Interview Feedback: It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It.

It’s not the rejection that candidates remember. It’s how you deliver it…

There’s a moment in every recruitment process that tends to stick – the final outcome, the decision and how it’s shared. Not every hiring decision ends in a yes, but how that decision is communicated matters more than many realise. Handled well, it can leave a lasting positive impression. Handled badly, it can undo a lot of good work.

In a process where candidates are investing time, energy and emotion, feedback can shape the entire experience.

Being close to both clients and candidates, we’re often right in the middle of that exchange, feedback, adding context and at times, managing expectations on both sides. We see where it works well: clear, constructive and timely. And we also see where it falls short, where feedback is vague, delayed or missing altogether.

We wanted to hear from our HR network: how much feedback should actually be shared, and what’s the right way to deliver it?

What clients told us

To explore this further, we asked clients a simple question: When working with an external HR Recruitment partner, how detailed is the feedback you share after interviewing their candidates?

46% – Very (constructive feedback)
38% – Quite (a few key points)
17% – Only if asked

At a glance, this feels positive. The majority of businesses are sharing at least some level of feedback, but it also highlights a clear spectrum. At one end, you have detailed, constructive insight that can genuinely help candidates enhance their interview style. At the other, feedback is lighter, more reactive, sometimes only shared when prompted, which can leave room for interpretation, or sometimes, frustration.

And then we asked candidates…

Because feedback isn’t just about what’s shared – it’s about how it lands.

We framed it in a scenario that we often experience: you’ve attended an interview via an agency, you’re keen to share your thoughts, and you drop your consultant a quick note, whether that’s email, text or WhatsApp with some brief feedback.

From there, we asked:

How would you like that feedback to come back to you?

55% – I wouldn’t message, I’d call
22% – If I’m a no, just message me
15% – If it’s a yes, then call me
8% – Same as me, no conversation needed

If we’re honest, these results surprised us. We expected a much stronger preference for a call particularly given how often feedback is positioned as a “conversation” and on a call it’s much easier to gauge how much to share and certainly a lot easier to contextualise and discuss.

But the reality is more nuanced.

Yes, over half still value a call, but a significant proportion are telling us something different. For some, a quick message is preferred if the outcome is a no, clear, simple and to the point. For others, the call is reserved for when there’s good news to share. And a small number are happy with a straightforward, no-frills response.

What it highlights is that there’s no one-size-fits-all. While feedback itself is important, how it’s delivered and tailoring that to the individual and the situation can make a real difference to how it’s received.

Where the disconnect can happen

In reality, the process can look something like this:

Feedback is shared with the recruiter (sometimes detailed, sometimes brief)
It needs to be relayed quickly
It’s often summarised into a short message

From a process perspective, it’s efficient.

But from a candidate’s perspective, that same moment feels significant, especially if they’ve invested time in multiple stages, presentations and testing.

And this is where small decisions can have a bigger impact than expected – not just what is shared, but how and when.

Why it matters more than ever

In a highly competitive market, we’re seeing more and more effort going into interview processes encompassing:

Multiple stages
Presentation tasks
Stakeholder meetings

Candidates are investing time, energy and often a fair bit of emotional bandwidth.

So when feedback feels:

Vague – “they weren’t quite the right fit”
Rushed
Or transactional

It can leave a lasting impression, not just of the process, but of the business itself.

And that phrase “not quite the right fit” is an interesting one!

Sometimes it’s completely valid. It may genuinely relate to sector experience, style, pace or cultural alignment. But without context, it can also be ambiguous and at times, a little dismissive to the person receiving it.

Candidates want to understand what sits behind those decisions. Was someone stronger technically? Did another candidate demonstrate deeper sector knowledge? Was there concern and style, approach, capability? Or was “fit” simply being used as a catch-all because articulating the real reason felt more difficult?

In some cases, vague feedback can unintentionally create more questions than answers, particular in a market where fairness, inclusion and transparency are under scrutiny.

And increasingly, candidates are clear on what good looks like. Not just in the feedback itself, but in how it’s delivered.

What we see working well

From where we sit, the most effective processes tend to strike a balance:

Clear, constructive feedback from the client (it doesn’t need to be pages – just specific and actionable)
Timely sharing, so candidates aren’t left wondering
A delivery style that reflects the situation

Sometimes that’s a conversation. Sometimes it’s a clear, well-worded message.

The key is matching the approach to the moment, giving candidates enough context, the opportunity to ask questions where needed, and ultimately leaving them with a positive experience, even if the outcome isn’t what they’d hoped for.

Where a recruitment partner adds value

This is one of those areas where working closely with a specialist partner can really help.

It’s not just about passing feedback on. It’s about:

Interpreting it
Adding context – often it’s fine margins differentiating a high-calibre short list
And delivering it in a way that feels considered and aligned to the situation

Because increasingly, we hear stories from candidates who have applied directly to businesses, completed lengthy application forms or answered multiple screening questions only to receive an almost instant automated rejection or in some cases, no response at all.

And whilst we completely understand the challenges businesses face with application volumes, primarily in today’s market, it does raise an important question around candidate experience and human touch.

For many candidates the process isn’t just transactional. They’re investing time, thought and emotional energy into exploring an opportunity. So when communication feels impersonal or overly automated, it can leave a very different impression of the business than was intended.

When handled well, feedback and communication can keep candidates engaged and protect your employer brand, even when the answer is ultimately “no.”

A small step, a lasting impression

Feedback might feel like a small part of the hiring process, but it’s often one that candidates remember. In a tough and competitive market, one or two bits of constructive feedback for a candidate to take away can make a big difference.

And in the HR market where networks are tight and reputations travel quickly, how those moments are handled really does matter. It’s often the smaller tweaks like feedback, pace and communication, that make the biggest difference.

As always, we’re happy to share what we’re seeing across the HR market.