The True Detective of Candidate Rejection
Management Monday: Managing Rejection
Most Human Resources professionals know that no matter how poorly written a resume or how badly spoken a candidate, it is never appropriate during the employee selection process to treat a candidate with anything less than respect. Unfortunately, employers don’t always stick to that sensible rule when rejecting candidates. In fact, Job Bank Founder, Kelly Blazek, recently made national headlines for sending a nasty email response to a job-seeker’s LinkedIn invitation (NBC News). Blazek’s reaction was surprising and alarming for many reasons, not the least of which is that many job- strategists encourage candidates to connect with professionals and job-seekers on LinkedIn. Blazek’s response is visible below.
Almost as baffling as the popular TV Show, True Detective, the employee selection world is anything but easy. From behavioral interviews to goal alignment, it is crucial to filter out the best candidates, but it is equally important to uphold company reputation by treating all perspective candidates with respect. So, be it a traditional application, LinkedIn invitation, a Facebook request, a phone call or an office walk-in, below are some guidelines for dealing with candidate rejections.
Tips for Rejecting Job Applicants
1) If they have sought you out via Social Media, you are perfectly warranted in ignoring their friendship request. However, it is wise to respond with a friendly email or message containing a link to the online application link.
2) Set up an automatic reply system for online applications that sends applicants an email response confirmation that their application has been received and that a representative will be in touch if anything further is needed.
3) When a rejection letter is warranted, be considerate and end on a positive note.
4) If the candidate is a good fit for the company, but not the specific job, encourage them to apply for a better suited position or to apply again in the future.
5) If an applicant has followed up on their application status and especially if they have come in for an interview, it is common courtesy to not only send a rejection letter, but to call and kindly notify them that the position has been filled.
These tips may seem obvious, but Kelly Blazek proved that not to be true. We all make errors in judgment, just as Kelly did. But practicing emotional intelligence and being thoughtful about each interaction reduces chances of error.
