Rejection & feedback
A recruitment process is about two parties, the employer and the candidate. Both are as important as one another. Unfortunately not all employers see it this way and in some cases candidates are not treated with the respect they deserve. Not only is this highly demotivating for the candidate, but it also damages the employers employer brand. Our CEO, Erik Falk Hansen, sat down with Talent Sourcer Patricia Riolfo to cover this topic in more detail. She did not only share valuable insight, but, at the end, also shared her best tips for candidates.
How long will you assume an applicant spends on writing an application, including the prep work?
It would depend on the job that the candidate is applying for.
If it’s the dream job I would say a couple of hours, plus ruminating and rewriting, so the process could be days, before sending in a final application.
If it’s one of many jobs that the candidate is applying for it could be a couple of hours and done. I know in my case I invested many hours in my application for my dream job here at AvantGarde Search plus a couple of days ruminating my personal letter so it would be just right.
From the hiring company`s perspective why is it so important to treat all applicants with respect and thus also give them feedback? What could the implications be in terms of the brand for not doing it?
Let’s answer this in two steps.
First, it is always important to treat all people we meet with respect, always!
People are not a means to an end, nor a commodity and this is extra important to remember when you are in a position of influence or power.
Second, within recruitment we find ourselves in a position that opens doors to some people but also closes doors to many others. When closing a door, we must always do it with care and respect. With this said, sometimes the high number of applicants make it impossible to reject every CV with a long-personalized reason to why. Unfortunately, this is the reality of some positions. In these cases, adding a short sentence with the specific reason to why this application has been rejected to a generic rejection mail goes a long way. Better to receive one specific reason than to stand with nothing and feel ghosted.
The implication for a company that does not provide candidates with feedback is that a lot of people leave the process feeling the lack of care and respect the company has had towards them. This ultimately affects the overall perception of a company and its branding. Remember companies reject far more people than they employ so the negative footprint of not taking time rejecting with respect, honoring the time the candidate invested in the process can be huge.
From a candidate`s perspective, why is it so important and useful for them to get feedback, also when they are rejected?
Feedback makes us better and will allow an applicant to correct the things that he/she might be blind to. Is the cover letter to long? Is the application mentioning lots of different experiences that are unrelate to the job it is meant for? Could you add or be more detailed in the responsibility areas under each experience. All personalized feedback is good feedback.
A way for an applicant to receive more information might be to answer the rejection with asking for more specific feedback, this might help in the search for the next position.
Are there modern recruitment systems today that allows for less time spent giving feedback, yet also being able to give individual feedback?
As far as I know there is a couple of recruitment tools that allows for fast systemized feedback, but these mostly use generic mails. For personal feedback time needs to be invested on each application.
With the fast expansion of ChatGPT and AI tools these systems will soon allow for personalized feedback to be sent out with less human labor involved. The questions will then be, will the AI feedback be considered as a sign of effort from the company? and will the feedback be helpful?
Should there be different form of feedback to candidates at interview stage as opposed to application stage, and if so, what more should be done with candidates at interview stage
In the interview stage it’s even more important to reach out individually through a phone conversation or any DM system that allows for a personal and intentional “conversation”. A personalized moment to explain the process and the reason to why the company did the evaluation they did. Also, an instance to thank the candidate for all the time invested and offer additional feedback that they might deem helpful in their path towards their dream job.
As a recruiter, why is it important for you to ensure your candidates get feedback?
The key words are respect and reciprocity, both parties have invested time into a recruitment process the company will eventually find the person they’re looking for and the candidate will, if given feedback, walk away having had a good experience and hopefully helpful feedback. As a recruiter this is extra important because you represent the company and part of the job is to strengthen the company branding in each meeting, every step of the process.
Best tips for applicants:
When you feel you need it, don’t hesitate to ask for direct feedback after a rejection. Be specific in your line of questions that will make it more probable that you receive concrete answers back.
When sending in an application make it specific for the job you are applying for. Do you need to add “that” job you had in the beginning of your career? Does it add to your overall fit or is it just clutter?
When writing a personal letter make it personal and to the point. Generate an elevator pitch about you, your experience and fit for the position. Long generic letters with your life story are more than often not adding value to your application.