Why do the vast majority of rejected job applicants receive no feedback? This question remains unanswered despite being asked by people almost every day. That is why John Sullivan, renowned consultant in the field of HR and current professor of management at San Francisco State University, focused on this question in his recent article for TLNT.net.
"Firms take pride in providing feedback to their customers, vendors, and even their employees, but there is no formal process in most corporations for providing direct feedback to applicants/candidates covering why they were rejected or what they could do to improve their chances if they later applied for another position," says Sullivan. In his experience, the most common reasons for not providing feedback to unsuccessful job applicants include:
-
excessive workload of recruiters,
-
high costs,
-
too many other questions candidates want to get answered,
-
potential legal problems,
-
providing guidance to unsuccessful job applicants on how to bypass the recruitment process next time,
-
over-harsh feedback for unqualified candidates,
-
the argument that other companies do not do it either.
Sullivan says that these reasons should be seen in the context of the following reasons why feedback should be provided. If you do not supply it, you are in danger of:
Damage to your employer brand
In today's world of social media, a massive spread of negative comments about your approach to job seekers is only a matter of seconds.
Loss of high-quality applicants from the younger generation
Today's young people demand constant feedback, two-way communication and openness.
Loss of high-quality applicants with long experience
Due to the lack of feedback, experts with years of experience can get the impression that older people have no chance in your company.
Repeated applications of low-quality applicants
Rejected applicants who have no chance to attain the position will apply again and again because they simply have no idea of the employers' lack of interest.
Label of an unethical employer
The applicants who have invested their time and effort into the recruitment process believe that you have an ethical responsibility to tell them why they failed.
How do you provide feedback to job applicants in your company?
-kk-