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How do you inform someone you aren't hiring them after an interview? (1 Viewer)

Caesar

Caesar

Footballguy
I am curious how others handle this situation.  At my last place of employment, they would have HR make that phone call, so I never really had to worry about it.  We only interviewed 3 candidates, so I only need to make two calls.  
The first one will be easy.  He was out of our price range.  The second one was a good candidate who I would hire under other circumstances.  How would you convey that while giving the "bad" news.  There is also the chance this person could still be offered a position if our number 1 candidate doesn't pass background, but that usually takes a few weeks and I don't want this young man to have to wait for an answer that long.

Shtick always welcome. 

 
Most interviews I went on were via a recruiter, so it was usually them passing on the rejection.  Usually got some constructive feedback at least. 
 

I did have one guy tell me after like an hour long interview that he had no intention of hiring me for the role because he could tell I lacked the right experience from my resume, but wanted to meet with me anyway in case other opportunities came up 

I was kind of pissed but it did give me more practice interviewing, so I took that as a positive 

 
Dan Lambskin said:
Most interviews I went on were via a recruiter, so it was usually them passing on the rejection.  Usually got some constructive feedback at least. 
 

I did have one guy tell me after like an hour long interview that he had no intention of hiring me for the role because he could tell I lacked the right experience from my resume, but wanted to meet with me anyway in case other opportunities came up 

I was kind of pissed but it did give me more practice interviewing, so I took that as a positive 
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...[pissed on his carpet] but it's all good

 
Last time I wasn't hired I received a short email expressing that they will keep me in mind in the future and if I wanted more information they'd be happy to discuss over the phone. 

Now, this was after one of the hiring panel members talked to me in person and I knew everyone on the panel, the job was at another office within the same organization. I also knew the two people they hired had been practicing in this area of law for over 15 years longer than I have, so this wasn't exactly a surprise. 

I think the email with invitation works best. 

 
Conflict avoidance is effective. Interviewers are generally responsive to the customary thank you email when you make it to the next round. Silence means you're out. Then eventually the canned email from HR gives you the bad news. 

 
Eephus said:
I let HR notify external candidates while I handled internal candidates personally.
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This is interesting.  I would almost expect this to be the other way around, unless it was a promotion and they already worked for me directly. 

 
As a many time job seeker, I'd prefer the same email in either case - "Thanks for interviewing but we found a candidate that we feel more closely fits our needs."

I'm cool with that.

And I've been hired where they called back and said "Hey, the offer to the other person fell through. Would you still be interested?" That doesn't bother me either.

No smart job seeker is gong to wait around hoping they might get through as your second choice. Just say "thanks but no thanks" without ambiguity even if there's the possibility of some.

 
Andy Dufresne said:
As a many time job seeker, I'd prefer the same email in either case - "Thanks for interviewing but we found a candidate that we feel more closely fits our needs."

I'm cool with that.

And I've been hired where they called back and said "Hey, the offer to the other person fell through. Would you still be interested?" That doesn't bother me either.

No smart job seeker is gong to wait around hoping they might get through as your second choice. Just say "thanks but no thanks" without ambiguity even if there's the possibility of some.
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Appreciate this.  I will wait to see if the #1 accepts the offer (he will) and then send out the emails. 

 
I have Some Thoughts on this ...

First of all, this wasn't what your OP was about, but you should be responding to every candidate who applies to the job, even the ones you don't interview. It's really not that hard, is the right thing to do, and in many cases, your applicants are also potential customers of your business, so no need to piss them off by ghosting. 

Now to the question you were asking: I've typically believed in calling over emailing, but I have heard convincing arguments that emailing makes more sense. The biggest issue is that if they don't pick up, you either have to deliver the news via voicemail or else ask them to call you back, which may give them false hope that it's good news. I do agree that a phone call is probably better if you want to keep them engaged. But I also think you should wait until you have a definitive answer from the first candidate before you say anything to the others.

Either way, I think it's better you do it than HR. But I have a pretty strong anti-HR bias. I just think that too often, they are so focused on efficiency and not getting sued that they drain all the humanity out of their interactions with candidates.

