It is almost the norm in the HR industry, not to give interviewees feedback after receiving applications or after conducting interviews. While it may not be possible to send feedback to every person who submits an application for a position, it is good practice to send feedback to those who make it to the interview stages. Some HR practitioners are even in the habit of not sending feedback to interviewees after taking them through several interview processes. No one wants to be the bearer of bad news but giving feedback is a step towards giving off a positive employer image. While HR departments are generally busy, it is good practice to send communicate as this is important for your reputation and for the organisation.
Here is why giving feedback should be an integral part of your recruitment process.
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It Leaves a Good Impression of Your Company
Interviewees are also potential clients. On the other hand, you are still in the market looking for talented people every so often and a candidate who has had a good experience is likely to recommend your company to a friend if you happen to have an open position in future. In some instances, an appropriate opportunity may arise for the rejected candidate in future and if your relationship ended on a bad footing, you may find it hard to contact them again or they may reject your offer. A failure to give someone a job offer should not end in burning bridges. A good impression is still a gain for your company so cultivate it by offering feedback to interviewees.
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It is a Show of Respect
An interviewee takes time to submit an application for a job and then attend an interview. All along, the person takes time to be prepared and package themselves as the right candidate. Even if you may not offer the person the job, in the end, it is important to give them feedback as a standard good practice as it shows that you appreciate and respect the fact that they created time to participate in the interview. The reality is that you need the interviewees’ skills and talent while they need the job and the relationships should, therefore, be marked a mutual display of respect and decorum, even if it does not end in a desirable outcome.
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It Gives the Interviewee Closure
Most HR practitioners assume that the interviewee will automatically know that they did not get the job after a long period of silence. However, this could hold the interviewee back as they may turn down another offer or fail to apply for another job as they hold onto the hope of getting the job, you interviewed them for. In most cases, interviewees may feel that the interview went well and be very optimistic, only to have their hopes crushed with a long period of silence. Therefore, make it known and clear to the interviewee at the earliest time possible, if you are not giving them a job offer, so that they can move on.
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It is a Good Way of Letting One Know What They Need to Work on
The standard practice is usually to give a standard response to interviewees often offers no insight on what the person may have gotten wrong. Well, if an interviewee has gone far enough in the interviewing funnel, it would be helpful to make it clear to them on where they went wrong so that they can work on it. This way, you help the person grow and this might be helpful in future if a position becomes available and the person finds the position interesting enough to apply for it. Just like how companies ask their clients for feedback so that they learn how to improve their services, it is also important for interviewees to know what they need to work on so that they can grow.
Giving feedback should be part of your hiring process. While being a bearer of bad news is not the best job in the world, a reputation for a lack of common courtesy is not the best reputation either. Candidates will be glad that you respected their time enough and helped them get closure by giving them feedback after an interview process.
