Is it now normal practice not to receive a response after interview?

It isn't normal practice and it's not at all polite.

However, people are only human and life is busy. It is easy, once the decision is made, to move on and be distracted by other things. More than once I've found myself - a week after interviews - asking a manager if they'd given the unsuccessful candidates feedback only to be told "Oh, I thought you'd done that".

Difficult conversations are difficult and, as Andre implies, if the selection criteria aren't well-founded in data but based, rather, on those false friends "gut" and "instinct", it leaves managers with little to say in terms of feedback which they therefore decide not to give (or, rather, don't decide to give).

I encourage managers to use a simple scoring method so they can see at a glance in which areas a candidate was weak or, simply, not as strong as other candidates. But you can take a horse to water...

That said,

Many candidates, if they really wanted the job, write back threatening discrimination if they don’t reverse their decision

I really don't think this is true. Unless your interviewer is exceptionally blunt and offensive, and unless your selection criteria are really blatantly discriminatory it is surely gross exaggeration to suggest that "many" candidates do this. A tiny handful of candidates, perhaps. A justifiably troublesome bunch, to be sure, but a bunch who are better responded to with more transparency and more intelligent selection criteria rather than a frankly suspicious wall of silence.

Thank you all for your comments.

Hi Karen, this should not be normal! However sadly I have had several similar experiences trying to get into some HR posts. I have to call them back days after they promised that I '...would hear back'.
One thing I have found, is that when you apply through a workplace 'portal' it is sadly, becoming an excuse for employers not to get back to interviewees directly, they just click an 'unsuccessful' button for all the candidates who didn't make it. This is not acceptable at this stage in the recruitment process.
It is good manners and much more professional if a company responds personally, even if the reasons for rejection are weak or unspecific. As for the companies who treat interviewees like this, they need to be careful as with social media things like this can dent reputations.
Much of my work in HR has been in recruitment and I insist on all applicants being informed of the outcome at the same time, by phone if possible and feedback on offer. Judith

Hi Karen,

After an interview this is unacceptable and unprofessional. Personally I'd take it as having had a luck escape - if they treat you like this when they're supposed to be enticing you what on earth are they going to be like when they've 'trapped' you?!

After an application it's disappointing. Last year I wrote 66 applications that didn't get to interview (not all for me I hasten to add, I've been helping people back into work). Of these, nearly ¾ didn't even receive an acknowledgement of receipt which given the ease of electronic communication I find unacceptable. It was curious to note that the 'employers' split into three groups. 1 = employment agencies (c45%) who virtually never acknowledged or replied; 2 = HR departments (c45%) who were slightly better than agencies but not by much; 3 = a manager within the organisation (c10%) who is running recruitment alongside their day job and who always replied.

Yes, we're all busy, but how much time does it take to set up a standard reply saying something along the lines of 'Thanks, if you haven't heard by the xx then I'm afraid that on this occasion you've not been successful'. This way the applicant at least knows you've received their submission.

Finally the chief executive called me to say it was a no, expressed how sad she was that she wouldn't have the chance to work with me,

But if she really liked you and was the CEO, did she not you have the authority to employ you? Why still the no?

Some candidates may do it if they have been out of work for some time, it is impacting on their marriage, they have a family to support, are in debt, can't pay their mortgage and may even lose their house as a result of spending time and money attending interviews but still not getting a job.

Because there was someone with more relevant experience that ultimately they preferred - that's often the situation, let's face it and where there's only one job and five good candidates, four of them are going to lose out.

The fact that she chose to call me and let me know in person, made me really respect her. It would have been such an easy thing to delegate or email (or both), but she wanted to manage it.

I have to say I've been on the receiving end of this too and i consider it rude and unprofessional. Whilst it is frustrating I do see it, as someone else pointed out, as a lucky escape. If a company doesn't treat potential candidates well and respect the time and effort they put into coming to interview then I don't want to give them my time.

I travelled 250 miles to an interview last year, paying well over £100 in travel costs and had to chase repeatedly for a response. The company has since folded so that was definitely a lucky escape but that was one of the slightly less frustrating episodes i had whilst job hunting!

I hope you find something soon.

Vicki

Hi Karen,

Your experience might probably resonate a chord with candidates who would be willing to confirm their own first-hand account of such experiences. Unfortunately, it has become a norm, albeit there might be exceptions to this where the recruiter does call and inform, even if it is a simple Yes Or a No to the candidate concerned.

I do agree that this looks rude and unprofessional, especially if it is done by another professional belonging to the HR fraternity. Albeit it is not naive not to get the message if there is no feedback, yet sadly one gets to experience such instances where days turns into weeks , and weeks into months, and your requests for a feedback/update falls on deaf ears.

Regards,
Rohit

It is not normal practice anywhere I have worked, not to get a response after interview. We always let candidates know within 24 hours of the interview with a phone call and feedback or an email and feedback. The fact that the employer did not respond to you will tell you that it is not the sort of place you would want to work. We value our applicants highly, whether successful or not. I have lots of responses from unsuccessful candidates thanking me for the feedback and saying how much they enjoyed the experience of the interview and assessment and meeting the team etc. I think you had a lucky escape not being appointed by these employers. It is very hard to change deep rooted culture. I wish you well in your career.