To that end, when you do talk to the rejected candidates, talk like a human being and avoid all the empty corporate-speak: "While your qualifications are impressive, we found another candidate whose strengths more closely align with blah blah blah blah ..." Instead, just be straightforward. Tell them the important part upfront; no long wind-up where they're forced to parse your words and figure out whether it's good news or bad. And be genuine; say something positive if that's truly what you believe, but if not, get in and get out.

So something like this: "Thanks for applying. We've decided to go with someone else, but I really do think you could be an asset to this company, so if you ever see another job opening here that interests you, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you." (Don't tell them you'll keep their resume on file; no one believes that BS.)

Good luck!

 
zftcg said:
Don't tell them you'll keep their resume on file; no one believes that BS
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Pretty sure they legally have to for one year. 

Also I did actually hire somebody off of an old application once. Called and asked if he would be interested in applying again. Explained I was new and had taken over hiring duties. 

 
Caesar said:
This is interesting.  I would almost expect this to be the other way around, unless it was a promotion and they already worked for me directly. 
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This is how my company handles as well. Internally, we call the candidates who do not receive an offer and provide feedback/pointers for future interviews. Big company, but small world and it's the right thing to do before the candidates receive the HR "you have not been selected" notification. External 100% handled through HR.

 
parasaurolophus said:
Pretty sure they legally have to for one year. 

Also I did actually hire somebody off of an old application once. Called and asked if he would be interested in applying again. Explained I was new and had taken over hiring duties. 
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I didn't say it wasn't true*, I said no one believes it.  :lmao:

Seriously, you are of course right that it can occasionally happen. My point was, if you are rejecting a candidate and would want them to apply for another role in the future, encourage them to be proactive rather than waiting for you to call them back.

Also, maybe this is just me, but that line has become such a cliche that, as a job seeker, I would immediately think less of anyone who said it. Like, "OK, now you're just giving me the runaround."

* Yes, I am aware that I said it was BS. Just go with it.

 
Walking Boot said:
Do not tell them "why". 

For the first: "Want to thank you for coming in to interview, but, the executives have decided to go in a different direction. We appreciated meeting you."

For the second: "Want to thank you for coming in to interview, but, the executives have decided to go in a different direction. We appreciated meeting you, and I will definitely keep you in mind if things change or another opportunity opens up in the near future. Can I reach out to you again if there's an opening?"
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This.  Don't give reasons as they'll either A: be argued and you'll have to defend your position, or B: could be used against you in some sort of discrimination suit.

 
Kanil said:
This.  Don't give reasons as they'll either A: be argued and you'll have to defend your position, or B: could be used against you in some sort of discrimination suit.
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I'm not saying you're wrong, but I hate that we've reached a point where this might be sound advice. Reminds me of the college professors who always have to keep their door open and stay seated behind their desk when students come by for office hours.

That said, I'm going to push back on the notion that hiring managers should proceed with this mindset, if for no other reason that it encourages you to view every job seeker as a potential litigant/a##hole, when in reality those types represent a very small minority. I think you should always keep that in the back of your mind, but judge each situation individually. If it's a professional role, and if the issue is something fixable, there's nothing wrong with giving constructive feedback. I'm thinking of an example where you didn't hire someone because they were missing a particular type of experience that's important for the role. But obviously, if the feedback is something uncomfortable ("You came across as super dumb") or something that could get you sued ("You were way too hot and would have been a huge distraction for me") then you should keep your mouth shut.

 
I would say that 90% of the jobs I've interviewed for have not sent me anything.  

But the ones that do usually just send a form letter that says, "Thank you for your interest but we've decided to go with someone else.  Good luck in your job search and we'll keep your resume on file."

 
Just got this one today...

I am following up with the interview for the position you interview for with XYZ Corporation. I regret to inform you that at this time, we have decided to move forward with other candidates whose background better aligns with the demands of the role. We thank you for your time and if other opportunities in the future is of interest, please feel free to reach out. One again, thank you.

Disappointing result,  sure. But good enough response.

 
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TheIronSheik said:
I would say that 90% of the jobs I've interviewed for have not sent me anything.  

