Interview Feedback: The Key to Improving Your Hiring Process

In the 21st century world of hiring, interview feedback often gets overshadowed by more immediate concerns like making the right hire or meeting project deadlines. 

But here's the thing—whether you're a recruiter, a hiring manager, or part of a hiring committee, interview feedback can make or break your process. 

It's not just a post-interview formality; it's a powerful tool for improving hiring decisions, candidate experience, and even your company's reputation. So, what exactly is interview feedback, and how can you use it effectively? Let’s dive into the details.

What is Interview Feedback?

At its core, interview feedback is the evaluation of a candidate’s performance during the interview process. It typically involves noting strengths, areas for improvement, and whether the individual aligns with the company’s values and the role's requirements. The feedback serves two purposes:

• Internal reflection – helping the company decide if the candidate is the right fit.
• Candidate communication – providing constructive insights that can help the candidate improve.

Want to see how the right feedback can transform your interview approach? Book your mock interview today and gain actionable feedback that can make all the difference!

How Do You Provide Interview Feedback?

Giving interview feedback is not as easy as saying, “You didn’t get the job because you lacked technical skills.” It's about offering actionable insights that benefit both the candidate and your hiring process.

Here’s how to provide interview feedback that hits the mark:

• Be specific: Vague comments like "you're not a good fit" or "you need more experience" don’t help anyone. Highlight particular strengths or areas where the candidate didn't meet expectations.

• Keep it constructive: Instead of focusing solely on what went wrong, balance your feedback with positive points and recommendations for improvement.

• Timely feedback: Don't wait for weeks before sending feedback. By then, the candidate has likely moved on and won't benefit from your insights.
• Be honest, but kind: Sugar-coating feedback doesn’t help candidates grow. However, harsh criticism can damage your employer brand. Find a balance.

What Not to Do in Interview Feedback: 5 Key Tips

Now that you know how to give feedback, let’s talk about what not to do. Interview feedback can go south fast if you're not careful, and bad feedback can leave a lasting negative impression on both candidates and your company.

Here are five things to avoid:

• Don’t be vague: Saying "you lacked leadership skills" without further context doesn’t help the candidate understand what you mean. Always explain the “why” behind your comments.
• Don’t make it personal: Feedback should be about the candidate's skills and performance, not their personality. Comments like "you seemed shy" can feel like personal attacks and aren't relevant to the role's requirements.
• Avoid unintentional bias: Be mindful of how personal biases might creep into your feedback. Focus on objective criteria related to the job. This helps eliminate potential discrimination and keeps your feedback focused.
• Don’t forget the positives: Even if you’ve decided the candidate isn’t right for the role, avoid giving only negative feedback. It’s demotivating and could prevent them from applying to other roles in the future.
• Avoid ghosting candidates: Leaving candidates in the dark with no feedback at all is worse than poor feedback. Always follow up, even if it’s to let them know they weren’t selected.

How to Document and Deliver Feedback

Feedback is useless if it's not delivered in a way that is both understandable and actionable. How you document and deliver feedback can make all the difference in whether it's useful for both your hiring team and the candidate.

• Standardize your process: Use a consistent structure for feedback across interviews. This can include rating scales for specific competencies or a set of standard questions that must be answered after each interview. Consistency ensures fairness and gives you a baseline for evaluating multiple candidates.
• Tailor the delivery: Depending on the seniority of the role, feedback might be more in-depth. For junior candidates, focus on development areas; for senior roles, emphasize the alignment (or misalignment) with the company’s strategic goals.
• Use a collaborative approach: If multiple interviewers are involved, have a discussion to consolidate feedback. This ensures a more well-rounded evaluation and avoids conflicting opinions.
• Choose the right medium: Verbal feedback might be preferable for internal team discussions, while written feedback works best for candidates. Consider offering a follow-up call if candidates ask for more detail or clarification.

Types of Interview Feedback

Not all feedback looks the same, and different situations call for different types of feedback. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Positive Feedback: When a candidate has performed exceptionally well, let them know! This type of feedback is motivating, whether or not they get the job.
• Developmental Feedback: This is for candidates who didn’t make the cut but showed potential. Let them know what skills they should develop for future opportunities.
• Rejection Feedback: Yes, even candidates who won’t be moving forward deserve some form of feedback. Be polite, highlight areas where they could improve, and thank them for their time.
• Internal Feedback: Sometimes feedback isn’t for the candidate but for the hiring process itself. What worked in the interview process? What didn’t? Was the interview process fair and efficient? Internal feedback helps improve the system for future hiring rounds.

How Intervue Can Help

Here’s where tools like Intervue come into play. Interview feedback can sometimes feel like a tedious process—especially when you’re juggling multiple candidates at various stages. Intervue offers a platform that helps streamline the entire interview process, including gathering and delivering feedback.

• Collaborative feedback: Intervue allows multiple team members to leave feedback in one place, making it easy to consolidate and compare evaluations.
• Structured templates: The platform provides structured templates that can guide interviewers in giving consistent and comprehensive feedback.
• Real-time feedback: Speed is key in today’s hiring landscape. Intervue’s real-time feedback feature ensures that candidates don’t have to wait for weeks before knowing where they stand.

Using a tool like Intervue not only simplifies your process but also improves the quality and speed of feedback. It ensures that no candidate feels left in the dark, and it makes the experience smoother for hiring teams.

What to Avoid in Interview Feedback

Let’s wrap up with some common pitfalls to avoid when giving interview feedback. We’ve covered a few already, but here are some additional things to be mindful of:

• Don’t be overly formal: While professionalism is key, robotic and overly formal feedback can come across as impersonal. Keep the tone human and approachable.
• Avoid legal jargon: Avoid any language that could be interpreted as discriminatory or inappropriate. Always stay on the safe side of compliance by focusing on objective, job-related criteria.
• Don’t make promises: Never promise a candidate another opportunity unless you are 100% certain it will happen. Keeping expectations realistic ensures that candidates won’t feel misled.
• Don’t forget to follow up: Whether positive or negative, following up on feedback is essential for a respectful candidate experience. Even a simple acknowledgment of receipt goes a long way in maintaining goodwill.

Final Thoughts: A Win-Win Situation

In the end, delivering interview feedback isn’t just about telling a candidate why they didn’t get the job. It’s about building relationships, improving your hiring process, and enhancing your company’s reputation.

So, next time you sit down to deliver feedback, take a moment to think about the impact it can have—on both sides of the interview table. And with tools like Intervue, the process becomes even easier and more streamlined!