Candidate feedback - how to get it right

Candidate feedback is a very important part of candidate experience and, if you want to do things right, you must make sure that it is a standard part of your selection process. If candidates are “ghosted”, they are unlikely to engage with the company again - why should they? - and, with the scarcity of talent, this is something no company should think they can afford.?

Why should you invest time in providing feedback?

• You will show respect towards the time and energy a candidate invested in a selection process
• You will help them get better in expressing themselves and understand where their weak points are
• You will get respect from the candidates and they will be more likely to engage with your brand again or recommend you to their network.

You won’t be able to provide feedback to absolutely every candidate, but a good rule to follow is - the further the candidate progresses in a selection process, the more effort you should make to provide feedback.?

You can provide feedback by email or by phone/video call. We would advise to use email at the beginning of the hiring process, when there are many candidates who applied – for example, feedback that the candidate will not be interviewed because the profile is not what you were looking for. Here you can send a generic email to all, or add some details if you see a potential in the candidate and would like to maybe count on them in the future. We recommend you call the candidates if they have already gone through interview(s), since this will provide a more personal touch, and you will give the candidate a chance to ask any question they might have. In this case, you need to prepare well by making notes before the call - this should help with keeping the conversation in the right direction.?

You should be respectful and careful when you provide feedback. If it’s provided properly, and if the candidate is open to hear it, it can do wonders and help candidates grow and do better in future interviews. However, if the feedback is not provided properly, or if the candidate doesn't want to hear it, the effect can be negative. Remember this and if you sense that the candidate is not open to hear it, you don't have to push for it.

When you decide to provide feedback to candidates, you can use advice shared below to make sure that it’s provided in the optimal way:

• Feedback should be constructive. Give examples, be specific, clear and objective when providing it. Base your feedback on the candidate’s answers, make sure you provide examples from their answers/questions. This will help the candidate get better and more confident at interviewing, and it will work for you as it will influence total candidate experience.
• As the candidate did not progress to the following step in the recruitment process, you can advise what the things that should be improved are. Be specific in this case too, and provide examples, based on their answers during the interview.?
• Be direct. Don’t provide vague or misleading feedback. Regardless of the feedback you need to provide, say it clearly and don’t beat around the bush. It might not be easy to provide negative feedback, but the more you delay saying the words, the more confusing and difficult it will be. Remember that most candidates appreciate getting feedback, so even if the information is negative, they will value it.
• When you provide negative feedback, don’t focus only on details that did not go well. After providing the initial information (that the candidate did not move to the following step in the recruitment process), first share what went well during the interview. Be specific here too and provide as many details as you can. Following this, you can share details about things that did not go so well, and you might suggest how the candidate can improve.?
• Share your feedback as soon as possible. During the interview, you can mention that the candidate can expect the feedback in X number of days, to set expectations, but don’t delay this too much. If this deadline is exceeded, send a note to the candidate explaining the reason for this and providing additional information about when they can expect the feedback.
• Do not promise something that is not true. Saying that you will keep the candidate in your database and call them if they are the right fit for some future positions is great, but only if it’s true. If this is not company practice, do not raise false hopes and just do not mention this.
• Do not compare one candidate to another. This can be a major issue, especially if you organized a group interview and a candidate that was rejected had a feeling that they were the best in the group. Even if the candidates were not in a group interview, focus on strengths and weaknesses of the candidate you are sending the feedback to and do not mention any other candidates.
• Finally, ask candidates to provide feedback to you about the recruitment process. Ask them what they liked and didn’t like about the recruitment process, and you might get details about part of the recruitment process that can be improved. This will further help with the overall candidate experience.

Providing feedback is not an easy task, especially when the feedback is negative and many times it can backfire. However, if you do it well, it will add enormous value to the candidate and their impression of you. As difficult as it might be at the beginning, practicing this will make it easier, and it will bring benefits to candidate experience and employer brand, as mentioned earlier.

What is your opinion about providing feedback? Feel free to share your opinion and experience on providing feedback in the comments below.?

Coauthored with Milena Stanic .