• FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR

  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

HR Morning

  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management
  • HR Technology
  • More
    • Leadership & Strategy
    • Compensation
    • Staff Administration
    • Policy & Procedures
    • Wellness
    • Staff Departure
    • Employee Services
    • Work Location
    • HR Career & Self-Care
    • Health Care
    • Retirement Plans

Rejected candidates could be the key to better hiring

interview questions
Rachel Mucha
by Rachel Mucha
January 12, 2018
2 minute read
  • SHARE ON

There’s room for improvement in every company’s hiring process, and a lot of the answers lie with the rejected candidates. 
Many recruiters make the mistake of not communicating enough with applicants they don’t want to hire. Not keeping them in the loop can reflect badly on the company, and not asking for feedback can result in poor hiring practices going unnoticed.
Danielle Weinblatt, founder of recruiting automation software company ConveyIQ, has suggestions on how to give and get candidate feedback that will make the experience better for everyone involved.

‘The black hole’

When job seekers apply for a position and never hear back, they call that “the black hole”– and unsurprisingly, it is the most dissatisfying part of the hiring process.
This can happen when a keyword search eliminates them, or recruiters received too many applications to respond to.
“The black hole” can also happen when a company has no intention of filling the position. Sometimes, recruiters just want to see what talent is out there, and they keep interesting candidates in mind for later. The problem is, applicants usually don’t know this, and become frustrated with the company when they don’t hear back.
Weinblatt approves of general talent searching, but only if the company is upfront about it. When done openly, this method can build solid relationships with candidates. It’s incredibly important for the company to communicate with their applicants, letting them know what they are looking for, and when, Weinblatt says.
Staying in communication with candidates, even with the ones that get rejected, can result in them reapplying in the future, and also sharing their positive experience with other job hunters.

Survey everyone

When it comes to getting feedback from candidates, typically a survey is given to those who were offered the job. There’s a big bias problem with this, Weinblatt says. By only getting feedback from the candidates you wanted to hire, you’re missing out on the thoughts of applicants you rejected. Also, by giving the survey at the end of the process, it’s impossible to pinpoint where any dissatisfaction came from.
Weinblatt says to give surveys to every candidate at every stage of the hiring process. This will help you know exactly where improvement is needed. Maybe a certain hiring manager is the problem, or maybe your 45-minute online application turns people off.
Making the surveys open-ended is crucial, too. Instead of having applicants rate things on a scale, ask them what they disliked the most about the process, or what their ideal situation would be.
 
 

Rachel Mucha
Rachel Mucha
Rachel writes about Human Resource management and has been a member of the HRMorning staff since 2017. She is a graduate of Ithaca College.

Get the latest from HRMorning in your inbox PLUS immediately access 10 FREE HR guides.

I WANT MY FREE GUIDES

Keep Up To Date with the Latest HR News

With HRMorning arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on labor laws, benefits, retention and onboarding strategies.

Sign up for a free HRMorning membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
HR Morning Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • ABOUT HRMORNING
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • HR Technology
  • Performance Management
  • Leadership & Strategy
  • Compensation & Payroll
  • Policy & Culture
  • Staff Administration
  • Wellness & Safety
  • Staff Departure
  • Employee Services
  • Work Location
  • HR Career & Self-Care

HRMorning, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

During your free trial, you can cancel at any time with a single click on your “Account” page.  It’s that easy.

Why do we need your credit card for a free trial?

We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period.  This prevents any interruption of content access.

Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trial
and you may cancel at any time during your free trial.

preloader