“I didn’t get the job”, my heart sank and “I don’t know why” my heart sank even further.  Momentarily I’m uncertain whether I’m more disappointed about the first or the second phrase of the conversation.  It was time to grab a cuppa and listen.  My client was hugely disappointed; so much preparation and encouragement from peers meant that she was well-versed in the likely style of the interview, even example questions.  The competition was tough, yet she remained positive throughout.  We’d practised showing strengths and understanding personal development needs as well as answering questions and asking questions.

Her ambition was the driving force, although she was not prepared for the feedback, which was all about the successful candidate.  Hearing about another person’s strengths is not constructive feedback.  It’s unhelpful, like telling a candidate with no baking experience that’s why they didn’t get the housekeeper role, even though that was obvious when you shortlisted them for interview.  Read more about this in The Horns of a Dilemma, my story from March 2019.

Both are examples of not acknowledging a candidate’s investment and inclination towards your business.  It’s not just about their time.  They’re invested in your business purpose as much as their own performance.  In this example, my client has learned more about how the organisation behaves and its values, rather than her own learning needs or objectives.  She’s resilient and she’s already making plans, although without meaningful feedback about her performance, her enthusiasm for promotion may wane temporarily.

I mastered the art of feedback in my early career, although several years recruiting for a business start-up with a feedback metric to help build the service brand, enhanced my technique no end (up to eight interviews a day, four days a week and assessment days for senior colleagues).  Candidates were our customers and we wanted to take them on the journey with us.  Well-designed roles, realistic personal profiles and relevant interview questions all contributed to making feedback sessions a positive experience.  At least three behavioural strengths and three learning opportunities discussed with every candidate (internal and external) irrespective of interview outcome.

Internal talent pools are critical to future business success, so it’s not a great idea to take internal candidates for granted.  They deserve a feedback conversation and an opportunity to discuss their learning needs.  In my experience internal candidates bounce back, although all too often as their confidence rebuilds their inclination is to bounce out to another organisation, where their strengths as well as learning needs are acknowledged.  And if you treat external candidates shabbily, they won’t stick around for long either.  It seems that as virtual interviews have gained in popularity, some common courtesies have waned.

Telephone or video interviews were around before the pandemic, although requirements to work from home have accelerated the need for remote interviews and assessments.  Video etiquette works both ways.  Candidates and interviewers need to set out their rules of engagement.  I accept that signal quality isn’t easy to control, although there are plenty of things we can.  I recommend joining an interview or job-related meeting with your camera switched on.  It helps to build rapport and it’s a simple example of good manners.

Whether you’re the candidate or the interviewer, remember to prepare your camera-ready space and test the technology, so that you begin your interview on a positive note.  Being on time is critical especially if you are the organiser.  There’s nothing worse than leaving a candidate to look at themselves and wonder what to do next!

All candidates deserve a fair and enjoyable opportunity to tell you about themselves – their strengths, their ambitions and their values.  And they deserve constructive and prompt feedback after interview because Feedback Matters to them.  Here’s to creating well organised, inspirational and positive interview experiences for candidates in 2022.  Remember to get in touch if I can help you with your recruitment challenges.  Let’s talk.