• Articles
  • May 6, 2018
  • Gareth Morris

Improving the Interview Experience: “I didn’t receive any feedback.”

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In order to improve our overall processes, Evolution recently researched the common themes our candidates provide us with when giving us feedback on interviews they have attended. We send all our candidates short feedback surveys following their interviews, through which they are then able to inform us on any information they see as necessary to make a note of. By analysing over 500 survey responses, the recurring patterns we noticed were particularly interesting; the first of which was, “I didn’t receive any interview feedback.”

As a recruitment business, this is a recurring theme we hear from candidates more often than you can imagine. No matter how much we explain to clients that interview feedback is mandatory for candidates, some businesses occasionally see it as an inconvenience.

As recruiters, this presents us with a problem – we want to provide the best service possible for clients in order to fill their roles with the right people, in a time-efficient way. However, if we are unable to provide our candidates with sufficient, if any, feedback following their interviews, over time this will place both Evolution and our clients in a negative light. Given that IT and tech is such a candidate-short market, we simply can’t afford for this to happen!

What is it about interview feedback that is so important to candidates?

It is difficult to describe the value of providing interview feedback to candidates, as it really is immeasurable. To begin with, there is the moral issue; candidates have to take time off work, research the company and prepare for the interview, not to mention travelling there, either by car or public transport. If the candidate isn’t successful, it is always useful for them to hear some constructive feedback, even if it is brief. Discussing their strengths and weaknesses during the interview process will help them gain some clarity on why they weren’t right the right fit for this particular job, as well as giving them confidence in future interviews.

Furthermore, providing interview feedback will help to promote your company in a positive light. Protecting your brand is vital, and given the current social media age we live in, it is important to understand that people can, and will, write a negative review online about any type of bad experience they have! Reviews of companies and interviews on Glassdoor and LinkedIn are increasingly common, and the last thing you want as a hiring manager is to stop the perfect candidate attending an interview with you because they saw a review online about not receiving any feedback.

Find out more about what candidates want from the interview process

If you are interested in finding out more about the patterns we noticed in our candidate feedback surveys, you can view the full report here

Contact us today.