How to Reject Somebody for a Job
Over the summer, I went on a job interview and I thought it went well. It started with a phone interview. Then, I further researched the organization. Then I had an in-person interview, followed by even more learning about the organization. After weeks of silence, I got a template email from the parent company's HR portal telling me I didn't get the job and wishing me luck in my search. I'm an adult and can handle not getting a job. Heck, they probably did me a favor. However, the notification process most companies follow feels rude.
I'm not a hiring manager. However, I have been on the candidate side of the proverbial table many times and I can confirm that candidates remember how they're treated. Job candidates could be future customers. My opinion is that if a candidate makes the time to go through an interview, then the hiring manager can take the 2 minutes to call that individual and give them a bit of closure. If they went through a phone interview, shoot them a quick email to let them know that they didn't make the cut. If they came in for a face-to-face interview, call them when you've decided you won't be moving forward with them. It's actually that simple.
I'm not saying that a hiring manager should personally call each and every person who applied for the job: An applicant is someone who applies for the job: A candidate is someone who's been invited to a phone, video or in-person interview. I know people who handle hiring and for one recent position, a friend of mine received 60 applications. That 60 got narrowed down to 12 phone interviews. Those 12 turned into 6 in-person interviews. Obviously, from there, 1 person was offered the job. This friend called the other 5 who came in for in-person interviews to let them know of the decision. The 12 that got a phone interview got an email letting them know when they got cut. The 60+ who applied got an automatic email from the company's hiring portal that the position has been closed. This isn't rocket surgery.
I'm also not saying that when a rejection email is sent or a rejection call is made that the hiring manager should volunteer detailed feedback, or automatically provide exact reasons as to why the individual was cut. Often employers don't like to tell candidates why for fear the reasons might spark a discrimination lawsuit, which is understandable. However, telling a candidate that someone else was chosen who had more relevant experience or better qualifications is perfectly fine, even if it is a bit vague. I'd much rather hear a vague reason as opposed to an email template written by Legal and sent to me by Javascript.
This has been annoying but it's also helpful for when I'm doing the hiring and I can make sure I treat my candidates with more respect.
I'm not a hiring manager. However, I have been on the candidate side of the proverbial table many times and I can confirm that candidates remember how they're treated. Job candidates could be future customers. My opinion is that if a candidate makes the time to go through an interview, then the hiring manager can take the 2 minutes to call that individual and give them a bit of closure. If they went through a phone interview, shoot them a quick email to let them know that they didn't make the cut. If they came in for a face-to-face interview, call them when you've decided you won't be moving forward with them. It's actually that simple.
I'm not saying that a hiring manager should personally call each and every person who applied for the job: An applicant is someone who applies for the job: A candidate is someone who's been invited to a phone, video or in-person interview. I know people who handle hiring and for one recent position, a friend of mine received 60 applications. That 60 got narrowed down to 12 phone interviews. Those 12 turned into 6 in-person interviews. Obviously, from there, 1 person was offered the job. This friend called the other 5 who came in for in-person interviews to let them know of the decision. The 12 that got a phone interview got an email letting them know when they got cut. The 60+ who applied got an automatic email from the company's hiring portal that the position has been closed. This isn't rocket surgery.
I'm also not saying that when a rejection email is sent or a rejection call is made that the hiring manager should volunteer detailed feedback, or automatically provide exact reasons as to why the individual was cut. Often employers don't like to tell candidates why for fear the reasons might spark a discrimination lawsuit, which is understandable. However, telling a candidate that someone else was chosen who had more relevant experience or better qualifications is perfectly fine, even if it is a bit vague. I'd much rather hear a vague reason as opposed to an email template written by Legal and sent to me by Javascript.
This has been annoying but it's also helpful for when I'm doing the hiring and I can make sure I treat my candidates with more respect.
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