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Closing the Loop: The Importance of Communicating with All Candidates

Think candidate rejection is just a formality?

Think again.

How you treat unsuccessful candidates can significantly impact your employer brand, your ability to attract future talent, and even your company’s overall reputation.

Leaders across industries weigh in on why respectful rejection is not just good manners, but good business.

Read on!

Ben Sporn
CEO, Joy Wallet

Considering we care about our reputation and we’re always trying to build it up — we inform rejected applicants.

While I completely understand how long and complex the hiring process is and how sometimes it’s easy(er) to overlook this final step, letting applicants know where they stand shows professionalism.

The idea behind this prolonged hiring cycle is that some candidates might not be perfect for the current open role, but they might be for a future one.

So, we don’t burn bridges; instead, we take some time to show respect and ensure our company leaves a positive impression (even when the outcome is not positive at the moment).

I’ve found that applicants appreciate transparency, even if the news isn’t what they hoped for.

They remember how they were treated and are more likely to refer others to the company or apply for future openings.

Ignoring this step may seem like saving time, but in reality, it could mean losing out on talented individuals who would have considered us again later.

Rafi Friedman
President, Coastal Luxury Outdoors

The short answer here is yes.

Anyone who submits a complete application to us is at least going to get a simple rejection email if we turn them down.

The further a candidate gets in the hiring process, the more detail and personal effort we’ll put into this communication.

If someone makes it to the in-person interview stage, especially if they interview well, I’ll usually take the time to call them personally, thank them for applying, and give them some feedback on what went wrong or why they weren’t a good fit.

I see this as a simple way of being polite, as well as a smart move to encourage these applicants to try again in the future.

Jordan Anthony
Certified Nutritionist, Ahara

Job hunting is a challenging, uncertain process. It takes enough mental and emotional labor without being left wondering whether you’re ever going to get hired by this or that employer. It’s also incredibly easy for us to send quick, polite rejection emails to anyone we don’t end up hiring.

So to answer your question, yes, we do inform candidates when we reject them. We don’t always go into detail, especially for openings where we had a lot of applicants, but we always take the time to let someone know that they haven’t made the cut so that they can move on.

Carolina Kazimierski
Co-Owner & President, Sophia’s Cleaning Service

This can vary a bit for me.

My general preference is to let all rejected applicants know, and I’ll just use a generic but heartfelt form message.

However, if I have tons of applicants for a role, sometimes it just isn’t possible and I’ll stick to sending more personalized rejections to candidates I’ve actually interviewed and then decided to reject.

I think overall it’s nice to inform people where you can, but in this day and age I don’t think everyone expects a rejection from every business they submit an application to.

Eliot Vancil
CEO, Fuel Logic LLC

We want to ensure candidates have a good experience. We think that letting applicants know they didn’t get the job is a business courtesy and a great chance to get feedback.

We value their time and effort by letting people know they don’t have the job they want but still need. This method also gives us useful feedback on hiring people and finding ways to improve. Our image with job seekers has improved since we started using it, and some of them have even come back to apply for future jobs.

We know that not all companies tell applicants they didn’t get the job, but we think the pros and cons outweigh the cons. By emphasizing a good candidate experience, we’ve built a strong employer brand and drawn top talent to our company.

Nick Valentino
VP of Market Operations, Bellhop Charlotte Movers

We view communicating rejection as primarily a matter of simple politeness.

We know that job hunting is an uncertain, time-consuming, often demoralizing process, and we want to do as much as we can to make it easier on people.

One area where we do see a direct benefit from communicating rejections is with candidates who didn’t quite make the cut after the final round of interviews.

These are usually people we would gladly hire; we just liked another candidate better.

This means that they can be great leads for future openings, and by communicating well with them throughout the hiring process, we can build the foundation of a useful relationship for the future.

Julia Lozanov
Chief Editor, Verpex

Experience of the candidate is our first priority at Verpex, even for applications that are denied. Every applicant will receive individualized feedback from our HR department, either by phone or email, along with helpful insights and the rationale behind the decision.

We just introduced a novel procedure called “Candidate Care Packages.” Among these digital bundles are:

  • Resources for enhancing one’s abilities
  • Trends and ideas from the industry invitations
  • Upcoming job opportunities .

This strategy, in our opinion, shows how much we value their time and attention. It also demonstrates our dedication to fostering professional development.

By doing this, we uphold our brand’s favorable reputation and cultivate a talent pool for upcoming chances.

Verpex’s reputation as a sympathetic and encouraging employer has been strengthened by this approach, which has led to an increase in good ratings on job boards and social media.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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