What HR managers told us: Do you get back to rejected applicants?
June 23, 2008 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Behavior, Communication, Hiring, What HR managers told us
We asked 366 HR managers, “If you reject interviewed applicants, do you get back to them and let them know they weren’t selected?” Here’s what they said:
I almost always get back to them and let them know: 74%
I try to get back to them if I have the time: 23%
I don’t bother getting back to them: 3%
In a recent survey, job-hunters said their No. 1 pet peeve was “HR people not getting back to me.” If you’re one who does get back to them, pat yourself on the back. If nothing else, it’s good PR for your company.
Tags: applicants, interview
June 25th, 2008 at 11:57 am
If we interview a candidate, we definitely get back to them to let them know their status. Having been on the other side of the interview desk, I can empathize with candidates. I was amazed at how many times I heard nothing from the companies with which I interviewed–even after two in-person meetings. In my opinion, it reflects badly on the company if HR does not let interviewed candidates know their status.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Yes, we do respond to candidates that we interview. It is a good policy to follow.
August 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
What about the candidates who just drop off their resume and don’t fill out an application or go through an interview? Do you need to get back with them as well?
September 15th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
We respond to ALL that applied for an open position. Interviewed or not, qualified or not. After a certain period of time most applicants will know whether or not they were selected. However, I think the right thing to do is inform everyone of the status once the position has been filled.
March 9th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Here’s my process. I get well over 95% of my applicants online. The application includes a line for e-mail address. That and their name (and some other tracking info) is copy/pasted into a spreasheet. I have a “rejection template” in Outlook. I call that up, insert the job title. I click on the address in the spreadsheet, which opens an addressed blank e-mail. Copy the modified rejection e-mail into the opened blank, add their name from the spreadsheet, do the next one. Go through the completed rejections clicking on “send” and it’s done. The copy/paste of the name and e-mail addresses cuts down on typos and makes tracking a breeze. I know this sounds really complicated, but it takes less time to do than it does to explain here. I can do 50 of these in a half hour. We also personally call anyone we interview and let them know that they didn’t get the job. We use a script for that. We did over 650 applicants and hired 31 people in 2008. Since I’m a 1-person HR dept, I only use things that work. This process works for me. And all applicants are responded to. The few that don’t have e-mail for whatever reason get a templated letter which I personally sign.
March 9th, 2009 at 11:25 am
We have a position that states $8-$10 per hour. However we receive applicates that are wanting $12-$22+ per hour. We can not offer that, and I don’t want to waste their time or mine.
I have gotten into the habit of emailing the applicate for their salary history and salary requirements. How do you tell them that you are rejecting their application?