Why give feedback to candidates in the selection process

One of the anxieties of professionals in relation to job search is the lack of information. The lack of feedback for candidates makes them feel that they have fallen into limbo and that they will never know whether or not they have moved on to the next phase of the selection process.

THE Global Talent Trends study, developed annually by LinkedIn, points out that 94% of candidates would like to receive feedback on their interviews, but that only 41% of them have already had some kind of feedback.

In addition to curing the curiosity of professionals looking for a job, feedback also influences the way in which the company is seen as an employer brand and by the market.

Importance of feedback for candidates

After all, what is the importance of feedback in selection processes for candidates who are not of interest to the company at that time?

Locate the candidate

Giving feedback, even if negative, already puts an end to feelings that a silent selective process causes, such as anguish and anxiety.

Making it clear to candidates what their results in the process also shows the human positioning that the R&S team has.

Still in the same Global Talent Trends survey, candidates pointed out that one of their main pains is not having any news about the process. The question is: since they do not know how they did or simply passed or not, how can they develop and improve for future interviews?

Nourishing the employer brand

Giving such a return, the candidate’s perception of the company tends to be based on trust. If the company was careful to respond to those who did not pass in its process, it must take the same care in dealing with its employees.

Feeding this type of bond, the company strengthens its employer brand not only with them, but also with the market.

In fact, a chain can be created – the candidate tells his good experience to a friend, who speaks to another, who tells to another and so on. This good impression planted reverberates to so many other people who are also potential future collaborators.

Leave the door open

It is not because at that moment the candidates were hired for a particular vacancy that the relationship between them and your company is over.

With all the care for a healthy return, the door is open to both sides: both for them to participate in other selection processes and for the company to activate them at a more opportune time.

The Global Talent Trends 2015 also pointed out that when there is constructive feedback for the unsuccessful candidate, the chances of him considering his company as an employer in the future increase fourfold.

Success case

This happened to Marcos Comar, who now works for the company support team at VAGAS.

Marcos participated in his first selection process at the company in April 2019. It took 4 phases to reach the last one and receive feedback, by email, that he had been in 2nd place, but that the company’s doors remained open for another opportunity.

Having come so close to hiring, the then candidate asked for more detailed feedback for the R&S team. It didn’t take long before they contacted him by phone and explained the reason for the decision not to hire him.

“I received super-explanatory and detailed feedback. So, I was able to understand what my points of attention and improvement were ”, he recalls.

He continues: “This was important to me, because I didn’t feel lost in the selection process and I didn’t even understand why I didn’t hire. Furthermore, I really felt that my relationship with VAGAS was not over ”.

Six months later, Marcos received another call from VAGAS ‘R&S team, asking him to join the process for the same vacancy he had applied for in April.

“They explained to me that the only step in the new process would be the conversation with the team member that I didn’t know yet. So, I wouldn’t have to go through all the stages again, ”he says.

A few days later, Marcos received confirmation that the vacancy was his.

If the company was not careful to give the appropriate feedback to Marcos, surely the relationship between them would not be trustworthy and he might not feel comfortable returning to the new interview.

In addition, the company could also be embarrassed to contact someone it has previously left unanswered.

How to apply feedback to candidates

How to apply feedback to several people in a busy day and busy with other tasks? Is it possible to give feedback to each participant in each selection process in a practical and thoughtful way? The answer to these questions is yes!

With ATS platforms, recruiters have several functions that optimize the performance of routine R&S tasks. One is, precisely, sending feedback to candidates en masse.

Recruiters and managers, within the tool itself, select candidates who have not passed the stage in question and send a message to everyone. The candidate receives the answer both in the email box and on the service page of the recruitment website.

The same applies to positive feedbacks. Recruiters can send a message to all candidates who have moved on to the next stage, giving information on how the selection process will go, for example.

Time optimization

Imagine a selection process with more than a thousand applications and an open position. How would it be feasible to notify all candidates who did not pass without committing much of an employee’s time?

One of the immediate benefits of the function found in the ATS tool is the optimization of time.

Thus, recruiters do not fail to give an answer to those who have shown interest in the vacancy. At the same time, they manage to channel time and energy into other activities.

Transparent process

When communicating candidates of the vacancy status, your company implements a much more transparent selection process.

Strengthened company image

Remember that if the R&S team is the bridge between candidate and company and the candidate is the bridge between company and market.

When measures are taken taking into account the candidate’s well-being, it certainly spills over into the market.

Being able to count on platforms that optimize your team’s processes and that serve candidates with excellence, your company also positions itself as a potential highlight.

Do you want to know more about good practices in HR? Then see how to set up a talent bank.