SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 160,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each Tuesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: How candid are you with job applicants when they don’t get the job?
- I’m completely honest with candidates as to the reason they didn’t get the role: 25.44%
- I’m straightforward but a little vague when I tell them the reason they didn’t get the role: 48.6%
- I’m evasive when I tell them the reason they didn’t get the role: 7.02%
- I let Recruiting break the bad news and explain the reason they didn’t get the role: 18.95%
Can we be a little more direct? It’s hard to stomach that 75% of people who interview and don’t get the job really don’t know the reason they weren’t selected. As difficult as it might be to tell them the reason they didn’t get it (poor interview performance, a better candidate, lack of training, etc.), put yourself in their shoes. All they know is they didn’t get it, and they’re wondering how they can perform better next time. We’re all tired of hearing about unemployment numbers — how about we try leading those seeking a job, too? Otherwise, they’re left to their own devices and to reading blog posts about the real reason they didn’t get the job.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”
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I've interviewed many potential candidates over the past 40 years and the one attribute all candidates need to think about before the interview, that is "how they add value and how they will make a difference" when compared with all other applicants.
"Dream about what you would like to achieve, work hard at what you can achieve".
As an HR professional, I think that it would help the unsuccessful candidates to receive specific and direct feedback. However, there are times when such "straight talk" can be misconstrued by the candidate and result in a lawsuit. I think that's why so many responses to this survey were "direct but vague."
Having done a fair amount of interviews but hiring relatively few, I can tell you that quite often being direct about the reason why a candidate doesn't land a position leads to a debate. They feel compelled to try to convince me that I was looking at it wrong, forcing me to outline all of their shortcomings, which leads to further debate. Debating with me about why you didn't perform well or why you wouldn't be the right fit for the job is pointless at best and at worst can be out right argumentative. I think being direct about not getting the job is the right thing to do for the prospect; being vague about why is the best thing for both the prospect and for me.
The authors missed the answer F. Never called candidate to tell them anything. Was unheard of incivility in the 90s, seen in the 2000s and is becoming the norm in the great recession. I thought I was singled out but discovered the widespread nature of this. The job made me drive, on my dime, to two remote offices to interview (about 1000 miles total). After told me wanted to hire me, asked for a salary number, then reinterviewed me, then static. That should be a future poll choice.