never forget you represent the company, the brand, the values). Also providing feedback in this way will help you to contact in the future the candidate: yes it's not because a candidate failed once that tomorrow it would not be the one that you exactly need for the new role you are searching for.

While constructive feedback is always useful for self development, the feedback session should also contain a candidate's strengths and how they could build on these to get to the point where they would be a competitive candidate for the role. I recommend using the word demonstrate to communicate your feedback. Your resume or your answer did not demonstrate X skill. While you have Y skill which is also important for this role, your resume/ answer did not demonstrate specific details relating to skill X.

As with any part of the selection process, lead with empathy and from a supportive place. When done well feedback can help your employees develop and gain new skills and it can also show that the selection process is transparent and objective. Happy feedback!