Struggling with giving feedback and rejecting candidates? This guide will help you know how to reject candidates politely and professionally.
As it is, the recruitment process resembles a black hole. In the same way, a black hole sucks everything on its path, the recruitment process takes in resumes, vets candidates - then ghosts the unsuccessful candidates. Many job seekers agree that the silence they get from recruiters is quite loud. It's like the recruiter falls off the face of the earth.
Over the years, this topic has become popular on social media platforms like Twitter. After being ghosted by recruiters, most job candidates have spoken about anxiety, depression, and lack of motivation. I understand why most people get frustrated and angry at the recruiters after completing the interviews and not hearing back. Job applicants put their all into the recruitment process. Doing all that and not getting feedback - good or bad, can drive anyone crazy.
My job rejection experience
I have had my fair share of job rejections. In some instances, I went as far as doing two interviews before I was rejected. I felt like my confidence and self-doubt were being tested. I remember eating half a tub of ice cream (comfort food) while listening to sad songs after receiving a rejection email. Nevertheless, the email helped me to move on and accept that I need to spread my wings elsewhere.
On the other hand, I have applied for some jobs and never heard from the recruiter. Looking back, I feel like the company left a bad taste in my mouth after ghosting me, which spoke volumes about the company culture. That was a red flag because it reinforced the idea that the company doesn't care about job applicants and possibly their employees.
Why don't recruiters provide feedback?
Before getting to the tips on how to reject candidates professionally, we must understand why recruiters don't do it.
1. Heavy workload
We can talk about how to reject candidates politely and professionally, but we need to empathize with recruiters. They receive hundreds (sometimes thousands) of job applications for one position. With this in mind, consider a recruiter might be hiring for more than one position. They are scheduling interviews, conducting phone interviews, and writing notes on each candidate.
It's a lot of work, even for a team of recruiters. I understand how reaching out and providing individual feedback to candidates might be challenging. However, we live in a digital world, which should not be an excuse for ghosting candidates. Instead, use an automated system that allows you to send feedback to unsuccessful candidates.
2. Reducing legal risk
Most companies are unaware of what they should say to a rejected candidate. Therefore, it is very likely that they might say something that increases the chances of a job candidate suing them for not getting a fair shot. They don't want to say something that sets off the applicant.
3. It's uncomfortable
Giving feedback, especially negative feedback, to a stranger is sometimes uncomfortable. Recruiters don't want to say something that can send a disappointed job candidate off the rail. No one likes getting reprimanded.
A study published in the Wiley Online Library showed that rejected candidates who didn't receive feedback believed the following:-
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The company didn't fulfill its obligations
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The company had someone in mind and was just advertising for protocol.
Therefore, you have one chance to do it right! Let's write that email together!
Tips on how to reject candidates politely and professionally via email
A rejection email that is well-written should: -
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Provide closure for the candidate, which will help them handle the rejection
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Deliver the news promptly
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Improve the candidate's perception of the company
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Protect the reputation of the company
When writing your email, keep the following five tips in mind: -
1. Use the name of the job candidate
This is not the time to send a generic group email. Use the applicant's name, especially the first name, which makes the message sound personal. If you need to respond to a bunch of applications, you can use an automated system and personalize the messages. There Are so many automation options that can be used to ease the recruitment process.
2. Thank them for applying
Making a job application takes a lot of time and effort. And thanking shows that you acknowledge the time they took to show their interest in the job position.
3. State the bad news
Get straight to the point and be very clear. Additionally, do not apologize for selecting the best candidate. A good example is saying, "Unfortunately, we won't be proceeding with your application at this time" or "This is to let you know that you have not been selected for the next stage of the recruitment process."
4. If you decide to provide feedback, make sure you mean it
Make it personalized if you want to give both positive and negative feedback. The Information you provide will help the candidate benefit and improve for interviews that follow. Additionally, if you decide to provide feedback, expect to receive follow-up questions or a general response email from candidates.
5. Please encourage them to apply again in the future
You can encourage job applicants to follow the social media pages of the company so that they get to know of any job vacancies.
Here are some sample candidate rejection emails you can use:
Rejection email 1
RE: Application for Social Media Manager position
Dear Luka,
Thank you for applying for the Social Media Manager position at Airtress. Unfortunately, we have decided not to move forward with your application at this time.
I want to thank you for the time and effort that you spent on your application. We were impressed with your experience and qualifications. However, we feel that another candidate is more suited for the position.
Nevertheless, we would like to encourage you to keep checking our job vacancy page and apply again in the future if you find a suitable job opening.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Rejection email 2
RE: Your Application for the Legal Officer position
Dear Kate,
It was a pleasure to meet you at your interview earlier this week. We were pretty impressed with your approach, professionalism, and experience. However, we have decided to go with another candidate.
I know you will be disappointed with this news. The interview panel was amazed by your presentation and valued your insight into our legal strategies.
We are in the process of transforming our firm and are looking for candidates with a solid legal tech background. I am sure that your knowledge, qualifications, and experience will help you find a suitable position to achieve your goals and dreams.
I wish you well in your job search and future career. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this in more detail.
Best regards,
Jane Doe
We’ve got more customizable templates that will help you automate your feedback process and easily send feedback to your candidates. Get started here.
Conclusion
It doesn't hurt to be empathetic and learn how to reject candidates politely and professionally. When writing rejection emails, always make them personalized, professional, and polite. As a recruiter, you should give candidates the chance to benefit from the process by providing positive and negative feedback. Helping them understand their mistakes will improve your image and that of the company. Make use of the automated message applications to send personalized group messages to applicants.
