After spending the time crafting the perfect cover letter and resume, preparing for an interview and meeting the hiring team, no candidate likes to see a "thanks but no thanks" letter in his or her inbox. Perhaps because they know how difficult they are to receive, hiring managers are typically equally unenthusiastic about writing them. As a result, most applicant rejection letters end up being impersonal and formulaic.
While this practice may be easiest for the hiring team, especially when sending several letters at a time, it represents a missed opportunity. Although they may feel like a chore to write, rejection letters are an opportunity for a hiring team to forge a lasting relationship with their candidates and ensure their employer's brand resonates positively with even those who aren't brought on board.
Here are a two keys to making a little extra time and effort go a long way in your company's rejection letters:
Offer an explanation
Perhaps nothing is more frustrating for a job applicant who has gone through several emotional rounds of interviewing than hearing they simply "are not a good fit at this time." Rather than following this generic route, take a moment to be a bit more transparent.
If you ended up hiring a more qualified candidate, indicate that in your letter, perhaps adding a detail or two about where the discrepancies fell. If the specifications of the job shifted during the hiring process, that is important to note, too. Even though they will be disappointed, rejected candidates will appreciate your honesty.
Indicate whether a better fit will be opening soon
Many hiring teams don't realize the power of the rejection letter as a recruiting tool. If that sounds like a paradox, hear me out. As a hiring manager, you have likely received a number of applications from candidates who may not have met the requirements for the job they sought, but could have been a great fit elsewhere in your company. Even if you included a line in their rejection letter like, "Please feel free to apply for openings in the future," it is unlikely the disheartened candidate would have taken the generic message very seriously.
If you truly believe the applicant could be a valuable asset to another one of your teams, indicate as such in your letter. When appropriate, you can even include a list of departments in your organization that will soon be hiring. This way, you will be able to keep talent in your pipeline for when a future need arises.
Working with an executive search firm can help you better manage your hiring process from initial contact with a prospect through to their eventual rejection or onboarding. To learn more about some of the roles we at Yes Partners have successfully placed, click here.
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