Telling someone they didn’t get the job is one of the less pleasant tasks in recruitment. You should aim to break the news to candidates in a professional, sincere, and constructive manner.
There are two ways to let a job candidate down: you can either give them the bad news in a phone call or let them know in a letter or email. The way you choose to let them know usually depends on how far along the interview process the candidate has made it.
If there are a number of people you are are not bringing forward for interview at the early stage of the recruitment process, then an email or letter is perfectly acceptable. In fact, you’ll find a tool that lets you set up a “regret” email in your Recruiter Hub. However, if someone has reached the final stages of your interview process then you might want to consider calling them and giving them direct one to one feedback as to why they weren’t chosen for the job.
Not sure of the best approach? Here are some tips to help you tell someone they haven’t got the job.
Get in touch quickly
Don’t leave people hanging on. Let candidates know as soon as you know about whether or not they have been successful.
Show gratitude
Thank the candidate for their interest in your business. It’s important to acknowledge the time they spent and the effort they made to apply for your job and prepare for the interview.
Acknowledge their strengths
You wouldn’t have interviewed the candidate if they didn’t have the qualifications, experience or skills you wanted. You should acknowledge their ability and why you were interested in meeting with them.
Give a specific reason
Get to the point swiftly and explain why you’re not able to make a job offer. Phrases such as “we’re seeking a candidate who has more experience” are useful but if you can be more specific then all the better. For example, can you flag a specific area where they had lacked the experience or skills you are after? Try not to be too negative; it’s hard enough for the candidate to hear the news about the job offer without feeling you are criticising them. Most importantly, don’t be discriminatory, or even appear to be discriminatory, when it comes to interviewing or hiring candidates.
Respond promptly
If the candidate has questions or inquiries, make sure you respond to them promptly and on a professional level, and definitely make sure you follow company policies on communicating with applicants. They’ll be likely to reapply with your company if they receive all the necessary information, so never burn your bridges. In fact, it’s best to keep all applications on file for at least six months.
Leave the door open
If the candidate has potential for another role with your business then let them know you’d happily receive an application from them again or ask if you can keep their CV on file for future roles.
Be polite and professional
Wish the candidate well with their future job hunt, it shows that you have respect for them.
Acknowledging applications and giving feedback might be hard work but they can yield dividends for your business. Treating people with respect at this stage of recruitment speaks volumes about your work culture and goes a long way to establishing a strong employer brand. Just because someone is the right person for your job now doesn’t mean they won’t be at some stage or that they don’t have friends and family who would be a good fit for your workplace. Savvy recruiters know that building talent pipelines can help them fill future vacancies quickly and easily.
