THE POWER OF INTERVIEW FEEDBACK

The power of interview feedback

The interview process isn’t one way anymore and candidates expect more than a generic “thanks, but no thanks.” They want honest, useful feedback. For employers, giving feedback is a real advantage. Clear, constructive feedback builds trust, strengthens your brand and keeps great candidates engaged, even if they’re not the right fit this time.

Feedback builds trust and your brand

The way you treat candidates during the hiring process is often their first experience of your company’s culture and interview feedback plays a big role in that.

Vague or non-existent feedback leaves a bad impression. But clear, constructive feedback (whether the candidate is successful or not) shows that you value people’s time and effort. It builds trust and that kind of transparency is what sticks in people’s minds, whether they end up joining your team or not. It’s something we hear all the time: “I didn’t get the job, but I would apply to that company again.” That’s the power of good feedback.

Beyond “not the right fit”

Let’s be honest. Phrases like “not quite the right fit” or “we’ve decided to go in a different direction” don’t tell anyone anything. They don’t help the candidate understand what they could improve and they don’t help recruiters build stronger shortlists for future roles.

Specific, open feedback is far more valuable. It could be something like:

“They felt you had great transferable skills but were looking for someone with hands-on experience using Workday rather than just general HR systems”. 

Or:

“The team really liked your approach, but they’re prioritising candidates with recent agency-side experience due to the fast turnaround times on client briefs”.

When candidates know why they weren’t successful, they’re more likely to stay engaged and open to other roles and do not switch off from your company completely.

Feedback helps candidates and clients

When employers give honest, specific feedback, it helps us as recruiters understand what’s landing and what’s missing. That, in turn, helps us refine who we put forward. It leads to better matches, faster hires and fewer wasted interviews. It also encourages hiring managers to reflect more deeply on what they’re looking for, which can reveal misalignments between the job spec and the real needs of the team. Sometimes, the right candidate has already been interviewed, they just didn’t tick one expected box. Feedback can uncover that.

Let’s talk transparency!

Being transparent is about being fair, timely and open. It means recognising that behind every CV is a real person, who’s taken time to prepare and put themselves forward. Candidates remember those conversations. They share them. They talk to their networks and in a talent-short market, that can have a long-term ripple effect on your brand, your reputation and your ability to hire in future.

Feedback fuels momentum

One of the biggest blockers in recruitment is delay. A strong candidate finishes the interview and then waits…and waits. And the silence grows louder.

Even if the decision isn’t final, sharing initial impressions or timelines can go a long way. It keeps the conversation warm and prevents candidates from drifting to other offers.

The truth is the feedback process doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It just needs to be thoughtful. A few well-structured sentences shared via your recruiter or in a follow-up note can make a world of difference.

What works in today’s market?

The most successful employers are the ones who treat feedback as part of their hiring strategy. They know it’s an opportunity to:

• Strengthen their employer brand.
• Keep talented people engaged for future roles.
• Improve the quality of future shortlists.
• Move faster and more confidently through the recruitment process.

At March Recruitment, we always encourage honest, constructive feedback and we’ll help you shape it in a way that’s respectful, useful and keeps the momentum going.