Some Secrets Behind Recruitment Feedback
I’m seeing lately a lot of posts in my social network feeds on the lack of feedback to
candidates after an interview, or even worse, feedback that is not
constructive. Here are my thoughts on this:
Recruiters don’t always provide clear or relevant feedback, and there are
usually reasons for that. Often, the real factors simply can’t be disclosed: an
internal candidate was already favoured, a referral appeared late in the
process, budgets shifted, or the role quietly changed direction.
There are also cases where the interviewer doesn't have the experience to give
meaningful feedback. When a candidate’s expertise is far above that of the
person assessing them, the feedback the candidate receives can be vague,
generic, or completely off target!
And sometimes, the deciding factor has nothing to do with technical skills.
Another candidate may have excelled in communication, adaptability, or team
dynamics: soft skills that can outweigh strong technical performance,
especially in senior roles or roles that require working with multiple
stakeholders internally and externally.
So, when feedback is missing, vague, or irrelevant, it’s not necessarily a
reflection of your ability or your age. Hiring decisions are influenced by many
variables behind the scenes, and not all of them are shared with candidates.
There is no point in insisting, you may probably never know the real reason.
Unless your best friend got the job and explained to you why!
Just keep moving forward!
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