But the ones that do usually just send a form letter that says, "Thank you for your interest but we've decided to go with someone else.  Good luck in your job search and we'll keep your resume on file."
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The only job I have applied for where I went through an interview (phone) and didn't get a job offer, I got a form letter six months later.  So, at least they were timely.

 
Caesar said:
The only job I have applied for where I went through an interview (phone) and didn't get a job offer, I got a form letter six months later.  So, at least they were timely.
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Funny you say that.  Just a couple months ago I got an email from a company saying they went a different direction and I had no clue who they were.  After some research through my Inbox, it turned out it was a company I applied for prior to getting my current job.  :lol:

 
TheIronSheik said:
I would say that 90% of the jobs I've interviewed for have not sent me anything.  

But the ones that do usually just send a form letter that says, "Thank you for your interest but we've decided to go with someone else.  Good luck in your job search and we'll keep your resume on file."
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It honestly makes me angry that companies do such a poor job of responding. As I said, they should respond to all applicants, but for people who have taken the time out of their day to come in and interview in person, it's incredibly disrespectful, and also just highlights the power imbalance between employers and applicants.

As a thought experiment, how would you feel as a hiring manager if you interviewed someone and then called him back to make an offer, and he ghosted you? You would probably consider it horribly unprofessional and mentally cross that person off from any future consideration for jobs at your company. You might even tell others at your company about what happened so they know to avoid him, too.

Now ask yourself, why should applicants who get ghosted view your company any differently?

 
zftcg said:
It honestly makes me angry that companies do such a poor job of responding. As I said, they should respond to all applicants, but for people who have taken the time out of their day to come in and interview in person, it's incredibly disrespectful, and also just highlights the power imbalance between employers and applicants.

As a thought experiment, how would you feel as a hiring manager if you interviewed someone and then called him back to make an offer, and he ghosted you? You would probably consider it horribly unprofessional and mentally cross that person off from any future consideration for jobs at your company. You might even tell others at your company about what happened so they know to avoid him, too.

Now ask yourself, why should applicants who get ghosted view your company any differently?
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I don't think you're talking to me when you say "you", but I just wanted to clarify that I hate not getting something.  I mean, how hard is it to fire off a form letter?  That's enough for me.  Just lets me know I can stop holding my breath for that job.  

 
zftcg said:
It honestly makes me angry that companies do such a poor job of responding. As I said, they should respond to all applicants, but for people who have taken the time out of their day to come in and interview in person, it's incredibly disrespectful, and also just highlights the power imbalance between employers and applicants.

As a thought experiment, how would you feel as a hiring manager if you interviewed someone and then called him back to make an offer, and he ghosted you? You would probably consider it horribly unprofessional and mentally cross that person off from any future consideration for jobs at your company. You might even tell others at your company about what happened so they know to avoid him, too.

Now ask yourself, why should applicants who get ghosted view your company any differently?
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This has actually happened here multiple times, and twice since I have been here.  Its odd to call and congratulate someone on being selected for a position and then after HR sends them the required paperwork to fill out, we never hear from them again.  It just happened to us last week with a different position and they had to re-post the job.

 
TheIronSheik said:
I don't think you're talking to me when you say "you", but I just wanted to clarify that I hate not getting something.  I mean, how hard is it to fire off a form letter?  That's enough for me.  Just lets me know I can stop holding my breath for that job.  
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Ha, I had that thought while I was posting it but wasn't sure how to reword it. But yes, I was definitely referring to hiring managers who ghost applicants, not you in particular.  :D

And you're right that simply providing applicants closure is highly underrated. I once finished a hiring process and told HR I would take care of the mass rejection email to candidates we hadn't interviewed. I wasn't sure whether to have it come directly from my email address, but afterward I was really glad I did. Most people didn't respond, but the ones who did were almost universally grateful. A few even said something like, "I know this is probably a form letter, but I'm still glad you sent it." 

 
Andy Dufresne said:
Just got this one today...

I am following up with the interview for the position you interview for with XYZ Corporation. I regret to inform you that at this time, we have decided to move forward with other candidates whose background better aligns with the demands of the role. We thank you for your time and if other opportunities in the future is of interest, please feel free to reach out. One again, thank you.

Disappointing result,  sure. But good enough response.
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Please respond back and correct his grammar.

 
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