For the busy human resources professional, taking the time to write rejection letters is probably the last thing on your to-do list. However, sending rejection letters can actually be a helpful way to improve your hiring practices and give your company a great impression at the same time. Here are three reasons why you should be sending rejection letters to applicants.
Reason #1 – It’s Professional
The hallmark of a truly great company is that is has a procedure for every aspect of how it does business, including candidate selection. As an HR professional, you know that you represent your company to the rest of the world. So, when it comes to eliminating candidates for whatever reason, it’s always a fair to keep candidates in the loop by sending a well-written rejection letter. The letter does not have to be elaborate or go into detail about why the candidate was not chosen. Keep it simple and respect the person who will be reading it on the other end. You never know, but the candidate you are rejecting now may become the perfect person for another opening later on, so it’s best to keep the door open a crack.
Reason #2 – Protects Company
Another good reason to send out rejection letters is to protect your company from unwittingly giving the impression of discriminating against certain protected classes of candidates. Every once in a while, a candidate who has not been chosen for a job can get upset and try to find a loophole in EEOC laws. The best way to reduce the chances of this happening is to send a neutral rejection letter to all candidates that goes something like this: “Thank you for your interest in our company. We appreciate your time and believe you have many excellent qualities; however, we have chosen to move forward with other candidates. We invite you to re-apply for openings at our company in the future.” That way if there is ever a question in the future, you can prove that you treat all candidates the same.
Reason #3 – Provides Feedback
Candidates who are actively seeking work are not only frustrated, they can be completely oblivious to how they are presenting themselves. That’s why it can be a nice touch to provide a little bit of feedback to rejected candidates when you send your rejection letter. Include a copy of their resume with the letter and make a couple of brief notes or highlight misspelled words so they can make improvements. Let them know you appreciated their interview skills. Include links to some helpful job search resources on the bottom of the letter. Little touches like this will give a great impression with candidates and they will remember the positive experience they’ve had with you.
Need more pointers for making your hiring processes better? Please visit Advance Staffing Solutions today!
