The Power of Candidate Feedback
Offering feedback to candidates – whether they are offered the job or not – is important to both applicant and the employer. So, what are the benefits of candidate feedback?
“We always ask clients for feedback about the candidates we have provided – for the successful applicant and also the people who weren’t successful this time,” says Liz Felstead of independent recruitment agency Essential Results. “It helps us to find the right people for future positions, plus we like to offer constructive feedback to our candidates, helping them with their next opportunity.”
3 Business Benefits for Candidate Feedback
Realistically, feedback need only take 15 minutes to prepare. Yet 80% of candidates attending interview receive no feedback if their application isn’t successful. (Source: Debut research). However providing this feedback offers distinct advantages to organisations:
- It builds a relationship with close match candidates who can be considered for future vacancies.
- It enhances your reputation as an employer, which is directly linked to the quality of applicants attracted to your vacancies. Plus, candidates rejected without explanation can be quick to share their experiences of your company on social media.
- In markets where good candidates can be hard to find, a better candidate experience will encourage further interest in subsequent vacancies.
4 Reasons Candidates Should Request Feedback
Most employers are keen to recruit someone who is enthusiastic to learn. Asking for interview feedback is your chance to demonstrate this attribute and to gain these four advantages:
- Enhanced job hunting – understanding why you didn’t quite make it this time will help you to look for more suitable roles.
- Better interview skills – feedback about your interview will give you an opportunity to enhance your skills and grow your confidence for your next interview.
- Same employer, different role – you may not have been successful this time; however the employer may have other roles available, now or in the future. Demonstrating your commitment to learn and succeed by asking for feedback may encourage the employer to consider you for other opportunities.
- Learn and grow – as a person and a candidate. Asking for feedback can feel uncomfortable however the opportunity it offers is worth it. ”Be brave!” says Liz. “If you ask for feedback you will receive valuable information which you can learn from to increase your chances of success at your next interview.”
At Essential Results we collect feedback for all of our candidates. This helps us to best possible applicants for our clients as well as helping our candidates to have an even greater chance of securing their next job. To find out more, contact us for an informal discussion.