The job market is very fluid at the moment with people and businesses shifting in different directions, and gaining very experienced top-tier employees can be a task in this climate. Recruitment can be a really busy place to be, but it is important for us to always look at and practice good recruitment ethics. Implementing these in our working practices no matter if they do take us a bit longer to achieve is a great investment for the long term. What you give out will always eventually reflect back on your company.
One good practice that we are writing about today is supplying interview feedback to unsuccessful candidates. This in the past has been problematic for businesses and employees, with many working professionals before the pandemic believing things should be improved. In fact, 3 years ago an article by Charlie Taylor undertaken for the Debut Guide to Interview Etiquette revealed that 77% of 18-23 year old’s think it should be a legal requirement for employees to provide feedback after a face-to-face interview. The student and graduate careers app Debut, have in the past targeted this problematic procedure and have campaigned for more feedback. Since this article, we have seen things improve, and we at Prestige have always advised our clients to implement feedback as a best practice in business recruitment procedures. Yes, as a company it does take a bit more time, but with a lot of people coming onto the job market at the moment, it can give interviewees the essential feedback they may need to move forward with their career. It also can give businesses a great reputation for employee-focused company culture. We as a recruiter understand the importance of feedback for both clients and candidates and with this in mind, we have compiled a list of five reasons why you should offer feedback to unsuccessful candidates.
1) Feedback Can Offer Great Recruitment PR
The more positive an individual’s experience is with a company, the more positive their review is likely to be. Websites such as Glassdoor allow you to leave reviews of your interview process, which can show other potential employees how to prepare. If a candidate has had a negative experience with your company, they can leave a bad review, which can affect the company’s reputation. As well as this, word of mouth is a great marketing tool. Even if a candidate doesn’t take the time to write a review on a website, they may still be asked by friends about their interview experience at your company. If your company has taken the time to be transparent and honest during the interview process, they are likely to say positive things. This may attract other candidates to want to work for your company, meaning you are attractive to a wider audience of individuals.
2) Future Customers - Future Clients
When an individual applies for a job, they are a potential candidate for a vacancy. Beyond that, they are also a potential consumer. When a candidate prepares for a job interview, they research your company, products and services. While doing this research, they may like what they see and want to use your company themselves. If after the interview, things are left on bad footing and you don’t supply feedback, they are less likely to want to use your company for their own personal needs and less likely to recommend you to friends.
Candidates may also be potential clients. You never know whether one day your company may want to work with another business – which now happens to be run by a candidate you rejected many years ago. If this candidate has had a negative experience due to lack of feedback and communication, they are unlikely to want to work with your company.
3) A Great Way to Say Thank You
When an individual has an interview with a company, they are likely to spend time and effort preparing for their job interview. Whether that is researching the company or preparing answers for potential questions (or reading our other blogposts), it all takes time! A candidate may also have to take time off from their current job and spend money getting to the interview location. By giving feedback to a candidate after they have invested money, time and effort into your company, it shows that your company is prepared to mirror this and invest in every person, regardless if they get the job. It makes candidates feel like they haven’t wasted their time, which increases satisfaction.
4) It’s Not as Time Consuming as You Think
By supplying feedback to candidates, you are investing time into them – but it’s not actually as time-consuming as you think. Often during an interview, the interviewer will be making notes on the candidate’s responses and the interview process. If you outline these notes back to a candidate constructively, it supplies the candidate with what they really want without having to waste a substantial amount of time or resource.
5) It’s the Nice Thing to Do
Many candidates will not hear back from an employer, which can often affect their confidence and chances with other jobs interviews. By supplying feedback and responses to unsuccessful candidates, you are giving them closure in a positive way. Although they may not be a great fit for this specific role, if you supply feedback, the candidate may be able to work on their weaknesses, so something good can still come from their rejection. Supplying feedback to a candidate is the best thing to do as it gives them something substantial to take away from the whole interview experience.
Conclusion
Interview feedback really is a win-win for the long term goal of good company culture. As a business it’s important to us to deliver regular communication and feedback to both client and candidates, we have built our reputation on this. People really appreciate having fast concise feedback to work with. In these times of the pandemic, where a lot of people may be changing career paths and leaving long term posts for new horizons, this feedback could really help them know if they are on the right path or not. All in all, it is a great thing to do to help in this strange situation we all find ourselves in at the moment.