Do You Reject Candidates Politely?

Once your first choice has accepted the job, how do you close the loop with the other candidates who have interviewed?  My first piece of advice is to contact them and let them know of your decision.  This may sound obvious, but it’s shocking how many organizations don’t do it and just leave candidates hanging.  If a candidate takes the time to interview with you, you at least owe her the courtesy of a phone call or email.  Here are some general best practices:

Err on the side of overcommunicating

You can get things off on the right foot by explaining your selection process before or during an interview.  When you provide this information, the candidate will know exactly when they can expect communication from you and will be less likely to check in repeatedly about offer status (or sit and stew about why they haven’t heard from you).

Yes, you must use a phone

Now that most organizations have an applicant tracking system and/or career portal that can send automated emails to candidates at various stages of the recruitment process, there’s no excuse for allowing a rejected candidate to disappear into a black hole.  However, if they went through the trouble of coming in for an interview, you should really call them as soon as you’ve given an offer to someone else – if not sooner.  You’d be surprised how fast word gets around in local job hunting circles.  If your call gets sent to voicemail, leave one.  They might be one of those non-checkers, but that’s not your problem.  A voicemail is better than no call at all.

For the rest of my tips, head over to the SilkRoad blog.

Comments

[Annabel]

I also think that employers can take it a step further by informing the "rejected candidates" of subsequent job openings either in their firm or another, instead of leaving them to "disappear into a black hole" just like then writer rightfully said.