Post Job Interview Feedback Or, don’t let a good opportunity go to waste

Many organizations in the Jewish community have made the determination that offering feedback is not a part of their hiring process. Let’s unpack why this might be, and how organizations might decide to offer feedback. 

Risks and Rewards

Certainly there are particular risks and rewards in offering feedback to candidates who are not being hired as a part of a hiring process. Let’s unpack them and consider how we might operate in the balance. 

First, let’s think about the risks. And perhaps we’ll consider if the risks are actually risks, or whether we might think of them as also as potential rewards. In the balance, offering post-interview feedback always runs the risk of reputational damage if it is not managed or navigated in ways that are respectful, kind and thoughtful. This must be carefully considered, both by the person who will be offering the feedback and about the person who will be receiving it. But if it is offered in ways that are compassionate and kind, offered with a growth mindset, it can be an opportunity for learning and thus, confer reputational reward. Everyone will know that your organization believes in sharing useful feedback and helping candidates improve their prospective candidacy, regardless of their future with the organization. And on a personal level, giving feedback is hard, but when we do it, we know that others grow from that feedback, so we do it–and we get better when we do.

Engaging in an internal process around risk and reward is not a solitary process, even if and when you work in a tiny organization. There’s a balance between focusing on internal processes and allowing a good opportunity to go to waste, and also the chance to operate as a learning organization. In some cases, feedback is not an organizational priority, and this will show up in the hiring process as well Regardless, it is vital to consider how this fits in, how it may reflect on your work overall, and how this shows up in your relationships with your candidates for the position.

Establishing criteria for feedback

Giving feedback is important. And at the same time, if you are engaged in a hiring process that nets 1000 resumes, you likely cannot afford the time that it might take to offer feedback to each and every prospective hire about why they are not making it to the next round. Establishing effective criteria for giving feedback is an important first step to making sure that feedback is useful both to you and to the candidates who will receive that feedback. When offering feedback during a hiring process, consider establishing clear, unambiguous criteria by defining the most important skills and experience a successful candidate should have for the position. Create those criteria by reviewing the job description before the interview process begins. Then, determine the categories for which you are willing to offer feedback. We cannot give feedback to all applicants, so we may only choose to give feedback to some, but we must create some kind of criteria around how we decide. You may choose to offer feedback only to those who receive an interview, or to those who make it to a round 2. You may choose to offer feedback only in writing vs. only by phone or Zoom. You may choose to offer feedback only to those who request. You may also choose to offer it only within a specific and limited amount of time (for example, within a two week window), so that it doesn’t end up being a burden on your schedule or process. By establishing clear criteria, employers can draw parameters around offering feedback that clarify a process and simplify it.