Step 1: Request feedback

Overview of requesting feedback

Applicant feedback is available to both employee and external applicants. Receiving feedback helps you understand your performance in a job competition, including what you did well and where you can improve. It also helps you understand how the hiring decision was made.

If you are an unsuccessful employee applicant in the BC Public Service (or an employee on layoff who hasn’t lost seniority), you must request and receive feedback before moving to the next step in the staffing review process.

This applies if you have concerns about how the merit principle was applied, including whether the appointment resulted from a process that fairly assessed the knowledge, skills, and abilities of eligible applicants.

If you received feedback earlier in the process but still have concerns about how the merit principle was applied, you may choose to proceed with an inquiry by the deputy minister. You are not required to request feedback more than once to proceed.

Timeline to request feedback 

You must request feedback within 5 calendar days of receiving the final regret notification.

• Day 1 is the day after you receive the final regret notification
  • A final regret notification is a communication sent to all unsuccessful applicants once the hiring decision has been made
• If you miss this deadline, you can still ask for feedback. However, you will not be eligible to proceed to an inquiry by the deputy minister (step 2)

Next steps

If the feedback answers your questions, no further action is needed. If you have concerns about the competition and believe section 8 of the Public Service Act was not upheld, you may be eligible to request an inquiry by the deputy minister.