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So often we talk about burning bridges when it comes to former employees or job seekers. What if it is equally as important for businesses to maintain good relationships with former employees as well as the people they’ve interviewed and not hired? Just because someone isn’t a fit for your position now doesn’t mean they couldn’t be helpful in the future.
Where to begin when responding to an employee that wasn’t hired
Don’t leave them waiting.
Never allow a candidate to wait for weeks or months without any response about the job. This is true whether you’ve decided to hire them or not. When you make a decision contact the runners up and tell them that they have not been hired but thank them for their time. This is also good advice for the candidates that you do select or they may take another offer.
Tell them why.
As a manager you know that you can only hire one person for every job but it is helpful for a candidate to understand why they weren’t selected. The other candidate may have had some specific skills or it may have come down to salary or location. Your feedback will be helpful for their continued job search.
Keep in touch.
There may come a time when this candidate could fill another position. You can save yourself and your company time and money by sourcing new hires from a pool of individuals whom you’ve already met. Stay connected to them on LinkedIn and reach out if a new position becomes available. Recommend them for other opportunities, too.
Be sincere.
Always mean what you say to the candidate you decline. Follow up with them as you can and help with advice or connections. Let them know if there are ways they can improve their skills along the way. You can build good will and the candidates will have nothing but positive things to say about your company. Word of mouth can make or break a company in a local community.
Do you want to know more best practices for your hiring process?
Anserteam can help you with any questions along the way
