As a recruiter, I am passionate about helping candidates merge their talent and skills to find a fulfilling career path. Whether I am able to directly place the candidate with a client or if the candidate finds their next employment opportunity elsewhere, I enjoy helping them to reach their career potential by providing immediate interview feedback.
When applicable, I ask my candidates if they are open to feedback at the end of the interview. Often times, they are pleasantly surprised by my question, because all too often candidates do not receive feedback to assist them with their search, which causes them to perpetuate their interviewing mistakes.
After the candidate’s initial shock wears off and they answer in the affirmative, I proceed with providing feedback in a positive and empathetic manner.
Here is the general structure I recommend you follow when giving constructive feedback:
- Express gratitude to the candidate for the time and effort that they took to meet with you.
- Emphasize the positive aspects of what you learned during the interview and provide a genuine compliment regarding their work experience, academic background, and/or demeanor.
- Provide direct, motivational, and actionable feedback to assist the candidate with their job search. For instance, provide a suggestion to a candidate about how they can strengthen the way that they answer a particular question or request for them to dive deeper into addressing an issue that could be perceived as a red flag by a hiring manager.
- Provide additional space for the candidate to ask any lingering questions. Make sure to answer their questions/concerns with sincerity to minimize the stress that comes with looking for and securing a meaningful career opportunity.
- Let them know about potential next steps in the hiring process or mention they may not be the right fit for any of the current vacancies. It’s better to be direct about this than to have a candidate waiting on your call when you do not have any immediate opportunities for them.
- Provide the candidate with your contact information so they can follow up with you if they would like you to review any of the changes that you suggested to their professional profile – whether it is information on their LinkedIn page, or their resume.
- Encourage the candidate to reach out to you if they have any questions in the future and be sure to let them know you will reach out to them if you hear of anything that may fit their background and interests.
- Lastly, wish the candidate well with their future endeavors and make sure to end the conversation on a positive note.
Giving a candidate immediate constructive feedback is equally beneficial for me as the recruiter as it is for the candidate, because it clears the ambiguity with regards to their interview performance and gives them the opportunity to address any lingering questions that I might have had.
It’s a part of the reason why I love recruiting and I am able to sustain relationships with my candidates, whether they secure a position with me or not.
