It is a mistake to think that feedback should be given only in case of refusal to the applicant. If you call or write to the candidate between the stages of the interview and tell him what impression he made, you will let him know that he is not one of many for you - you remember him and are probably interested in his person. This will give him confidence in the next stage and help him to better open up as a specialist. And no matter what happens next, the memories of the process of finding a job with you will remain rather positive for him.
So when should you give feedback to candidates? For me, the answer is unambiguous - always. But especially if:
for a company and a personally hiring manager or HR specialist, reputation is not an empty phrase;
people are important to you and you don't want to destroy the candidate's self-esteem;
you value the time of applicants and are sure that in exchange for the hours spent, they should receive information useful for their future professional development.
In large companies, the task of giving feedback falls, as a rule, on the HR department - its specialists know how and what to do. In medium and small businesses, the selection mission often falls directly on the head of the department. How to give a simple feedback without spending a lot of time and effort on it, but getting a “plus in karma”?
Simple feedback with a plus sign
Situation: you interviewed a candidate and you liked him more than not. The next step for him will be a test task - and you want him to demonstrate everything he is capable of in it.
We give inspiring feedback. To do this, you don’t even have to specifically call or write: when sending a test to a candidate, accompany it with a few sentences with a high assessment of the past interview. Mark what exactly you liked: confidence, sincerity, sharp mind, great experience, creative approach, compliance with the corporate spirit of your company, and so on. Spend a little time, but write not on-duty words, but indicate exactly those strengths of the applicant that seemed important to you. Well, do not forget about the test task itself.
If the position for which the candidate is applying does not involve completing a test task, accompany the invitation to the next interview with inspiring feedback.
Simple negative feedback
Situation: You have made the decision to reject a candidate.
We give accurate feedback: refusal is fraught with controversial situations, and in the worst cases, litigation risks. Therefore, in most cases, the true reasons for the refusal are not voiced to candidates. However, at least it is worth informing the candidate about the results so that the person does not waste time and focuses on looking for another vacancy.
How to do it:
it is easier to communicate negative news in writing, but if you have the resources for a telephone conversation with an unsuitable candidate, this will show a high level of your empathy and professionalism - it is difficult to convey the emotional component in writing, the text always looks formal;
in any case: feedback is given on behalf of the company, not in the first person;
we report at least about soft skills and only positive: a subjective assessment of the candidate’s personality is fraught with misunderstandings and resentment;
we talk maximum about hard skills;
we use the “sandwich principle”: strong side / growth zone / strong side;
we give only facts, not value judgments;
we avoid “educating” turns of speech: “I recommend you next time ...”, “in your place ...”;
we use correct, maximally clear and transparent formulations;
upload with a positive, motivating note,
for example:
"Anna, hello!
We must admit that we were very lucky this time with the Game Artist vacancy - many talented candidates responded to it, and you are one of them.
Our team, and in particular the Art Director, highly appreciated your skills in designing the characters for the game. I was especially impressed with how well you managed to adapt the character of the monster to the style of play.
Our technical expert noted the insufficient level of Unity for our company, but at the same time highly appreciated the level of 3D Max and Photoshop.
We really liked your activity at the interview and how you found a common language with the team.
However, I have to inform you that we have decided to fill the vacancy with an internal candidate.
We don't want to miss a specialist like you. Would you mind if we save your details in our database for future vacancies?
Sincerely, ..."
The main thing is to give feedback as soon as this or that decision is made - to interview the candidate further or to refuse him. A few days after the interview or passing the test, your feedback may turn out to be irrelevant - without receiving a response from the employer immediately, the candidate is quite capable of choosing another company during this time.