People might think that being a hiring manager is a piece of cake. During a recruitment drive, you just have to conduct tests for shortlisted applicants, invite them for an interview, then hire those who demonstrate the best fit for the roles. But is it really that simple? The answer is no.
Recruiting can be an exciting and tough process at the same time. After spending the whole week to conduct job interviews with several potential candidates, finally it is time for you to make the hiring decision. After putting some crucial considerations regarding their capabilities, you choose to give the job offer to one particular candidate. You might be relieved as you have found the new hire and cannot wait to deliver the good news to the chosen candidate. But wait, what about the other candidates you don’t hire?
Some recruiters believe that direct and quick rejection letter for candidates is the best way to deliver the bad news, as this will help them move on to other company quickly as well. Not to mention, silent rejection without clear statement about candidate’s application status will ruin your employer brand. As study found that majority candidates are frustrated by poor communication from the hiring manager regarding their hiring process status, leaving candidates in the dark without giving them updates about the recruitment outcome will ruin your company reputation.
Then the question remains, what is the best way to notify candidates that they fail to secure a job at your company? Here’s how:
Always state the waiting period during interview
Regardless the candidates will be accepted or not, typically recruiter will say “We will call you soon.” The truth is, ‘soon’ is not the proper word to tell during a hiring process as this does not provide clear information to the candidates. They might feel anxious waiting for the answer from you, so you need to help them by not giving them false hope. It will be better to tell them certain waiting period so the candidate will have an idea whether the call has not come yet or never come at all. You can say, “Please wait during 3 days, as we will call if you meet the requirements.”
Make a template for notification email
Less time-consuming than calling candidates one by one, sending emails that contain rejection notification can be a good idea you can try. Within the email, you can start by expressing gratitude for candidates’ interests in the joining the team. Then you can say that while they demonstrate great willingness to learn, there are some reasons which make your company unable to hire them. If needed, you can state the reasons and offer the solution, such that candidates can learn from it. Do not forget to leave good impression by wishing them good luck in their job search.
Connect to their LinkedIn
If you find potential candidates but you cannot hire them for the time being, you should not burn the bridges and forget about them completely. Instead, you should keep in touch with them through professional social media such as LinkedIn. As you never know if they will make a great talent in the future, you should always build a good relationship with every candidate you meet during a hiring process.