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> the feedback you get is minimal I've been in hiring roles for 15+ years and I've interviewed somewhere around 1000 candidates. I don't work at Stripe, but I

> the feedback you get is minimal I've been in hiring roles for 15+ years and I've interviewed somewhere around 1000 candidates. I don't work at Stripe, but I can probably explain why you didn't get feedback. Giving candidates feedback is really fraught. First, even honest feedback is unlikely to be satisfying. It's entirely possible that your recruiter told you exactly what the team's feedback was. "Your answers were fine, but we want better" or "... but candidate X was stronger" is super-common, but very unsatisfying. Second, while some candidates take feedback well, most don't. When I've been specific -- e.g. "your answers to questions about software architecture fell short" or "you didn't clearly demonstrate experience solving production issues" -- most candidates argue or get angry. People are really, really bad about taking criticism well. I've even had two candidates threaten to sue me, and one threaten violence. These are obviously outliers, but they do happen. Finally, the upside is limited: to the company, what's the value of feedback? We've already decided you're not a fit, so what value is feedback to us? Especially if, as I've explained, you're unlikely to get much value from it either? The best way to get feedback about your prospects as a job candidate isn't from someone a company you're interviewing with. Instead, ask someone you trust to conduct a mock interview with you and give you feedback. You'll be more to be able to listen if it's someone you know has your best interest in mind; they'll be more likely to give honest feedback if they know you'll take it well.

bradleyjg 7y ago
The hiring process isn't just about the candidates you make end up hiring. Everyone that comes in contact with it is going to form an impression of your company--positive or negative. Clearly there's some kinds of feedback that is likely to leave a negative impression (see those that threatened violence!) but on the hand putting someone through days and days of interviews and then saying "we didn't feel a spark" also is going to leave a negative impression. The rare interviews where I received concrete actionable feedback afterwords, even though it still stung I have a more positive impression than those where I got some pabulum (much less the ones that ghosted me).
- strzibny 7y ago
  Yep, 100%. Saying it's not use to the "company" says everything; you never really cared.
  - jjeaff 7y ago
    It's also short sided because you may burn all those candidates for life. Some of those candidates you didn't want to hire today might be excellent 5 years down the road.
8ytecoder 7y ago
>> What's the upside for the company? That I'd apply with you again - if I enjoyed the process and the specific feedback either suggests to me that I didn't articulate well or I need to be better prepared. If the process is bad or you treat me like cattle or you provide no feedback, I don't know if the problem is you or me and I don't think I'd try to work for your company again.
- jjeaff 7y ago
  I think for some glaring problems, feedback is helpful. But in a lot of cases, companies have no clue if they are really hiring the best candidate. It's a crap shoot whether they realize it or not. But if you have 50 candidates that are all qualified for the job, you are basically just looking for random reasons to exclude candidates until you narrow it down to a few.

bradleyjg 7y ago

The hiring process isn't just about the candidates you make end up hiring. Everyone that comes in contact with it is going to form an impression of your company--positive or negative. Clearly there's some kinds of feedback that is likely to leave a negative impression (see those that threatened violence!) but on the hand putting someone through days and days of interviews and then saying "we didn't feel a spark" also is going to leave a negative impression. The rare interviews where I received concrete actionable feedback afterwords, even though it still stung I have a more positive impression than those where I got some pabulum (much less the ones that ghosted me).

strzibny 7y ago
Yep, 100%. Saying it's not use to the "company" says everything; you never really cared.
- jjeaff 7y ago
  It's also short sided because you may burn all those candidates for life. Some of those candidates you didn't want to hire today might be excellent 5 years down the road.

8ytecoder 7y ago

>> What's the upside for the company? That I'd apply with you again - if I enjoyed the process and the specific feedback either suggests to me that I didn't articulate well or I need to be better prepared. If the process is bad or you treat me like cattle or you provide no feedback, I don't know if the problem is you or me and I don't think I'd try to work for your company again.

jjeaff 7y ago
I think for some glaring problems, feedback is helpful. But in a lot of cases, companies have no clue if they are really hiring the best candidate. It's a crap shoot whether they realize it or not. But if you have 50 candidates that are all qualified for the job, you are basically just looking for random reasons to exclude candidates until you narrow it down to a few.