I think the piece does a decent job of laying out the advantages of being responsive in this way: you're creating an opening for referrals, you're increasing t

I think the piece does a decent job of laying out the advantages of being responsive in this way: you're creating an opening for referrals, you're increasing the chances of your rejection pool transforming into a future hiring pool, and you're building a positive reputation. I also suspect that there might be some positive effect on the actual hiring process -- someone who knows they're going to have articulate their decision might be more thorough in the process of making it. I don't know if it's a decisive advantage, but it seems reasonable enough. The part I'm curious about at this point is if anyone has actually gotten good at eliciting this kind of feedback during/after the interview process. Usually, it's better to just move on to the next opportunity, but as I've said elsewhere in this discussion[0], I occasionally come across a job that I know I'd like to be able to apply for again if I don't get it, and in those cases, I try to send follow up notes asking for suggestions to become a more competitive applicant. My response rate is 1 out of about a dozen or so. It's possible this is actually pretty good considering the facts on the ground (people are busy/time is scarce, that's why they're hiring, and nobody wants to open themselves to legal threats). I'm just wondering if anyone has learned to do considerably better. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6524750 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6524750