Providing Applicant
Feedback
Once applications have been shortlisted and the
selected candidates have been invited to interview the next step is to inform
unsuccessful candidates that their applications will not be progressed.
Unsuccessful applicants can challenge the basis for
their applications being rejected. Only objective
criteria should be used to assess the applications using job related criterion
which clearly demonstrates why certain individuals were not shortlisted.
It is good practice to provide feedback to
candidates and there are benefits to doing so, however there is no legal
obligation to tell an applicant why they have been rejected for a role. It is
good practice to provide honest and constructive feedback to candidates. Any
information may be sought informally or retrieved via the questionnaire
procedure provided for under the Equality Act 2010.
The Importance of
Providing Feedback
It is important for businesses to evaluate their
recruitment process, both for the successful and unsuccessful candidates.
Candidates may go ‘the extra mile’ to participate in the process, such as
taking annual leave to attend an interview and also incurring travel costs, but
ultimately end up being unsuccessful. A professional and courteous approach can
enhance the reputation as an employer. In many cases providing valuable
feedback will be seen as a return on the time invested by the candidate. There
are clear business advantages to provide feedback, it is not only a good PR
opportunity but also objectively justifying a decision to not appoint someone reduces
the risk that decisions will be challenged.
The value in the feedback comes from the
individual’s own ideas about how they are perceived and how they are actually
perceived in an interview and closing the gap between the two. One of the key
aspects of the feedback is providing a detailed assessment of the candidates
performance, drawing on any notes and records from the selection process.
Feedback
should be provided as soon as reasonably possible while the process is still
fresh in everyone’s mind, keeping candidates waiting should be avoided.
Content
The feedback itself should be constructive,
objective and balanced. Praise is just as important as constructive criticism
as it enforces good behaviours. It is important to establish what quantifies as
helpful feedback and what doesn’t, for example ‘when people were talking to
you, you interrupted several times, which gave the impression that you weren’t
listening’, is constructive feedback, whilst on the other hand ‘ you were rude
and did not listen to others’ does not explain things adequately.
In some cases, the applicant may have met all of
the essential criteria for the role and could have been appointed, but another
applicant had more relevant strengths or experience. In these circumstances it
is suitable to explain that ‘although you did meet the essential criteria for
the post, on this occasion another applicant demonstrated a higher level of
skills/knowledge/experience than was required’. In these situations it is best
to be open and transparent and detail the reasons why they were not offered the
role.
Following the feedback, always finish by thanking
an applicant for their interest in the role and that being unsuccessful on this
occasion should not deter them from applying for other suitable positions that
may arise.
Feedback should:
· Be
related directly to the selection criteria, and in what aspects the candidate
did not match it.
· Include
supporting information – if the candidate has provided statements without any
supporting evidence to back this up then you may want to highlight this to
them.
· Be
specific rather than general –provide examples – only use evidence gathered
during the selection process (application form/interviews answers)
· Be
focused on the behaviours which the applicant can actively improve on.
· Be
focussed and clear about the main reasons for non selection
· Ensure
the applicant understands the feedback by asking questions.
· Be
sensitively delivered – pick out strengths and areas for development,
alternating between points so you are not focusing on delivering just negative
news for too long.
· Be
backed up by the selection records such as the sifting matrix and interview
records.
How to contact
It's never easy breaking the news to a candidate
that they haven’t been successful but the aim is to make the process as
constructive as possible. Wherever possible, direct feedback over the phone
should be provided. This reinforces the personable nature of the business and
that all candidates are treated equally. Other methods can be email, or post.
The application stage is the most appropriate for notifying candidates via
email as you may have a high volume of interested candidates and individually
replying to all of them is time consuming and inefficient.
However, those that have attended interviews should
receive more detailed feedback wherever possible, and notifying via a mass
email can be seen as being impersonal and discourteous. Sometimes you may need
to use email or a letter to notify candidates that have not reached the
interview stage in the interest of efficiency. At the very least be sure to
reference the person by their name and it is also good practice to offer a
contact number so they are able to contact you to obtain feedback
Candidates tend to
prefer to be notified or given feedback through a phone call as this will give
them the opportunity to ask questions and it will feel much more personal and
helpful from the candidate’s point of view.
