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You're considering giving feedback to an almost-hired applicant. How can you help them improve for next time?

When providing feedback to an applicant you're not hiring this time, ensure it's constructive and encourages improvement. Try these strategies:

- Highlight specific areas for improvement, focusing on skills relevant to the role.

- Offer resources or suggestions for professional development in those areas.

- Be honest yet empathetic, ensuring your feedback is balanced and motivational.

Would love to hear how others approach giving candidate feedback. What are your methods?

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You're considering giving feedback to an almost-hired applicant. How can you help them improve for next time?

When providing feedback to an applicant you're not hiring this time, ensure it's constructive and encourages improvement. Try these strategies:

- Highlight specific areas for improvement, focusing on skills relevant to the role.

- Offer resources or suggestions for professional development in those areas.

- Be honest yet empathetic, ensuring your feedback is balanced and motivational.

Would love to hear how others approach giving candidate feedback. What are your methods?

Add your perspective
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
270 answers
  • Contributor profile photo
    Contributor profile photo
    Karina Durán Lezama

    Subdirector de Recursos Humanos en Nomipay

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    A lo largo de mi experiencia profesional como experta en el Área de Talento me ha funcionado muy bien seguir los siguientes pasos: 1- Ser honesta y empática al indicarle a la personas la razón por la cual no fue el candidato elegido. 2- Compartir las áreas de oportunidad que puede trabajar y que fueron factor decisorio para que no fuera la persona contratada. 3- Aportar sugerencias de como debe de mejorar ya sea a lo largo de la entrevista, quizá en una reacción específica a lo largo del proceso. Es importante dejar la carta abierta, nunca sabes si más adelante pueda ser un talento que pueda sumarse a algún proyecto en tu organización.

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    Harvinder Singh

    ✨🏅265 X Linkedin Top Voice 🏅✨|| Generative AI || Influencing others Voice || Business Transformation || Helping Client's to Grow their Business 📈 || DM For Promotion 💌 ||

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    Specific Areas: Identify skills like communication or technical expertise that need improvement, e.g., "Enhance your presentation skills for clearer project explanations." Resources: Suggest online courses or workshops, e.g., "Consider enrolling in a public speaking course." Balanced Feedback: Acknowledge strengths while addressing weaknesses, e.g., "Your teamwork is excellent, but focus on individual contributions." Empathy: Use supportive language to encourage growth, e.g., "Many candidates face similar challenges; it's part of the learning process." Actionable Steps: Provide clear next steps for improvement, e.g., "Practice mock interviews to build confidence."

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    22
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    Abdul Mannan

    Global Senior Manager – Ethics, Risk & Controls at VEON!

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    When giving feedback, it's crucial to be constructive and supportive. Begin by highlighting their strengths to boost their confidence, then focus on one or two specific areas for improvement. For example, during the interview, you identified some areas for growth and provided feedback that could help them not only in their next interview but also in their professional career: "You demonstrated strong analytical skills and industry knowledge, which are impressive. For future interviews, you could work on providing more concise examples that clearly align with the role's key responsibilities." This approach guarantees that the feedback is not only encouraging but also actionable.

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    19
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    Nicoleta Patrascu-Tanase

    Senior Recruitment Specialist || Experienced HR Business Partner || Assoc. CIPD in people practices

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    Always start the feedback session with a positive note to consolidate candidate morale. As tools you can use the sandwich method or the STAR feedback model. Both methods are great to give valuable feedback to a candidate, and it allows recruiters to give examples of specific situations from the interviews or assessments, where an employee might have been identified with a competence gap that was essential for the role he/she applied. It's an opportunity for the recruiter to raise awareness regarding the candidate having a robust developmental plan in order to boost the career path and securing a new role in due time.

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    Constance Brown
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    Before I would consider giving feedback, I would ask myself: Is this something that would help me in this situation? Would I be receptive to how it's being said? Will I look back and be glad I have this information? If the answers are no, I'm not saying it. Let's face it, not everyone wants the truth. Some people are going to be angry they aren't getting that "dream job" and YOU are the person who just CRUSHED THEIR DREAM. Be prepared for backlash if you are going to give feedback. It happens, a lot more than you'd think.

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    9
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    Tatiana Cuadros Basis

    Top Voice || N°1 en Empleabilidad || International Talent booster || Career Mentor || Psicóloga clínica y organizacional bilingüe || Terapia y coaching || Autora || Columnista || Recruitment trainer

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    Considero que si una persona no conoce en profundidad a otra darles un feedback para que mejore sus siguientes entrevistas pueden ser tomadas a la defensiva por lo tanto considero que es mejor acercamiento es a través de las preguntas por ejemplo: ¿cómo crees que podrías mejorar una entrevista laboral? ¿crees que la información que me has dado puede ser potenciada de alguna manera? ¿consideras que esta ha sido tu mejor entrevista? ¿por qué crees lo siguiente? De esa manera la misma persona piensa analiza y puede dar una respuesta y puede dar también una introspección sobre sí mismo más que si se le dice directamente. ¿Que opinas? Tati 👊

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    Sandhya Kumar Mody

    CEO @ Kreavate | MBA, MA in English Language

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    Before sharing feedback, I consider the following: - Be sincere and respectful, acknowledging the candidate's time and effort. - Focus on behavior, not personality, addressing specific actions or responses. - Provide actionable advice with concrete suggestions for improvement. - Highlight strengths to boost confidence. - End on a positive note, expressing appreciation for their interest and encouraging growth. Feedback that's helpful, supportive, and empowering, helps candidates refine their skills and pursue new opportunities with confidence.

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    7
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    Payal Lekhwar

    Human Resource Generalist | Experienced in HR Operation | Talent Acquisition

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    When providing feedback, it’s important to choose words and tone carefully to ensure the candidate understands that this feedback is personalized, not a generic response. Especially for an almost-hired candidate, present the feedback in a way that boosts their confidence. Emphasize that they are already strong in their field and that with a few additional improvements, they are well-positioned for future success. By highlighting their strengths and offering constructive advice for growth, you can help them feel empowered and more prepared to secure a great opportunity.

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    Muhammad Suhail

    CIA/MBA Executive HEAD OF OPERATION/HR AND OTHERS/CONTENTS WRITERS/ARTICLES ON DIFFERENT TOPIC TOP LINKEDIN VOICE EARNED BADGES

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    Rather than generalizing, pinpoint the exact skills or behaviors that need improvement. For example, instead of saying, "You need to work on communication," you might say, "Your ability to explain complex ideas clearly in the interview could be enhanced by practicing how to simplify technical jargon for a non-technical audience." Tailor the feedback to the candidate’s desired role. If a candidate is applying for a project management position but lacks experience in resource allocation, highlight that specific gap: Suggest clear, actionable ways for the candidate to improve. For example, "Consider taking an online course in project management software like Asana or Trello to familiarize yourself with tools used in the industry."

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    7
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    Ahmad Hameed

    27K+ International recruiter @Whiteace healthcare | Business development, Email Marketing, Candidate Sourcing, recruitment, outreach, b2b leads, Lead generation,

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    Be Prompt: Give feedback soon after the decision. Start with Positives: Highlight their strengths to build confidence. Be Specific: Offer clear, actionable feedback with examples. Explain the Decision: Share why they weren’t selected as a learning opportunity. Encourage Growth: Suggest resources or steps for improvement. Keep the Door Open: Invite them to reapply or stay connected. End Positively: Thank them and wish them success.

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    6
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