Rethinking Information Shared with Candidates

By Posted in - Talent Management on March 19th, 2014 0 Comments

Many organizations make it a policy not to share assessment results with candidates. This is primarily to avoid stimulating challenges from disgruntled candidates concerning assessment procedures. While there is certainly some logic in this approach, I would suggest that providing some feedback to candidates (not necessarily assessment results) would be a good thing and would enhance the organizations employment brand.

Why not provide candidates with information they would find useful and provide developmental suggestions? I would propose that there are three areas where meaningful feedback could be provided:

Suggested Competencies to Work On

Suggest a list of 2 -3 competencies that are seen as very important for success in the position. You can make the point that these areas were not necessarily evaluated low in the assessment process, but because of their importance in the role, you suggest all candidates continue to improve these skills. Many organizations have taken the time to prepare development guides for how to improve in these core areas. Provide some of this content to the candidate or point them to references where they can find additional developmental suggestions.

Suggested Technical Skills to Work On

List those technical skills that are most highly valued for success in the position as well. Again, offer developmental guidance or point the candidate to useful references.

Suggested Experiences to Broaden

Describe some of the most important experiences that you look for in evaluating candidates. Suggest possible work assignments or other actions that would be helpful in broadening and deepening their experience foundation.

With just a little effort, this content could be developed for all your pivotal roles and become part or your standard hiring practices. Sharing this type of information helps educate candidates about the requirements for success in the position and indicates you have an interest in their ongoing development. Improvements in these areas will help strengthen candidates and help prepare them for success in the future. It also helps keep them engaged with your organization. A positive candidate experience is likely to be shared with others and will serve to bolster your employment brand.

Contact us at OMNIview to learn more about how we can help you improve candidate experience, build a ready supply of qualified candidates, and win in the war for talent.

Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D.

About Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D.

Patrick Hauenstein is the President and Chief Science Officer for OMNIview. During his free time Pat likes to cook. He is particularly fond of traditional southern cuisine. Pat is also an animal lover ...
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