Recruiter here that has worked with quite a few startups as well as large companies (agency recruiter, not internal). Some clients are great about giving candidates actionable advice after interviews ("your database skills were not up to speed"), but generally the personalized feedback is only given when it is pretty clear that the feedback will be agreed to by the failed candidate. If he/she missed all the database questions, this feedback will not be a surprise.
You start to hear the generic code words like "not a fit" when there is something more to it, like we just didn't like you, or something perhaps bordering on illegal.
I have clients that deliver me very personalized rejections for some candidates and very generic rejections for others, at which point it becomes fairly obvious that personality and other things that a candidate would be sensitive to are often the issue. It's much easier to hear "your DB skills weren't up to snuff, bone up on those and you'll get somewhere" than "we didn't like you, change".
Fear of offending candidates, or being sued, are the root of the problem - and 'not a fit' is such a bland response that it generally just creates more questions from candidates.
Those are no-win situations, and there is really nothing you can or should tell them. You have that 1-5% element that may even sneak past your phone interview or look good on paper! but that you almost immediately know will never work for you. I don't think lying is ever a great idea, but in those situations the truth is a very risky endeavor, and some sort of white lie ("we just filled the position") could be an option.
You start to hear the generic code words like "not a fit" when there is something more to it, like we just didn't like you, or something perhaps bordering on illegal.
I have clients that deliver me very personalized rejections for some candidates and very generic rejections for others, at which point it becomes fairly obvious that personality and other things that a candidate would be sensitive to are often the issue. It's much easier to hear "your DB skills weren't up to snuff, bone up on those and you'll get somewhere" than "we didn't like you, change".
Fear of offending candidates, or being sued, are the root of the problem - and 'not a fit' is such a bland response that it generally just creates more questions from candidates.