David Did It! – The Feedback Séance: Why Recruitment Silence Has to Stop

A Halloween Recruitment Tale from David Did It!

There are few phrases in recruitment more dangerous than:

“Yes, please send the CV.”

It sounds positive and it sounds like interest. It sounds as though someone has reviewed the anonymous profile, identified a potential need and genuinely wants to consider the candidate.

You speak with the candidate. You explain the firm and the possible opportunity. You answer their questions. You obtain their informed written consent. You prepare the submission and send the CV.

Then you wait……And wait……….And wait.

Suddenly, the client who was very much alive when requesting the CV has vanished into the mist.

No acknowledgment or feedback. No “thank you, but not for us.”

Just the recruitment equivalent of a cold breeze, a flickering light and the faint sound of someone whispering:

“We’ll come back to you.”

Ten years into recruitment, this is still one of my biggest pet peeves. Not rejection as rejection is part of the job.

Not every candidate will suit every firm. Not every CV will lead to an interview. Sometimes a profile misses the mark, the vacancy changes or an internal candidate appears.That is recruitment, what frustrates me is silence.

Summoning Feedback from the Other Side

This week, I found myself following up on several candidate CVs. These were not unsolicited profiles thrown at random companies. The clients had responded to candidate-marketing emails and specifically asked to see the CVs.

That matters.

Before sharing a CV, we speak with the candidate about the potential firm or team. We explain why there may be interest and ask whether the candidate would like to explore it. We then obtain informed written consent for that specific introduction.

The candidate knows the CV has been sent.

The candidate is therefore waiting for an update.When the client disappears, the recruiter does not stop existing. More importantly, neither does the candidate.

That candidate starts asking perfectly reasonable questions:

• Has the firm reviewed my CV?
• Is the team interested?
• Is there anything missing from my experience?
• Should I keep time available for an interview?
• Did the firm reject me?
• Is the role still live?

And the honest answer from the recruiter is sometimes:

“I don’t know. I’ve asked.”

That is not a good candidate experience.

A Simple “No” Is Not the Villain

Let me make something clear. I am not asking every client to write a three-page critique of every CV.

I know Partners, Directors, hiring managers and internal recruitment teams are busy. Legal and Accountancy Practices have clients to serve, deadlines to meet and teams to manage. Sometimes the answer is simply no.

That is fine.

A quick response such as this is enough:

“Thank you, but the candidate does not have enough recent UK Accountancy Practice experience.”

Or:

“The litigation experience is strong, but we need someone with more direct Business Development responsibility.”

Or even:

“Good profile, but the salary is beyond our budget.”

One sentence helps and allows me to update the candidate professionally. That one sentence helps me understand whether the search needs refining.

One sentence may prevent me from sending another candidate with exactly the same gap.

Silence achieves none of those things.

So I Created the Four-Point Feedback Scale

Because asking “Do you have any feedback?” can apparently require the summoning of ancient spirits, I have simplified the process. Clients awaiting a CV review can now reply with a score from one to four:

1. Interview

The profile is relevant and the firm would like to arrange a conversation.

2. Interested, but needs internal review

The CV has potential, but another decision-maker needs to consider it or further information is required.

3. Not progressing

The candidate is not right for the current requirement.

One line explaining the principal gap would be appreciated.

4. Vacancy changed or placed on hold

The requirement, budget, timing or hiring plan has changed.

That is it.

No crystal ball.

No Ouija board.

No midnight séance in a darkened boardroom chanting the candidate’s name.

Just one number and, where possible, one line of context.

Why the One Line Matters

That single line helps all three parties.

It helps the candidate

Candidates deserve to know whether an application is progressing.

They may be considering other opportunities, arranging interviews or deciding whether to remain in their current role. They should not be expected to wait indefinitely because somebody has not found 30 seconds to respond.

It helps the client

Useful feedback improves the next introduction.

If the candidate lacks the required tax-planning experience, Police Station Accreditation, client following or portfolio-management exposure, tell us.

We can adjust the search.

Without feedback, the recruiter is forced to guess. Guessing wastes everybody’s time.

