Feedback matters

It’s a hornets’ nest but after so many years of promoting feedback, I’ve made this decision to keep the conversation going. I still don’t believe that there’s a “one-size” solution to the challenges.  Done well it’s time-consuming for your business and beneficial to your candidates and colleagues.

Your business brand is critical – it’s about how you are perceived and what you want to say.  If you want people to love your brand, then you need to treat them with respect.  They invest time in your selection processes and you acknowledge their contribution with helpful feedback on performance.  Surely that’s how it should work, right?

Resource pressures often destroy this ideal and there isn’t time to have a detailed conversation with everyone who asks.  I applaud businesses which recognise it’s about “give and take” – the ones which encourage their managers to make objective recruitment (and performance) decisions.  And I admire individuals who use feedback to good effect.

I began writing this piece with recruitment in mind although the principles I’m suggesting work well in most feedback situations:

• Be open, honest and upfront about selection (or performance) criteria

• Provide timely feedback which avoids candidates filling the void

• Be objective, keep feedback factual and back up with examples

• Demonstrate compassion without losing clarity

• Put candidates (not their competitors) at the heart of their feedback

• Balance the positives and the negatives (conclude with a positive)

• Focus on the aspects which candidates can use to improve performance

• Manage expectations – how long you’ve got, what you’ll cover