The Right Way to Reject a Job Candidate

online recruiting systemRecruiting is a difficult process that often involves rejecting candidates, even when they’re qualified for the position your company has open. Filling a position means getting out there, locating talent and choosing the best applicant for the job.

If you’re unsure of the best way to reject an applicant, you might choose to never follow up with them after an interview. While this might be easy on you, it’s hard on the candidate. They’ll constantly wonder why they weren’t chosen. They’ll assume that they weren’t qualified. In some cases, it might deter them from getting back out there and finding a career they’re a great fit for.

Even though it’s hard and awkward, biting the bullet and contacting the applicant to let them know why they weren’t chosen is a great best practice to incorporate into your typical recruiting process.

Though you may be worried about how they will take it, use the following tips to help you deliver the message without causing any problems or anger. If you’re in need of an online recruiting system, keep reading to see how Recruiteze can help you.

Best Ways to Reject a Candidate

Address them by name. You will be surprised by how well this will be received, despite the impending rejection. Simply addressing the candidate by their first name will show that you’re compassionate and truly sorry for the refusal. Even if they’re not understanding in the beginning, calling them by name will help to ease the tension and anger they might feel.

Be direct. It’s hard telling someone they’re not the right fit for an available position. It’s just as difficult as terminating an employee. In either situation, the best practice is to be direct. Do so politely, but don’t beat around the bush. Get right to the point. In the end, they’ll appreciate your honest, direct refusal much more so than they would if you skated around your purpose.

Offer feedback. Whether they would have been a great addition to the company or one that might lacked in effort, offer feedback. Be sure it’s appropriate, constructive and considerate. If they had an issue with being late all the time at their last job, let them know that while you appreciated their interest in working with your business, being late every day is unacceptable. That way, when their next opportunity arises they’ll remember your feedback and hopefully learn from their mistakes.

Offer your appreciation. Even if you’re rejecting this applicant, thanking them for the time they offered your company is a great way to buffer the situation. For those that are being rejected that are qualified for the job, the appreciation will be a great way to not only apologize for having to hire someone else, but it’s also a great way to thank them for their interest in working with your company.

online recruiting systemYou might be wondering how to reject candidates; in person or on the phone? First off, remember one important key: never tell an applicant they didn’t get the job over email. Always reject them via phone or in person. Most recruiters will choose to do this over the phone. That’s completely OK. You’ve probably already been following up with them via phone communication to this point anyway.

Just be sure to keep the tips above in mind. Also, keep the conversation short. Don’t get into a discussion about something off topic or listen to the applicant complain. Give them your direct message, offer your appreciation, call them by name and get off the phone as soon as you’ve delivered the message.

Also, never reject a candidate via text messaging. Just like email, this is a bad practice that many recruiters choose to use. While it can be convenient for hiring managers, it’s not very personal or considerate. This candidate put a lot of time and effort into applying for the available position, interviewing and more. Don’t diminish their efforts by offering a refusal via text messaging. You’ll feel better for contacting them through a phone conversation or through an in-person meeting.

We hope this information helps you the next time rejecting a candidate seems difficult and awkward. It’s never going to be an easy task, but knowing how to buffer the situation will be helpful.

The Best Free Online Recruiting System Is Here – Recruiteze

Need help with your recruiting efforts? Choosing the right online recruiting system for your business is easy with help from Recruiteze! Want to try them for free? That’s right! You can access our recruiting software for free! Both Recruiteze and iReformat are available with free basic memberships.

Recruiteze is a top-of-the-line, online applicant tracking system. It allows candidates to apply to be added to your database immediately. As an end-user, you can access your resumes, or other information, online and make changes quickly. Recruiting based on client needs has never been easier with your custom job board. It allows candidates and customers easy access to information and creates a level of professionalism expected in today’s marketplace.

Already have an online recruiting system that you’re happy with? If so, iReformat can still help you! iReformat allows you to format up to 10 resumes per month, for free! In addition, we are proud to offer you a free 15 day trial of any of our other memberships. Other packages start at $10 per month and offer unlimited support, users, and more.

We’ve taken the redundant administrative work out of recruiting, so don’t hesitate to use Recruiteze and iReformat to help reduce the time consuming process of hiring new employees and filtering through resumes and applications. If you have any questions or are interested in our enterprise package for our online recruiting system, contact us today.

Additional Resources

How to reject a candidate

What is a hiring pipeline

Finding high-quality remote workers

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