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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!

Parents
  • "We recognise that an interview only gives us a snapshot of the way that a candidate will perform, but for this role it is important that the person appointed can be concise and can listen carefully to requirements. On the basis of the telephone interview, you answered some questions before the other person finished speaking and didn't always give a response that matched the question asked. As a result, the answers were long meaning that the call ran over time. These are areas you may wish to focus on in future interview practice.

    We also noted that some of your answers seemed better suited to a role in a marketing agency, and we wondered whether you may find kind of role that a better fit for your experience and skills."
Reply
  • "We recognise that an interview only gives us a snapshot of the way that a candidate will perform, but for this role it is important that the person appointed can be concise and can listen carefully to requirements. On the basis of the telephone interview, you answered some questions before the other person finished speaking and didn't always give a response that matched the question asked. As a result, the answers were long meaning that the call ran over time. These are areas you may wish to focus on in future interview practice.

    We also noted that some of your answers seemed better suited to a role in a marketing agency, and we wondered whether you may find kind of role that a better fit for your experience and skills."
Children
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