You’re busy, you have work priorities to focus on, so why should you take the time to respond to candidates who you have no intention of hiring? What difference will it make to them or to the company anyway? A lot, as it turns out!

Put yourself in their shoes

Job hunting and going for interviews can be a stressful time, even for senior, well experienced candidates. One of the things that makes it worse is the waiting game. More often than not companies don’t even bother to respond to CV submissions or to candidates that may not have been successful. So the candidate is left hanging wondering if their application didn’t get through or if they were simply not good enough. Getting called for an interview is a big step forward, but if the response once again is silence it can knock their confidence even more, not to mention what it contributes to their experience of your company.

It’s the small things that matter

Taking the time to respond, even if it is a rejection, does more for the candidate and the company than simply moving on. If written correctly, feedback can provide candidates something to work with that can help them as they apply for other positions. More importantly, the fact that you took the time to respond and provide interview feedback when hundreds of other companies couldn’t be bothered will stand out. It will make your organization look more professional, empathetic and invested in people.  Even if they were rejected the candidates are more likely to talk about the company in a positive light than if they were to receive no feedback at all.

Hire with the future in mind

Another reason for making sure the candidate experience is positive, even if the person isn’t successful is that industry networks are tight. People talk, they share experiences and word gets around about how they are treated. The candidate may not be suitable for a specific role today, but in 2 years’ time, with additional experience they might be the ideal person for the role. Will they consider your company if they’ve had a poor experience? Not likely, not even if they’re being head hunted.  Similarly they may land a position at a supplier or a client and a poor experience could taint business dealings.

Providing interview feedback is worth the time and effort, don’t shy away from the responsibility.