You Call It Next Steps, I Call It Failure

Photo by Wietse Jongsma @wietsej on Unsplash

It didn’t take long for one of my recent interviews to go sideways. They decided to have a 90-minute interview and split it into live coding and quick-fire programming trivia.

As soon as we entered the trivia section things went wrong. I couldn’t answer the first three quick-fire trivia questions. My performance got better from there, but we all knew it was done and went through the motions for the full hour or so.

At the end of the session, they delivered the coup de grâce.

“The recruiter will get in touch with you about next steps.”

lolz.

No Next Steps

We all knew there would be no next steps, and this was confirmed by the email I received over the next couple of days

“While your skills and experience are impressive, we’ve now shortlisted a selection of candidates whose qualities are more suited to our immediate requirements. We wanted you to know that this was not a decision we took lightly, as our Recruitment team is fully committed to finding the ideal candidate to fill each role.”

Why do companies do this? Why choose to conclude an interview with a bizarrely vague phrase that promises a non-existent future? 

It feels like one of those corporate phrases we’ve all accepted without question, a circle back but with an added touch of insensitivity. I didn’t appreciate the false hope from the time and effort I’d invested and would actually have appreciated a slice of honesty.

I know this isn’t going to change TBH. That’s because I know something about why they are behaving this way.

Honesty Is Hard

Companies avoid being candid at all costs, and this is reflected in the email rejection I received. They don’t want to give any reason as there is a concern about the legal or reputational fallout when they honestly just want to say “You’re a Bozo. We can’t employ you because you’re just not great” and I get that (having been on the other side of the desk on numerous occasions). Playing it safe behind non-committal language makes sense and ultimately doesn’t close the door on candidates.

There would be a sheer awkwardness associated with face-to-face rejection. As interviewers often lack training in delivering bad news tactfully, they can’t be blamed for dodging it. Dealing with rejections takes practice and emotional intelligence, both of which are undervalued in technical roles. 

The Problem

While “Next steps” absolves the interviewer of responsibility and kicks the ball into the recruiter’s court, it leaves the candidate in an unacceptable limbo.

At the end of an interview, a candidate should know what is happening next, and when they don’t know this is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable for a candidate to reach the end of an interview unsure if they performed well, and without any real-time feedback.

A Better Way Forward

If a company knows what type of employee they want, they can tailor interview questions for the job description. They can then give feedback on the candidate’s performance in these aspects of the job in real-time. So, if a candidate seems weak (for example around mentoring) further questions can be asked about the quality and depth of their experience — making the candidate aware of the issues with their experience in real time. 

Let me make it clear for interviewers, you can do better while avoiding legal issues. I’ll be radical here — you can tell the truth to candidates and make this a better experience for all concerned.

Be Kind, Be Clear

You can acknowledge the effort a candidate put in without giving them false hope. Try: “Thank you for your time today. We’ll get back to you”. You don’t say don’t hold your breath, but if you think it your face will tell the story. 

Offer Constructive Feedback During the Interview

Yes, it takes skill. Yet training interviewers might actually help increase their performance. Talking through a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses (while they are in the room) gives a chance for a positive response, poor interviews could be turned around and any rejections feel less like a door slamming shut and more like a stepping stone.

Train Your Team

Empathy and honesty are skills. Investing in training would give the capability of rejecting candidates with grace, as well as the chance of hiring better candidates.

Conclusion

Ultimately a good rejection should result in a candidate thanking the company for their developmental feedback.

To update you on this particular position, the company is still trying to recruit for this role two months after they rejected me. Good luck, people!