Hiring Process: The Importance of Feedback

How many times have you applied for a role but did not get any feedback regarding it? Or do you receive feedback months later when you forget the role itself and your application?

This is why we think it’s crucial to talk about it and set some clear expectations and goals for every candidate possible. Every application form is someone’s time invested to show interest in your company. Here at BlueGrid, we are very aware of that, so below are some suggestions from our experience.

What is Feedback, and How Do You Understand It?

What is the constructive timeframe that should pass before you receive feedback?
Feedback is a type of information that serves to inform or educate us. That being said, feedback can be constructive and informative.

Constructive feedback helps to point out our mistakes. Also, it helps us better understand or perform a task. It motivates us to continue learning and growing, as well as provides information that we are doing something well and should continue in that direction.

Informative feedback, as the word itself indicates, is information about the current situation. For example, when someone (currently) does not meet the requirements of a position, or if we have closed the position – we want to inform the candidate about it. Therefore we will send informative feedback to the person.

Why is Feedback Important for Candidates?

Feedback is crucial for candidates because it informs them about the status of their application. If they are not qualified enough for the role, or if a position better suits their current experience, it is important to highlight and inform the candidate about this. There is no need to keep them waiting or forget about their application. At BlueGrid, we strive to respond to all candidates within 24 hours. Generally, we receive positive feedback about this timeframe, but some candidates might feel it is too fast. So we provide additional explanations for the timing. Responding to candidates within 24 hours shows them that we value their time. We provide them the opportunity to gain insight into the next steps more quickly. That allows them to organize their time, and plan accordingly. If there are a large number of applications, we may not be able to provide feedback to everyone within 24 hours.
However, we won’t wait for weeks or months for candidates to be informed about the next steps. I believe that everyone should receive initial feedback within a maximum of one week from the date of application.

Why Feedback is Important For Our Hiring Process?

However, we are not the only ones providing feedback. Candidates should also give us feedback if they need to. Their thoughts, experiences, suggestions, or compliments can significantly influence our hiring process. How do we encourage that? By asking them. At the end of each process, it would be desirable to ask the candidate how they felt during the interview. It is also important if they have any suggestions for us, and if they would like to share their impressions with us. Their guidance can be extremely valuable to us because who better describes the feeling during the hiring process than the person who has just participated in it? We foster this culture in our company.
At the end of each process, after informing the candidate of the outcome, we also send the MetricsFlare scale. That is a tool we developed for evaluation purposes. Within it, candidates have the opportunity to express their satisfaction with the hiring process. Also, they can leave their comments, suggestions, and feedback.

What is the Appropriate Timeframe for Informing Candidates About the Outcome?

Who Have Participated in Our Hiring Process?

Although the initial idea is to inform candidates within a week of their application, the timeframe for candidates participating in the hiring process can be a bit longer and depends on several factors. It requires cross-referencing opinions, checking technical knowledge, and cultural fit with the company, considering collaboration possibilities, and speaking with the hiring manager. As all of this requires careful consideration, we believe that around 2 weeks is necessary. However, the process is dynamic, and variations in time are possible, but 2 weeks is acceptable for deciding on the next steps. Certainly, if the process extends or encounters a blockage from a certain side (such as if one of the decision-makers is on vacation, for example), this timeframe will change. Feedback is not just a formal outcome of the process, but every communication within it. It’s great to occasionally reach out to the candidate and explain the situation if the time we initially promised for providing feedback is delayed – have another conversation with them, and allow them to ask additional questions.

It’s important for candidates to feel respected and valued by all of us they communicated with, and to leave such an impression that even if the outcome is not positive, they would want to join us another time for another position and go through the process with us again.