Providing feedback to unsuccessful job candidates is a crucial but often overlooked part of the recruitment process. When done correctly, it not only helps candidates improve but also strengthens your employer brand and reputation, and can even mitigate legal risks. This guide outlines best practices for giving constructive and professional feedback to job applicants who were not selected.
Why Providing Feedback is Important
Many employers avoid giving feedback to unsuccessful candidates due to time constraints or concerns about potential disputes. However, offering constructive feedback has several benefits:
- It enhances your employer brand – Candidates appreciate constructive feedback and may apply for future roles or recommend your company to others.
- It supports candidate development – Feedback helps individuals understand their strengths and areas for improvement.
- It demonstrates professionalism – A well-handled rejection conversation leaves candidates with a positive impression of your company and how it treats people with respect and professionalism.
- It reduces legal risks – Thoughtful, objective feedback can help prevent claims of unfair treatment or discrimination.
When and How to Provide Feedback
The timing and method of delivering feedback are key to ensuring a positive experience for the candidate. First of all you should consider the delivery method for the feedback. A text or email can be quite impersonal and cold and leaves the unsuccessful candidate with little opportunity to ask questions. If you are short of time and candidates have been told to expect feedback that way then at least it is better than nothing. A phone call or Teams call though is a much better option though as it is more personal and interactive. You should also consider the timing of the feedback. It might be that you communicate the overall decision to the candidate relatively quickly and then agree a conversation within a few days to give more detailed feedback. That way candidates know where they stand and don’t get frustrated. It is important to ensure that the feedback is relevant to the role and does not include subjective opinions or comments that could be misinterpreted.
Structuring Constructive Feedback
When providing feedback, use a structured approach to ensure that it is clear, consistent and constructive.
- Start with a positive note – Thank the candidate for their time and effort in applying and acknowledge any strengths they demonstrated during the process.
- Explain the decision – Provide a brief, factual reason why they were not selected.
- Give specific areas for improvement – Offer constructive feedback on key areas for development. If possible suggest some actions the candidate could take such as training and any helpful resources to aid their development.
- Encourage future applications (if appropriate) – If the candidate was strong but just missed out, let them know they are welcome to apply for future roles.
- End on a professional note – Reiterate your appreciation for their time and wish them success in their job search.
Legal Considerations When Giving Feedback
Employers must be mindful that feedback always remains professional, factual, and legally compliant. Here are some key legal points to keep in mind:
- Avoid discrimination – Feedback must not imply bias based on protected characteristics (e.g. age, gender, race, disability, religion) under the Equality Act 2010.
- Be factual and objective – Avoid making personal judgments or assumptions about a candidate’s abilities.
- Ensure compliance with GDPR – Candidates have the legal right to access any feedback recorded about them. It is essential therefore that all written interview notes are factual and professional.
- Stay consistent – Providing consistent feedback across all candidates helps to demonstrate a fair hiring process and prevents disputes.
Handling Difficult Situations
Not all candidates will respond positively to rejection. It is important therefore to be prepared for a negative response before giving feedback. Make sure that you stick to key points and don’t get drawn in prolonged discussions and debate. If the feedback creates an emotional response then acknowledge the candidate’s feelings, remain calm, and restate your feedback in a professional manner. There may also be occasions when a candidate disputes the decision so refer back to the objective selection criteria and don’t divert from it.
Overall, providing interview feedback to candidates can be a really helpful and impactful part of your recruitment process. By following these steps your feedback should be well received and should also paint a positive and professionalism picture of your business.
Do you have any questions about today’s blog, need help in becoming legally compliant with contracts/policies or can we support you in taking away any people pains to give you peace of mind?
If you answered yes to any of the above, just give us a call at CUBE HR on 01282 678321, or book in a FREE 30 Minute HR Health Check here FREE HR Health Check and we’ll happily give your business a full HR overview with our personal recommendations absolutely FREE!
Why not also check out last weeks blog The Importance of Using a Range of Selection Methods When Recruiting
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos outlining various HR related scenarios.
