How to Give Effective Interview Feedback [+Tips and Templates]

Job interview feedback is beneficial to job seekers and companies alike. Interview feedback can be both positive and constructive, and a candidate might ask a hiring manager for interview feedback regardless of the outcome of the meeting. 

In a situation where an applicant was unsuccessful, receiving interview feedback can help them improve in their job search. If they were given the role they wanted, job interview feedback can help them understand their new company’s values and expectations. 

Interview feedback is any record of the interview by the hiring manager or committee, and includes the interviewer’s impressions of the applicant. When a hiring manager conveys job interview feedback to a candidate, they are providing their opinion on that candidate’s performance. This feedback could be over email, phone, or in person. 

While candidate interview feedback has obvious benefits to the applicant, it can also help the interviewer and the company. Keeping a record of interviews will help the company understand how their interview process is functioning and whether it is effective. 

Interview feedback is also a way to build relationships with potential candidates, as it makes the position more desirable. Creating a practice of giving honest, professional interview feedback can help establish a company’s culture and build their brand. 

There are a few steps to getting interview feedback right. Review these tips to help you give the best possible job interview feedback. 

Let them know if you’re offering a job or not first.

The first thing you should do when you provide interview feedback is to tell the candidate whether their interview was successful. Ultimately, this is what the candidate wants to know first and foremost, and there is no sense providing job interview feedback without this context. The beginning of your interview feedback could be a simple congratulations, or a gentle let down.

Go over their strengths.

Job interview feedback shouldn’t just be constructive criticism. Everyone wants to know what they’ve done well, and positive feedback serves as a foundation for their future interviews. Let the candidate know what their strengths are when you provide interview feedback. Examples of strengths to include in your interview feedback are good communication, confidence, skills demonstration, knowledgeability, and research. 

Explain why they aren’t a good fit for the job (if they fail the interview).

If the candidate wasn’t a good fit, be sure to explain why when you give interview feedback. Don’t be afraid to be specific, but always be kind. For instance, if an applicant is missing qualifications, you can explain why this is important for the role when you present your candidate interview feedback. 

Provide suggestions. 

For your job interview feedback to be constructive, you should give the candidate your advice. Let them know what they can do differently moving forward. If, for example, your applicant struggled to answer interview questions quickly or confidently, your interview feedback can include a suggestion that they rehearse answers to common interview questions. 

Sum up the experience and provide information about next steps. 

Part of your interview feedback should be a summary of your impression and the interview as a whole. This can be one or two brief sentences. If the candidate is moving forward in the hiring process, let them know what their next steps are. If their interview was not successful, the last part of your interview feedback should be to wish them well in their ongoing job search. 

Giving interview feedback can be challenging! If you’re daunted by the thought of giving interview feedback, follow these tips to give effective, constructive interview feedback that helps your candidate and your company.  

Job interview feedback is best given promptly. A good time to give interview feedback will be shortly after the interview, when it is still fresh. Waiting too long to give your interview feedback could appear unprofessional. It certainly won’t help the candidate, since it’s possible they will have gone on other interviews in the interim. 

Your interview feedback should be honest, but not insensitive. No one wants to be ripped apart by a hiring manager, but it’s equally important not to sugar-coat the interview experience. Giving honest candidate interview feedback will help the applicant with their job search, and will help your brand. 

When you give interview feedback, try to avoid vague statements. Generic comments can be discouraging, given everyone’s time and investment in the interview. Good job interview feedback is specific to the candidate, so they know what they did well and what they can work on. 

When you provide interview feedback, it’s appropriate to go over different qualities the candidate has. For example, your interview feedback could include praise for their good communication skills, and then explain which technical experience the candidate might be lacking. Covering a variety of components will make your interview feedback more helpful and detailed. 

When you are providing interview feedback, speak about the job requirements and how the candidate meets them or falls short. When giving job interview feedback, it would be unusual to talk about the candidate’s irrelevant skills or experience, so keep it applicable.

Your interview feedback shouldn’t consist of exclusively constructive criticism. Interviewing is a tense and exhausting process, and it’s important to provide some positive interview feedback to your candidate. If nothing else, it helps your brand and gives you a sense of the quality of your applicants. 

Keep in mind that your candidate may not want your job interview feedback, and it could be wiser to wait for their request. Unsolicited interview feedback could be upsetting for the applicant and thus, impact your brand. A few simple sentences about your overall impression is adequate interview feedback, and if the candidate asks for more, you can oblige them. 

Since this candidate interview feedback is meant to be delivered in a professional way, avoid any personal statements. There is a chance your interview feedback could be read by other members of your team, so keeping a polite distance from your candidate is necessary.

Your interview feedback will vary with each candidate, and it can be difficult to know exactly what to say. Use these interview feedback phrases for different scenarios to help you write your own evaluation. 

The candidate doesn’t have the right experience.

Use this sample interview feedback if your candidate lacked experience that was directly relevant to the role.

The candidate wasn’t prepared for interview questions.

If you found your candidate didn’t prepare for the interview, you can use this constructive interview feedback example as a starting point.

The candidate is overqualified.

If you interviewed someone who is overqualified for the role, you can use this candidate feedback example as guidance. 

The candidate doesn’t demonstrate the skills mentioned in the resume.

This is an example of interview feedback you might give your team or superiors, instead of directly to the interviewee. 

The candidate is a great fit for the role.

This sample positive interview feedback is good for a candidate who nailed their interview.

The candidate has done proper preparation.

Use this positive interview feedback example when your candidate has done research and is well-prepared for the interview. 

The candidate would be great for a different role within the company.

This sample interview feedback works for an applicant who had a successful interview, but might be a better fit in another role. 

The candidate didn’t demonstrate compatible values. 

The right workplace culture is important, and sometimes a candidate wouldn’t be a good match. This sample feedback for a rejected candidate is all about company culture. 

The candidate is moving on to another round of interviews.

This candidate interview feedback example is useful if your organization has a multi-step interview process, or if you want to meet with your candidate again to finalize your decision. 

If you’re not clear on what to say to your candidate, use this interview feedback sample email to inspire you. 

If you’re struggling to provide good interview feedback, use the following interview feedback email template.  

Providing effective interview feedback can be daunting, but it’s worth the effort. Job interview feedback helps your brand as well as the candidate if it’s done well. Be honest but kind, and make sure you provide some positive interview feedback phrases in addition to constructive criticism. Try looking at sample interview feedback emails to help you write the perfect evaluation. Giving a little extra attention to your interview feedback will ensure everyone has a positive interview experience. 

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— Originally written by Tiffany Quinn —