The Realities of Post-Interview Feedback
One of the most frustrating parts of the job search for many candidates — especially those early in their career — is the reluctance for recruiters/hiring managers to give detailed and actionable feedback.
I want to give some more context around this from the recruiting side of the equation. The first thing job seekers (and even employees) need to understand is the role of human resources in any organization. The function of HR is to manage and protect an employer from legal repercussions stemming from people (the “human” part of the industry title.) It is a common misconception that HR’s primary responsibility is to help employees. There are several functions within HR that ARE geared at helping employees — benefits administration, education and development, and recruiting (as it relates to internal transfers) — but the role of the HR Generalist or HR Business Partner is very much structured to protect the company. There are aspects to the HR role that definitely are geared for helping employees (such as facilitating promotions/raises), but that is secondary. Recruiting is part of HR, and although most the of role is focused on delivering qualified talent to fill roles, we are also charged with protecting our employer as it relates to the hiring process. This includes how we gather information and assess candidates, managing the interview process, and facilitating the offer process (including any relevant background checks.)
Keeping this in mind, it is important to recognize that the interview process is highly dependent on the personalities involved on both sides of the equation — both the hiring/interview team and the candidate. As a recruiter, my job is to act as a facilitator between the two parties during the entire transaction. As anyone who has ever looked for a job can attest, for the job seeker/candidate, it is a highly emotional process. Excitement and hope when an interesting job comes around, disappointment and even depression if a job does not pan out or after a series of rejections (whether just an email stating “Thank you for your interest but…” or an actual decline after a phone screen or a full interview loop.) But there is also an emotion that comes out after a decline — anger.
I have been yelled at (more than once) and once cursed at when I have delivered a decline after a candidate has interviewed. Every veteran recruiter has at least one or two stories to share dealing with a highly emotional candidate. Many people do not take rejection well, and they generally have selective hearing and focus on specific things.
Job seekers take rejection personally. In most cases it is based on functional lack, but there are some cases where there is truly a reason based on behavior or other factors. There was the candidate that stared at the chest of one of his female interviewers; the candidate that was rude to the receptionist, who just happened to be married to one of their interviewers; the job seeker that pulled his cell phone out to check a text while talking to a Director; the PhD candidate that was rude to the cashier in line at lunch (and their lunch was being paid for by the company interviewing them); or the candidate that told two of her interviewers that the only reason she was looking for a job was because of her divorce after she cheated on her wealthy husband; or the candidate that had such poor personal hygiene that every interviewer was unable to concentrate on the conversations because of the stench of body odor and halitosis. These are just a few examples that have caused job seekers to receive rejections that are not based specifically on their lack of skills.
Most job seekers have some idea that part of the burden of candidate assessment and evaluation includes decreasing bias. This has *always* been part of the recruiting process, and has formed a significant bulk of the processes related to the recruiting/hiring.
Right now in the US, there has been a huge surge in diversity sensitivity, training, and hiring practices. There are MANY lawsuits and legal actions in play across the country against people, companies, governmental departments and representatives relating to bias and discrimination (racial, gender, religion, in addition to age). These are the factors that have generally impacted employer decisions not to provide specific feedback to candidates after an interview decline — the potential for complaints and lawsuits. For myself, I can point to at least one company that I have interviewed with in the past that I believe had a discriminatory practice (and my belief is based on anecdotal evidence from other peers of mine that interviewed for similar jobs at the same time, also due to general issues this employer has faced overall).
You can certainly ask for feedback, but make sure you direct your request for specific skill or experience; tell the recruiter that you understand that you did not make the qualifications, but ask what skills or experience you can work on developing that might make you a stronger candidate in the future. But don’t push; the recruiter is only doing their job.
Last week I volunteered to conduct mock interviews with a group of job seekers that have been getting together to support each other. I received a resume, and spent 30 minutes interviewing one of the members of the group while everyone else was watching, and the session was recorded. After the interview session was over, I answered questions from anyone about why I asked certain questions, whether I was always “that tough” in interviews, and how the person I interviewed could do better. I highly recommend this scenario to anyone looking. Recruiters and hiring managers often will donate their time to help job seekers with the necessary skills needed to learn (I also volunteer for the Free Resume Review group on Facebook). You can also hire a career coach to help you if you need help focusing on your interpersonal skills.
I know this information doesn’t make it any easier for job seekers, I only hope to provide some context around what is one of the most common frustrations in the process.
