How to Decline a Job Applicant

July 13, 2018 Business Process, Hiring, Interviews, Hiring, and Layoffs, The Manager's Resource Handbook

7 Tips for Telling a Candidate They Didn’t Get the Job

Hiring new employees is always an enjoyable experience. For starters, you get the chance to increase your staff while bringing in new skills. Filling a vacancy also lets you increase your team’s capacity, enhancing your flexibility in terms of maneuvering work assignments around your department. But along with the good comes the bad. Once a new candidate accepts the job, you need to tell all the other applicants that they did not make the cut. Perhaps a given candidate was not the best fit for the job, maybe they lacked sufficient experience, or maybe you simply felt that they would not mesh well within your team’s chemistry. Regardless of what your reasons may be, turning down job applicants is one of the less enjoyable duties of being a manager. While delivering the news is not difficult and doesn’t need to be stressful, you should always decline job-seekers in a polite and professional way. Here are 7 tips for turning down a job applicant the right way.

0. Don’t Mislead a Candidate. Avoid Making Misleading Statements Until the Decision is Made

Before you even get to the point of turning down candidates, make sure you do not mislead them until a decision is actually made. Whether your organization prefers to conduct interviews on an individual basis or simply as one big group, withhold making indications to the candidate until your organization has selected the applicant it wishes to hire. The only commitment you should make to a candidate during an interview is a timeline for when he or she may get a response on whether or not they got the job. Getting a candidate’s hopes up only to turn them down is unprofessional and simply bad practice.

1. Call the Candidate and Have a Short Conversation

Once it has been determined that a given candidate is not good fit for the role, many hiring managers would prefer to just email the candidate to deliver the news. However, as awkward as you may feel having to tell a candidate that they didn’t get the job, it is the most professional way to let a job-seeker know they were not selected. A simple two minute phone call will go over with the candidate far better than an email, and will leave them with a positive impression of your organization when it comes to looking at future openings. To start off, simply thank the candidate for their interest and for applying for the position.

2. Prepare Feedback To Give the Candidate

Before making the phone call, prepare some notes on the reasons for the decision as well as to give feedback to the applicant, if requested. Avoid going into the conversation cold. It is common for some candidates to ask you if there is anything they can do to improve their interviewing skills, or if you have any constructive feedback for them as they continue their job search. Be prepared with a few notes to share, if asked.

3. Explain Why They Were Not a Good Fit

After you thank them for taking the time to meet, explain why you did not feel they were a good fit for the role or organization. There could be any number of reasons you did not select the candidate – perhaps there was someone more qualified, or the candidate simply didn’t answer your questions to your level of satisfaction. Below are some other suggested comments you may wish to make.

What Should You Say? Here are Some Examples:

“You have a lot of great qualities and experience, but we have decided to go with another candidate with more direct experience in this type of role.”
“This is a very important customer-facing role. We are looking for someone with more experience dealing directly with customers.”
“You have a lot of experience, but we struggled to get specific examples to answer our questions.”
“We were impressed by your resume, but overall we thought there were some gaps in what we are looking for with this hire.”
“You lack some of the data analysis experience this position requires, but you might be a great fit for an opening we currently have in the Accounting department.”

4. Avoid Generalizations and Making Broad Statements

When telling someone he or she did not get the job, avoid being rude or making generalizations. Keep the conversation focused on his or her ability to satisfy the job requirements and fill the organizational need. For example, do not just tell the candidate that you feel they struggled to answer questions. Provide an example of such a question and what it was you were looking for. Again, taking a few minutes to prepare some specifics in advance is always a good idea.

5. If They Argue, Keep it Professional and To the Point

Occasionally, a candidate may to attempt to convince you to reconsider once you inform him or her that they were not selected. Should this happen, keep your communication professional and reiterate that the decision has been made and it simply was not a good fit for the job.

6. Recommend Another Position, If Known

Sometimes, even when you do not think someone is a good candidate for position you are trying to fill, you may realize he or she is well-suited for a different job in your company. If you do know of a better opening for which they may be a good fit, suggest they consider applying. Explain why you feel that way, based on what you learned during the interview.

7. End the Conversation on a Positive Note

Even though the news is disappointing to the candidate, end the discussion on a positive note. Thank them for the time and expressing interest in the position a second time, and ask that they keep your organization in mind for future positions. Let them know you will retain their resume for consideration for future openings, if this is typical of your organization’s practice.

Turning Down Applicants

In summary, even though telling a person he or she did not get the job can sometimes be uncomfortable, it is part of the job of being a manager. Always make sure you take a few moments and reach out to them and let them know through a short conversation. Doing so goes a long way in terms of your organization’s standard of professionalism and credibility.