Giving interview feedback has long been one of the weakest chinks in the recruitment process for many employers. In today’s crowded job market, it can be an even greater struggle to relay back to volumes of candidates. But it’s the organisations that are giving back who are impressing the top talent, and instilling confidence in the quality of their HR function.
HR job seekers are in the unique position of being able to judge the quality, culture and capabilities of an HR function across every step of the recruitment process. From the outset – be it the quality of the job brief, the skill of the interviewer or the depth of feedback – they are able to form an opinion of how competent the department that might employ them truly is. And so, it is never more important to get the interview process right than when recruiting HR staff.
The recruitment process is the ideal platform to showcase the HR function’s capabilities
Despite this, HR job seekers continue to receive very little interview feedback, damaging their perception of the organisation’s employer brand. In some cases this is leading to organisations losing out on shortlisted candidates as they retract their application or pursue more favourable employers.
The recruitment process is the ideal platform to showcase the HR function’s capabilities, and astute employers are using it as a selling point in itself to stand out from other recruiters. Organisations committed to feeding back to individuals, whether or not they progress to the next stage of interviewing, are impressing job seekers the most and snatching the best talent.
Job seekers keen to receive feedback should ask about next steps at interview and confirm what level of feedback they can expect, if any. If you are an employer, consider giving feedback to all applicants as a minimum standard, and download a free copy of Employer branding essentials – a Badenoch & Clark guide, for invaluable advice on protecting your employer brand.
2 Comments
I think Agencies should also be looking at how they handle applications. In fact the lack of support by many agencies immediately stops me applying for roles that they are advertising.
The worst case (and it happens frequently) is when I forward my CV and within hours I receive a standard response stating “after careful consideration……). Yet when I send my CV direct to the employer concerned I usually get an interview.
Whether you’re applying for a job, renewing your car insurance or checking your phone credits, automated responses can be irritating if they’re not backed up by real customer service. Even the most customer-centric processes might let you down on rare occasions, and these are situations every conscientious business dreads.
If your job search is proving frustrating, speak to your recruitment consultant. Even if they haven’t yet received any feedback from the employer on a specific application or interview for you to discuss, your consultant will be able to advise you on the market, your career options and new suitable vacancies as they arise.