When it comes to job interviews, one aspect can often be overlooked but one I feel is crucial, is the post-interview feedback. It is a missed opportunity to better connect the employer and the prospective employee, whether or not it’s a successful meeting. It encourages transparency, professional growth, positive company culture, and improved hiring practices. 

Let’s explore the significance of providing post-interview feedback from both an employer and prospective employee perspective and highlight its impacts and benefits. 

The Employer's Perspective:

• Enhancing Candidate Experience: The interview process is a two-way street and is a chance for both parties to learn about each other and the opportunities available. Providing constructive feedback to candidates, whether they were successful or not, demonstrates respect for their time and effort. Doing this creates a positive candidate experience that can significantly impact your employer brand and improve your “word of mouth” among other potential or future candidates as a result.  

   

• Building a Positive Reputation: In today's interconnected world, word-of-mouth is important. Companies that offer valuable post-interview feedback are likely to earn a reputation as employers who genuinely care about their candidates' growth and development. This positive reputation can attract top talent and boost the company's standing in the industry.  

• Promoting Professional Growth: Feedback isn't just about the job interview; it's about continuous improvement and giving back to the industry. Providing constructive feedback helps candidates understand their strengths and any areas for development. By providing this, it benefits the entire industry by fostering a workforce that constantly strives to progress.  

The Prospective Employee's Perspective: 

• Learning and Self-Improvement: Constructive feedback provides candidates with a gauge of how one prospective employer may view their experience, reflecting any strengths and weaknesses from their perspective. It allows candidates to gain insights into their performance, understand what went well, and identify areas that need to be worked on. Although this information is subjective, candidates can adjust any future interviews based on this feedback, particularly what they need to define their skills and ability further. 

• Boosts Confidence: Even when unsuccessful, receiving feedback signals that the interview was taken seriously, and that the effort was acknowledged. This can boost a candidate's confidence and morale, motivating them to keep developing in their job search armed with feedback that may assist in providing new opportunities for them. 

• Refining Career Paths: Specific feedback can help candidates to understand and define their career aspirations more clearly. This insight may lead them to think about different roles, industries, or skill sets. This could also help them to make better and more informed decisions about their professional journey and potentially become someone suitable in the future. 

The Broader Implications:

• Elevating Hiring Practices: Regularly providing and receiving post-interview feedback encourages employers to reflect on their own interview processes. It helps them to consider whether their questions are aligned with the company and job's requirements, whether their evaluation processes are fair, and if their communication is clear and effective. 

• Cultivating a Culture of Communication: Giving and receiving feedback as a standard practice encourages open communication between employers and candidates. This culture of transparency not only benefits the interview process but can permeate other aspects of the working relationship, leading to healthier workplace dynamics and positive interactions. 

When I recently conducted a poll on LinkedIn asking if my connections who have interviewed for a job received feedback, 56% of individuals reported not receiving any at all and 33% only sometimes. This gap is a definite opportunity for improvement. From both the employer and prospective employee perspectives, post-interview feedback serves as a vital connection for growth, understanding, development and positive network connection. By understanding its significance, organisations can improve their hiring processes, build positive reputations, and foster an environment of continuous improvement. Candidates can also leverage feedback to learn, grow, and navigate their career paths more effectively.   

In a landscape where engaging talent is an asset, providing post-interview feedback is not just a choice; it's an essential step towards a more positive outcome for both employers and potential employees.

About Simone Storey

Simone is an experienced Recruitment Consultant who specialises in recruiting intermediate through to management-level consultancy engineers, particularly in the structural, and civil sectors. These particular sectors provide unique recruitment challenges, something with which she is very familiar.

Her background also brings a results-oriented and people-focused perspective, along with a solid understanding of the needs of both employer and employee. Simone has a focus on building these relationships to add value for both candidate and employer alike, for her recruitment is not merely a transaction.