How to collect candidate feedback to improve onsite interviews

So far in 2022, onsite interviews have grown by 32%. Workplace leaders are opting for in-person interactions with candidates as a way of assessing whether they are a good match for their company and culture. Collecting candidate feedback after onsite interviews is a great way to get a sense of how folks felt about the interview process and the prospect of working for your company. However, with so many other priorities, feedback is often left on the sidelines. In this post, we’re going to explore how you can turn feedback into your secret superpower after onsite candidate interviews. We’ll explore:

• Why is candidate feedback so important?
• 5 ways to get honest feedback about your onsite interview process
• What to do with effective candidate feedback

Why is candidate feedback so important?

Collecting candidate feedback on the interview process opens up external perspectives and gives you ideas for how to improve your physical workplace. This includes ways to improve the onsite candidate experience, such as the timeliness of collecting candidates from the lobby or any issues they experienced with your visitor management solution. It also gives potential new hires a chance to communicate their opinion early on, helping to strengthen the interviewer-interviewee relationship as well as drive respect for your business.Of course, candidate feedback is also a two-way process. Candidate’s value feedback on their performance and take this into consideration when they accept or reject a role. Asking for feedback shows candidates you care about their experience from the very beginning and will continue to do so if they transition to a permanent employee.

6 ways to get honest feedback about your onsite interview process

Candidates spend a long time applying for jobs. And even after so much time and effort, more than 75% of job seekers so far this year have been ghosted after an interview. Organizations and their workplace leaders must work to build a reputable brand amongst top talent. If they’re not careful, a continual lack of follow-up may hurt organizations and their future hiring strategies. Here are six tips to collect authentic candidate feedback on your onsite interview process.

1. Give candidates clear direction. Be clear on the kind of candidate feedback you are asking for. This includes what part of the onsite experience you’d like them to review. Is it just the arrival experience or the onsite interview as a whole? Be sure to frame your questions in the right way, too. For example, are you asking candidates to rate their experience or provide written feedback?
2. Provide feedback to candidates on their onsite interview. More than 60% of candidates who receive feedback on their interview, even if they were unsuccessful, would be more inclined to apply for future jobs at the same organization. Ensure you offer feedback to candidates. Not only is this helpful for people, but it’ll also increase their enthusiasm for working for you and incentivize them to provide feedback to you as well.  
3. Make candidates feel comfortable about sharing their opinion. Whether that’s ensuring surveys are anonymous or baking it into your communication before the interview, it’s important to make candidates feel comfortable with sharing feedback. If you don’t, candidates may feel like honest feedback will hinder their chances of success.
4. Provide more than one method for candidates to share feedback. This allows them to then use the method that’s most comfortable. For example, candidates might prefer to provide feedback directly to the recruiter after the final interview. Alternatively they might want to fill in a survey once they’ve had time to reflect on their onsite interview experience.
5. Be respectful of candidates’ time. Ask for feedback within a reasonable timeframe or make it an optional step in the overall interview process. When interviewees can provide feedback in their own time, it’s more likely to be honest rather than forced. It will also help candidates feel more connected to your brand.
6. Act on it! Don’t leave candidates wondering what happened to the feedback they provided. This can be detrimental to employee trust if they are successful. It’ll also make it harder to get honest feedback in the future. Follow up with candidates to let them know you appreciate their feedback.

When candidates leave the workplace after their onsite interview, you want them to have a positive view of your organization. Although you can’t control the interview itself, you can help to create an experience that makes you stand out to each candidate that visits you on-site.

What to do with effective candidate feedback

When you’ve collected feedback from candidates, it can be difficult to know what to do with it all. Here are some tips for you to use candidate feedback as effectively as possible to improve your physical workplace and onsite interview experience.

Create a feedback database

Create a database for feedback to flow into. Once you have feedback in one place, it’s easier to see areas you’re doing well on versus areas that need improvement. This database could be as simple as a spreadsheet, checklist, or scorecard. To help you, we’ve created a candidate experience scorecard, where results from an embedded survey form will automatically populate the sheet and provide you with an average score.

Review feedback regularly

Review feedback on a monthly or quarterly basis to ensure you’re addressing any problems or wins. It’s a good idea to ensure the people reviewing the feedback represent different stages of the process. For example, if HR assesses feedback on the onsite candidate experience on a quarterly basis, ensure interviewers and other workplace leaders are there to weigh in as well.

Make changes to your workplace

The most important part of collecting feedback is putting it into action. After you have reviewed your feedback, ensure the team feels equipped to drive any changes or improvements forward in the workplace. This might be providing more amenities in your office’s social areas, improving the welcome experience in the lobby, or investing in a room booking solution to avoid double-booking or interruption during interviews.

Tie back to your company values

Finally, a key step to wrap up your feedback cycle is to always tie it back to your company values. As each candidate enters the lobby, they should get a feel for what your organization represents: your mission, idea, and brand. Remember, company values define what you stand for. As you implement the feedback, ensure that you are staying true to your company values.

--

Feedback can be your most powerful tool for improving the workplace for everyone. When candidates are able to voice their opinion, respect for your organization will only grow. Feedback is, and always will be, your secret superpower for creating a workplace your people will love.