It helps the recruiter

Recruiters need to decide where to invest their time.

A live vacancy with an engaged client deserves targeted searches, LinkedIn approaches, networking and market mapping.

A vacancy where CVs disappear into an inbox-shaped crypt must be treated differently.

That is not punishment. It is commercial reality.

Feedback Does Not Need to Be Perfect

Sometimes hiring managers avoid feedback because they think it needs to be detailed or carefully worded.

It does not.

A useful response might be:

• Not enough recent Practice experience
• Too junior for the portfolio
• Too senior for the team structure
• Salary expectations are too high
• Location will not work
• Needs stronger client-management experience
• We require a current accreditation
• Good candidate, but not for this vacancy
• The role has been paused
• We have appointed internally

None of that is cruel and in fact what is unfair is encouraging someone’s interest, requesting their CV and then leaving them without an answer.

Recruiters Are Not Innocent Either

Before anyone assumes this is a complaint aimed only at clients, it is not. Us recruiters must do better too.

Candidates should receive updates not just after interviews. They should be told when a vacancy has been paused and they should not have to send four messages asking what happened. They also should not be promised a Friday update and still be waiting the following Thursday. We have all let things slip.

And recruiters should not hide behind the client.

Even if the update is:

“I have followed up twice and have not received a decision. Rather than leave you waiting, I am treating the application as not progressing at this stage.”

That is still an update. It is honest. It closes the loop and allows the candidate to move forward.

Speed Is Not the Same as Rushing

I have written before about how delays, unclear timelines and vague feedback create unnecessary friction in recruitment. A thorough hiring process can still be responsive.

Nobody is asking firms to make careless decisions. Take the time needed to assess a CV properly and speak with the relevant Partner.

Check the business case.

Clarify the salary.

But communicate while doing it.

There is a considerable difference between:

“The Head of Department is reviewing the CV on Friday, and I will update you afterward.” and complete silence. Both mean a decision has not yet been made however only one treats the candidate and recruiter with professional courtesy.

“Send the CV” Should Mean Something

Requesting a CV should not be the recruitment equivalent of browsing online and adding something to a basket you never intend to buy.

The candidate is a person and their career history is not a free sample. Their identity, experience and professional reputation should not be passed around because somebody is mildly curious.

At Hawthorne-Finch, we obtain informed written consent before making a client-specific introduction.

That means a CV request creates work and an expectation:

1. We establish what opportunity may exist.
2. We speak with the candidate.
3. We explain the firm and possible role.
4. We answer the candidate’s questions.
5. We obtain written consent.
6. We prepare a relevant candidate summary.
7. We submit the CV.
8. We manage the candidate’s expectations.
9. We follow up for an outcome.

A response from the client is not an unreasonable final step.

My New Rule for the Haunted Inbox

If a client requests a CV, I will continue to provide it where there is a credible opportunity and the candidate gives informed consent.

I will follow up professionally and I will make responding as easy as possible.

But I will not keep sending CV after CV into a process that produces no acknowledgment, no decisions and no feedback.

Before introducing further candidates, I may ask for an update on those already submitted.

That helps protect:

• The candidate experience
• The client’s employer brand
• The recruiter’s time
• The quality of future introductions
• The credibility of the overall hiring process

The best recruitment relationships are reciprocal and the recruiter provides relevant people, honest market information and proper candidate management.

The client provides a clear brief, realistic expectations and timely decisions.

Neither side needs to be perfect and both sides need to communicate.

No More Recruitment Ghost Stories

Recruitment will always involve uncertainty.

Candidates change their minds.

Vacancies are paused.

Budgets disappear.

Offers are rejected.

Business priorities shift.

All of that can be managed.

Silence cannot.

So, this Halloween, I am not asking clients to banish every ghost from recruitment.

I am asking for something much simpler:

Reply with a number from one to four.

Add one line if the answer is no.

Let the candidate know where they stand.

Because after ten years in recruitment, I can deal with difficult feedback.

What I cannot work with is nothing.

And if your inbox needs candles, chanting and a paranormal investigator before it releases an update, it may be time to review the recruitment process.

David Did It!