“I might say, for example, ‘It sounds like you have a really good approach to how you influence stakeholders and build relationships, but your attention to detail in structuring project plans was lacking’,” says Becky McCullough, who leads recruiting and talent development for the company.
Regarding the possibility of legal exposure, the company replied in a statement that “at HubSpot, transparency and empathy are two of our core values, and that includes how we treat our candidates. We understand the importance of adhering to local employment laws, and we also firmly believe that providing feedback when possible is the right thing to do. “
Since this approach is quite hard to come by, however, candidates seeking feedback may have better luck with a third-party recruiter working on behalf of an employer.
“The third-party recruiter has an incentive,” says Jeffrey Spector, president and co-founder of Karat, a company that conducts technical interviews with software engineers on behalf of employers. “If they’re an agency, they get paid when you get placed, so they have an incentive for you to get better and better. Maybe you don’t get a job at Google, but they can turn around and offer you to Facebook.”
Taking matters into their own hands
Some candidates aren’t necessarily giving up on the pursuit for information, however – and there are people who can help them.
Brad Davis, a 37-year-old customer success professional based in Cincinnatti, Ohio, was laid off in November. Davis has hired about 25 people in his career, and when colleagues he mentors started expressing their frustration with lack of feedback in the interview process, he decided to offer free mock interviews to job seekers in customer success.
Davis has conducted about 70 mock interviews in just four weeks. He announces time slots on LinkedIn every Wednesday, and spots are filled within minutes. The demand is so high, he’s brought in others to help, and now participants get an audience with three faux hiring managers.
