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Awkward interview feedback

Cat Jones

I am trying my best to give useful feedback following interviews. 

But sometimes I really struggle to say anything helpful around a poor fit. I don't want to offend anyone by straight-up saying "You were so annoying you would do everyone's head in and no one will want to collaborate with you" but that is what I would say if I was being honest.

As a recent example: Incredible candidate for a marketing role on paper. It is a new role for us and we are a small team of 35. In a 30-minute phone call, they were constantly talking over me, went on strange tangents, kept talking as though we were a marketing agency and did not respect the time limit I had booked the call for. Whilst they may have had the skills, I would be too concerned about how they would work with other people.

How can I advise a candidate like this I will not be processing their application in a fair but helpful way? Rather than a generic "other better candidates" response.

In the past, I have given the benefit of doubt to candidates like this and invited them in. But the line manager for this role trusts me and would rather not see them!

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  • in reply to Keith
    The simplest solutions are often the best! Overthinking strikes again... I wasn't sure if this would be too much of a character assassination after a short (but not short enough) phonecall.
    In terms of something positive... they could probably do the job. But would clash with so many people along the way.
  • in reply to Cat Jones
    And isn't that the purpose of 'Feedback'. Thats hopefully, how people learn and move on.

    My wife has absolutely no problem about giving me (or others when appropriate) feedback if my behaviour has proved lacking - and she'd give it like Keith said although she normally adds "I thought, Perhaps, I felt, maybe, and similiar words which seem to make the feedback more acceptable because the person isn't being attacked and she's using "I" a lot which simply gives her opinion rather than saying; "you did this, disn't say that and so on. She was a Relate counsellor, management trainer and a Relate trainer - so she knows her stuff.
  • in reply to Cat Jones
    I don't see it Cat Jones as character assassination, I see it as fairly direct but actually helpful feedback that , may, if implemented help them do better at another interview. Which after all should be the purpose of any feedback. Its to help the receiver. The more you dress it up, then there is the risk that some people will miss the point.

    I think I would be careful in how directly you say they could do the job - part of doing the job is getting on with colleagues etc, if I were I would say they displayed many of the technical skills necessary.