you’ve ever dealt with a recruiter, you might wonder why they don’t give feedback. Is it just you? Are you the only one who deals with a recruiter only to get zilch out of the process? Why is there no feedback? Is that usual?
Well, it’s a complicated question and not one that has a simple one size fits all answer.
If you’re looking for some insight, however, that’s what I will provide.
It is understandable to want to know if it’s something you did, or didn’t do that caused you to have zero feedback. But oftentimes it’s not anything to do with you. Of course, sometimes it is directly related to your presentation and performance on an interview.
This little article is going to help you out and refine your understanding of how recruiters think, work, and why they do or don’t give feedback.
Why Is There No Feedback After an Interview?
Have you ever gone on an interview only to end up with no job and no feedback? Sure, that’s the case with most interviews. Why is that? Why is there almost never any feedback after an interview?
Well, it’s because of a few things. And often it has nothing to do with you.
Sometimes there is no feedback simply because the hiring manager or interviewer never gives any. This might come as surprising to people not in the industry, but it is quite common.
The current environment is super litigious and everyone sues for everything. The slightest offense is often litigated and people claim they were the subject of some form of discrimination or violation of their rights. Because of this, hiring managers for major companies are very carful not to say anything that can be taken to be insulting.
And if you’re dealing with a recruiter, you are dealing with two companies in effect. The recruiter might hear something about the interview off the record, but it will likely not be conveyed to you for the same reason.
The obvious response is that: “But I need to know if I’m interviewing poorly”.
Of course you do, but honestly most recruiters, and no companies, will be honest with you. If you have a good rapport with your recruiter, they may key you into some things that you could improve on during an interview.
Take these are your main suggestions and listen carefully. Anytime a recruiter gives you a suggestion it will benefit you to listen. Recruiters aren’t social workers or job counselors, if they are telling you something it has practical real world worth and is designed to land you a job because recruiters only make money if you get hired!
Do Recruiters Give Feedback?
Almost never. You’re almost never going to get real feedback from a recruiter for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons are things I touched upon above. Mostly, professionals tend to shy away from anything negative for fear of being sued.
Of course, sometimes recruiters are given detailed feedback about an interview and they decide to just not pass that on to the person. Oftentimes that feedback is expected to be kept confidential. A lot of companies will tell a recruiter something that they expect will be kept between the recruiter and the client, and not shared with the candidates.
Oftentimes what happens is that a company wants to keep a clean, positive image and so all of the bad energy is given to the recruiters at recruiting agencies to handle.
Of course, if you are working with a recruiter and have developed a good relationship, then you should be able to get positive and negative feedback from them. This works best when you are not delusional about your prospects and have a decent level of self awareness, as well as when you’re working with higher end recruiters who are not themselves just low end salespeople.
I would always give practical feedback when working with candidates who were serous about the job hunt and who weren’t delusional (I cover delusional job seekers elsewhere). And you should really appreciate a recruiter who does, as it means you can trust them.
It’s Not Me, It’s You: Why You’re Not Getting Feedback
Sometimes the fact is that the reason you are not getting feedback from a recruiter has to do with your personality or performance on interviews.
If you are able to get a recruiter to respond to you and contact you and set up an interview, there is obvious interest there.
Some people don’t understand how recruiting works and think that they can just harass recruiters over and over until they get them to give them a job. That doesn’t work. The only thing that behviior will accomplish is to get yourself listed as a DNC (do not contact) or some other term for a troublesome person.
However, if you’ve connected with a recruiter who does set up a job interview, and you’re not getting feedback, and this happens over and over…it might be you.
Perhaps your resume and first impression is good. Maybe you have a solid LinkedIn profile. But there is likely something in the way you interview that is turning people off.
I cover this elsewhere, but there are a lot of personality issues that people are not aware of and simply put, most people don’t know how to conduct themselves on an interview.
So, if this is the case, it would make sense to spend some time and reassess your personality and the way in which you present.
Four Reasons Why Recruiters Don’t Give Feedback
Ok, let’s get right down to it and go over the real reasons recruiters don’t give feedback. Because there are reasons. They don’t just withhold that info because they are “mean” or don’t want you to get a job (people who think like this are too common, and unfortunately their excessive nervousness and aggression is a reason they are not going to get hired).
- They’re Busy and Forgot
Recruiters are human too. They aren’t a living and breathing ATS system that can handle everything. And even in the most automated and tech friendly firms, people forgot to log items, and recruiters get overwhelmed.
One thing about recruiting is that it is a super high stress job. That is why there is such high turn over in the profession. It is not a job that requires advanced degrees, certifications, or any other formal training. What it does require is an enormous amount of work and constant change in variables. Most people frankly can’t hack it. That’s why it is common to see recruiters bounce from company to company.
You might see yourself as a special person, and rightfully so, but your recruiter is probably working on a dozen similar interviews (probably more) and handling a multitude of organizational problems.
This is assuming there is no issue with a flow of information in the recruiting agency.
- You’re A Risk
Alright, this is the one that no one likes to hear, but here it goes. If you’re someone who comes off as hostile and looking to play the victim, then yeah a recruiter is going to dance around it. You are not doing yourself any favors when you behave like that. If you complain about how no one wants to hire you, or your current boss is terrible, or anything at all, then it’s a wonder the recruiter even set you up with a job interview in the first place.
A positive attitude is crucial in getting work. If you go in with a negative attitude you might as well not bother applying to work.
- They are Bad Recruiters
This is common. Especially considering how hard recruiting is. If you’re working with an executive recruiter, the odds are the person has some sort of professionalism, but if you are dealing with a huge recruiting and staffing agency, then you’re probably dealing with some kid fresh out of college or someone who just bounces from job to job.
Those people are not good recruiters. They just are filling a slot that soon someone else will be in. And sadly, it’s to be expected. The C-Level of the major recruiting firms make huge sums of money. The front line recruiters make very little.
Look on LinkedIn. If your recruiter went to a good University, and is connected to professionals, then you’ll get a good idea as to their rep. Also, the more seasonsed the recruiter, the better their follow up.
But even if you’re dealing with a recruiter who forgets to give you feedback, which is sometimes bad if they have it to give, don’t immediately write them off. They might still be able to get you a job.
Just don’t chase a recruiter. That’s a major waste of your time. Especially if they are someone who forgets to follow up with you after interviews.
- The Recruiters Never Received Feedback
This is the most common reason that you don’t receive feedback. Simply put, the recruiters themselves were left in the dark, so you are to.
This is more of an issue with the client, not the recruiter, but there’s no point in pressing the recruiter to get feedback. Either you got a second-round interview (or better yet were hired) or you didn’t. Everything else is meaningless. Even if you’re given feedback it is oftentimes lip service and not even the real reason the company didn’t move forward with you.
But, the fact remains that oftentimes recruiters are just as in the dark as you are and have not that much info to give you. The recruiter is your connection to the company, but oftentimes the company is less than forthcoming with their intentions and thoughts.
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