How to give constructive feedback to a candidate

The recruiter says, “I will come back to you with feedback in two days,” and then… vanishes. Sounds familiar, right? The employer brand is negatively affected by “no response” cases. We provide feedback to all applicants at each stage of the hiring process. We’ll look at how we can make the communication with unsuccessful applicants beneficial to both parties.

Types Of Feedback

I believe there are two types of feedback: promised but not delivered and provided.

Feedback can be constructive or formal. The formal feedback is usually very general, such as “Thanks for your time but we are not yet ready to offer you a job.”

The feedback is detailed and explains the reasons for rejection. It also highlights areas that need improvement. Those who put in the time and effort but did not get hired still gain.

When rejecting a job candidate following a successful technical interview and test, we always give constructive feedback. A thorough response can build loyalty and encourage job seekers to return.

We set target values to determine when and how candidates should be given feedback. Our target is to have recruiters respond to 90-98% candidates. We usually respond within 1-3 business days. Feedback on test assignments may take 3-7 days, and post-interview feedback can take 2-7 days. The time frame depends on factors such as the client/applicant’s situation, workload and availability.

When hiring managers remain silent for more than seven days, we begin to push them and inform candidates of the delay in feedback.

How To Write A Constructive Comment

Both the hiring manager and manager responsible for the job write the responses together. We outline the following in feedback:

1. Emphasize the skills and abilities of the candidate.
2. Identify the main mistakes made in the test. Don’t judge the personality of the candidate; pay attention to what the candidate does.
3. Clarify the steps an applicant can take to correct their mistakes and apply again. Correct any gaps so that the candidate will be motivated to improve.
4. List the recommended sources for your study.
5. Agree on a period of time to stay in touch or when an appropriate vacancy is available.

Examples Of Comprehensive Response

We welcome creativity and individuality, despite the fact that we do not have feedback templates. Hiring managers speak in a friendly and informal manner, using emojis.

Our practice is to provide detailed feedback on test assignments. Here are a few examples.

Middle Promo Designer Position Feedback

Hello Georgii!

I will be back to give you feedback. I appreciate your time and response.

We’re sorry, but we can’t continue the discussion about the position for the time being.

This is feedback from the test:

1. The post-processing is not as neat as you would like. You may not have enough experience with 3D models or working with brushes. You should learn how to use the lasso tool and work with the hand placement.
2. The colors of the image look muted for casual graphics.
3. Due to the black shadows in excess and the lack of post processing, it appears that the shape of this mouse is a little broken.
4. Some shadows have a soft texture, while others are very hard. This creates confusion in the artwork.
5. The objects at the edges are dark, like the mouse. They climb forward.

We would like to let you know that we are always in touch with our candidates. We would be happy to talk again if anything changes, or if we have vacancies in the future and you are looking for work.

Good luck in your search and have a wonderful week

A special like for our artist producer’s mouse. He is a cutie

Senior Metagame Designer Position Feedback

Hi Denis!

We appreciate you taking the time to talk and finish the test. We enjoyed meeting you but, unfortunately, will not be able continue our conversation about the position at this time.

Feedback about the test assignment:

1. Google Spreadsheets, Googlescript and Googlescript are your strengths. Great!
2. Although the information is presented in a consistent manner, the focus of the document is on describing one of the secondary components of the model rather than developing an ideology of gameplay or interest for players as a whole.
3. Some ideas are not justified:
   • level rewards idea;
   • The idea of the basic cycle in the economy.
   • The base cycle is proposed by energy Yi to be localized.
4. The model developed is not in full compliance with the technical task and is irregular.
   • Although in a generalized version, the energy is not explicitly considered;
   • The rewards calculations are detailed (but they are never used and the assignment is not about them at all);
   • This model does not include the involvement factor in modeling/evaluation.
5. The “ideas and Suggestions” block of the assignment is missing a part:
   • No justification of the model economy and engagement link;
   • Instead a block with additional cycles and a tab for improving monetization, engagement and user experience is proposed.
   • The concept of additional cycles is not justified.

You have a strong understanding of building gameplay models, but you don’t understand the fundamentals of creating gameplay flow in a meta.

Since we get back to candidates frequently, we would be happy to talk again in the future, if you have any questions or if we post new positions and we are on your job hunt

Good luck in your search and have a wonderful day