Ever given/gotten interview feedback?

[y4m]

When you didn't give or get the job?

I have a candidate who was pretty good, and did a lot of things well, but she also left me with the impression that she wasn't a go-getter.  Like when I asked why she ended up at her first job, it was "because the school knew people there," why the school "because it was close to home and I didn't know what I wanted to do."  She's been at that same job since even though she's not happy there.

Anyway, we found another candidate and rejected this one--but she asked me for feedback in a very polite way and I'd like to help.  Is there a way of phrasing the above that would be constructive?  

Have you ever done this?

[Lilac]

Talk to HR.... you might not be allowed to say anything. If you say the wrong thing, it could be construed as discrimination as to why she didn't get the job.

[AAM2012]

Our company always gives us an option to seek feedback if you don't get the job. It really helps because they give factual/specifics feedback to help for the next time.

This is for internal hires/promotions only.

[ESF]

I think it's probably good to check with HR as people suggest. But I once got some job help from someone who turned me down for a job. It was under very different circumstances, so I can't really help on advice, but I just wanted to say that I was so grateful to this person for helping me out that I am totally on Team Help Her.

I think the fact that she's reaching out to you suggests she does have some go-getter qualities, so she can probably be helped.

As for ideas, I haven't read it yet, but is there a particular chapter or passage from Lean In that you can suggest to her?

[FishChicks]

I agree with others that some caution is probably wise. What you view as helpful advice might be viewed by her as a dire insult. With the use of social media to air grievances, real and imagined, I suggest avoiding contact that might lead to that dire insult perception. It sucks, but the saying 'no good deed goes unpunished' is true far more often that I'd like, and this is the kind of situation that breeds that type of outcome.

[t]

I asked for feedback when I didn't get a job. It was between me and another person. The feedback I received was that basically the committee was deadlocked for several days on making a decision (they kept rescheduling my phone meeting to provide a decision). Eventually they found one small area of experience that the other candidate had more of than me.

[aurora]

If it turns out you're allowed to give feedback, could you frame it as the other candidate seeming more driven, and how that go-get-it spirit is really important to your company? You can do that without saying she did something wrong, per se, but might make her think. Maybe this would violate the other candidate's privacy in some way, though.

[niq]

I shit the bed on coding in an in-person screen (just one hour, not a full day) and the recruiter told me. Just wasn't my day.

I did a full day interview at a video game company, and they said I was smart enough but didn't really have leadership experience or demonstrated those skills during the interview loop. The recruiter asked me if I wanted the feedback before telling me.

Both of these companies were privately held and had fewer than 500 employees.

When I worked at BigCo, candidates sometimes sent me email asking for feedback. HR told me not to reply.

[lime]

I'll add to the PP above that says that possibility of discrimination lawsuits would keep me from responding.

What could you really say that is going to cause her to become a go-getter? That isn't a characteristic that she can change by flipping a switch. She might even be insulted and offended by your comment.

[Deleted]

I almost always ask. I receive a response maybe 30% of the time. When I have received feedback it's been positive, which makes the process more frustrating, but just keep plugging along to find the right fit.

[bronxgirl]

Jun 20, 2014 14:33:16 GMT -5 ESF said:

As for ideas, I haven't read it yet, but is there a particular chapter or passage from Lean In that you can suggest to her?

I like the idea about suggesting resources that might be helpful, rather than giving specific feedback, if your HR department steers you away from that, which I assume they would. It's great that you care enough to want to help her. That's so rare these days.