Hello everyone! I’m Marina, a Talent Recruiter at QIC digital hub. I’ve been working with IT teams and helping them grow with the right people who not only match the skillset, but also click with the team culture. Having an overall experience in various IT companies, I’ve seen firsthand how structured interview feedback can transform the hiring process, not only making it more efficient but also more human-centered.
At QIC we continuously improve how we hire. One of our key focus areas is building a strong feedback culture: we aim to provide candidates with timely, specific, and constructive feedback that helps them grow, regardless of the hiring decision.
In this article, I’d love to share some of our observations and practices around interview feedback, particularly why it matters and what makes it truly valuable after technical and final interviews.
Why does feedback matter? Hiring managers conduct multiple interviews every week and often feel overloaded by the sheer volume. As a result, feedback sometimes becomes a quick remark like, “She’s great! Let’s move her forward,” or “Not a good fit. Reject.” At first glance, this may seem sufficient. However, such an approach has significant downsides.
Нere are three key reasons why you should opt for detailed feedback.
1. Refining job search strategy
Detailed feedback helps recruiters identify key patterns and adjust hiring criteria after the first few technical interviews. It’s natural for hiring managers not to have a clear image of an ideal candidate and to refine their expectations as they interact with applicants, sometimes realizing that the initial requirements were too narrow or, conversely, that a more junior candidate could be a better fit.
Additionally, structured feedback helps recruiters pinpoint gaps in interview questions or assessment methods, leading to a more effective and optimized hiring process.
2. Building a future hiring pipeline/Getting back to some previous applicants
It might sound obvious, but many candidates we interact with eventually reconnect with the company, sometimes even years later. Given the volume of applications processed daily, even outstanding candidates can fade from memory over time, and it is absolutely OK.
Having detailed feedback, including strengths, weaknesses, and even subjective impressions , can make a significant difference when reconsidering a candidate in the future.
For example:
A candidate made a generally positive impression but cracked an inappropriate joke or gave a contradictory answer A strong candidate lacked specific technical skills that were deal-breakers at the time but might now be acceptable for a different role Documenting these details ensures a smoother, more transparent, and less time-consuming rehiring process.
3. Enhancing Company Reputation
Providing clear, structured feedback strengthens a company’s HR brand. In today’s interconnected world, references, whether positive or negative, can significantly impact an organization’s reputation.
How does feedback shape employer branding? Encourages positive word-of-mouth: Candidates appreciate transparency and professionalism, even if they are rejected. Many share their experiences on platforms like LinkedIn, Telegram, etc. influencing future applicants Keeps doors open for future hires: Rejected candidates who receive constructive feedback are more likely to reapply, knowing they were assessed fairly Increases referral potential: Even if a candidate isn’t a fit, they may still recommend the company to others if they feel respected Demonstrates the company’s commitment to growth: Companies that provide feedback foster a culture of continuous learning and professional development, reinforcing their reputation as ethical and employee-friendly workplaces. So, what makes great feedback? While feedback for technical and final interviews may differ in focus, both should contain the following elements:
Specificity: Provide concrete examples of strengths and weaknesses. For technical interviews it is: problem-solving abilities, coding skills, algorithmic thinking, tool proficiency, etc.
For final interviews: cultural fit, communication skills, initiative, leadership potential, and alignment with company values.
However, hiring managers can also (and are very welcome to) share observations on soft skills based on the technical interview.
Constructiveness: Feedback should help a candidate grow. Avoid vague criticisms or purely negative remarks. Instead, focus on how they can improve and highlight some areas they really excelled in. Also, differentiate between gaps that are truly critical for the role and those that are acceptable or coachable. Objectivity vs. Subjectivity: Feedback should be based on measurable criteria to minimize personal bias. However, subjective impressions also matter. If a hiring manager notices something unusual or contradictory during the conversation, it should be documented, especially if the recruiter had similar concerns earlier in the process. Balance: Recognize both strengths and areas for improvement. This not only helps candidates grow but also provides recruiters with a well-rounded evaluation of both technical and soft skills. Candidate grade and next steps: This crucial step is often overlooked. Hiring managers should use the company’s Competency Matrix to assign a structured grade to candidates, ensuring transparency and consistency in the evaluation process. For example, a clear grading system helps prevent potential misunderstandings around salary expectations, as candidates may either overestimate or sometimes even hugely underestimate their level. It also ensures fairness and alignment with internal assessment structures, maintaining a transparent and trustworthy hiring process. Finally, hiring managers should always recommend next steps — whether to proceed with a candidate and how strongly they endorse them. Here are examples of great interview feedback both in terms of structure and information:
Technical Interview Feedback
Memory Management: Solid understanding of memory allocation and garbage collection. I’d recommend a deeper dive into how processes and threads interact with memory. Kotlin: Fully familiar with Kotlin’s functionality and syntax. Some deeper exploration of implementation aspects would be beneficial, specifically in reflection, function interfaces, and class types. Jetpack Compose: Quite strong, understands optimization and successfully solved the task (though with some guidance). Would be helpful to explore different effects, Jetpack Compose utilities, and handle various screen sizes. Coroutines: Good grasp of the concepts and hands-on experience. However, he could benefit from a deeper understanding of synchronization challenges and practical work on them. Architecture: Asked a few product-related questions and provided only a high-level explanation of app architecture. Limited questions and insights on the backend, but overall understands key concepts. A more in-depth discussion of architectural aspects and implementation details would be valuable. Overall Impression: Rather positive. Level IC4. Team Interview feedback:
Really great candidate! Knows exactly what she wants, with clear motivation that fully aligns with our team, company, and role Doesn’t want to write memes or sales-driven content — prefers crafting seamless, user-friendly texts Wants to maintain her English skills but values being part of a Russian-speaking team Looking to step away from banking and explore a new domain Skilled at switching between tasks and projects Will integrate smoothly into our processes and team It can also be really concise as in here:
“[NAME] has great communication skills, a strong self-presentation, and asks insightful questions about processes and the team. His strengths include the ability to organize processes independently, a proactive approach (he understood the client’s request for a mobile app and suggested building it), a mindset that fits well with the team, and experience working with MVPs”. All in all, providing structured and detailed feedback isn’t just about improving the hiring process – it also strengthens employer branding, refines recruitment strategies, and fosters a positive candidate experience.
Make sure to keep these tips in mind during your next interview, as they go a long way in building a strong, consistent hiring culture.
The Importance of Providing Interview Feedback was originally published in QIC digital hub blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
