Don’t Leave People Hanging After You Interview Them
I need to rant this week about something some business owners do that really irks me.
My younger daughter Kelly recently moved to the beautiful city of Vancouver. Since getting there she has been diligently looking for a job which is proving to be difficult. Daily she’s been sending out resumes and has had several interviews, even a number of second interviews.
Here is what makes me mad. Not one business owner or manager who has interviewed her has had the courtesy to call and let her know that she didn’t get the job. This is not only rude but unacceptable business protocol.
I hope none of you reading this has made this business faux pas but if you have, I’m talking to you.
You invited this person to come in for an interview and in doing so have led her to believe she is eligible for the position. She wouldn’t come in for the interview unless she was interested in the job. And, since the interview, she has most certainly been waiting, as was Kelly, with excitement and some anxiety, to hear if she has gotten the job. Possibly she is waiting to respond to another job offer until she hears from you.
I firmly believe you owe this person the courtesy of letting them know they haven’t gotten the job. Don’t let time take care of it, thinking that if you don’t call, the person will eventually figure out they didn’t get the job.
At the end of an interview you should let the candidate know when she can expect to hear from you regarding your decision.
You may feel uncomfortable about making the call but you have to make it. It’s not that hard. Here’s a simple script:
‘Hello, Kelly. This is Susan calling from Boulevard Flowers. I want to thank you for coming in for an interview. Unfortunately, you haven’t been selected for the position. Good luck with your job search.’
Simple. Easy. Polite. And the right thing to do!
And don’t forget that even though you are not hiring this person, she is a potential customer to your business. An unhappy interviewee, just like an unhappy customer, will tell at least 10 people about the bad experience she had at your business. Do you want that kind of publicity?
Don’t leave people hanging. Call every person you interview, not just the person you choose to hire. Not only will they feel better, but so will you.
Susan
You bring up a very good point that people you may be interviewing are customers or potential customers too. And you never want a customer to feel like they received poor service… For those that are feeling uncomfortable about making a phone call, I wonder if a polite email would work too. I suppose it’s better than nothing. Right?
Brittni I totally think that an email is a perfectly acceptable way of letting the candidate down. Especially if you have done numerous interviews. I know last time I had to hire, I did over 25 interviews! That would be a ton of phone calls to make, I wrote out a short polite email and made sure to personalize it to each candidate.
Great point Susan!!
I think that a phone call is absolutley necessary. Although uncomfortable, it leaves a good impression on a future customer and it is an opportunity for the applicant to ask for feedback.
You may be able to help this individual in their furture career search by providing them feedback on how the interview went and what it is you were looking for.
I agree Lyndsey, sometimes the feedback that you can provide someone can be extremely helpful in a future job search!
This is so spot on and true. I find it sickening and unprofessh when you dont receive that phone call with good or bad news.
It sure is difficult to tell someone they dont have the job, but what happened to common courtesy and human decency?
I do wonder what the person on the other end of the HR/hiring side thinks – is it proper manners? What if the tables were turned and they were the ones looking for a job?
It is high time to change this and bring back the golden rule and just be more polite. It takes all of two seconds to pick up a phone or compose a quick email but it is not right to leave someone hanging.
Thank you for writing this and bring it forth!
Ashley
Thats exactly it Ashley! Bringing back more politeness. I find sometimes in this digital era that often times old fashion rules of etiquette and manners can be lost. Especially in this situation when hiring it really does only take 2 mins to make the call or compose the email to let someone know.
Its great to hear your thoughts on this issue, thanks again for your great comments!
I can see this hits close to home for you. I certainly hope your daughter finds the perfect job, as I trust she will. It is painful when communication breaks down — not just in professional settings, but all around. It would be a kinder, more gentle world if people would speak up. Simply say — No, you’re not my type. -or- No thanks, I have other plans. -or- Oh silly me, I forgot. -or- I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’d rather wait.
All perfectly polite things to say, but in our culture of niceties and busy-ness — this seems to go unnoticed.
Thanks for taking the time to bring it up!
Yes this issue of lack of communication truly can effect us in many areas of life.
How frustrating! I spent years coaching financial planners on hiring best practices, and this was the #1 thing they chickened out on! They were afraid of having to explain why they decided someone wasn’t right for them, and never saw that the conversation can be positive and help both sides. They always seem to think that the candidate was more “in love” with them than they were with him/her, when most of the time, the feeling–positive or negative–was pretty darn mutual.
The other thing that I noticed that helped those planners work up the courage to make the “let down” calls was when the candidate sent a thank you email or card after the interview. I really admire the candidates who follow up and maintain their professionalism even when the hiring planners dropped the ball.
It’s too bad your daughter is running into such “un” professionalism, but I bet she’ll end up working for people who more easily meet her standards too!
I have to agree with Ashley on this one, that this is a bigger problem with poor communication and people just plain not being polite. It seems to happen more and more in our every day life, but I am astonished that is happens so blatantly in the business world. I don’t have any interviewees to call, but I am going to make an extra effort to say please and thank you to everyone I encounter tomorrow!!
I think that is wonderful Megan! I agree that this really can be a lesson to take into everyday life! Thank you.
I must admit that, when I worked in Corporate America (where I interviewed the prospects for my team), I rarely called any interviewees back to let them know they didn’t get the job. I guess I was all too busy or overwhelmed to remember to be civil. Lesson learned!
It wasn’t that long ago that I was fresh out of college interviewing for positions. And I gotta say, the call-back in the event of not getting the job is rare. I was initially blown away by how rude it was, but eventually adjusted to a “that’s the way it is” attitude. Thanks for reminding me that just because something “is” doesn’t mean it has to stay that way, or is ideal. And much love to your daughter – keep your feet moving + make feeling good a priority. All will fall into place. xx
It really is quiet rare to get a call back after an interview isn’t it! And that feeling of waiting and wondering is just terrible after awhile.
Funny how it is to lapse into laziness and/or fear and then justify by thinking that it’s OK to be rude. I know a business owner whose HR policy is simply stated: “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” Sure, there are other policies in that manual but this one idea governs all, and really, makes decisions so much simpler and so much more “right.”
It’s not OK to be rude – to customers, to employees, to applicants. It’s not OK to justify your actions because you think you will never see those people again or that it takes too much time or that they will “just figure it out.” Good business practices pervade every aspect of how you a run a business. If you justify the small stuff, then how can you expect to be successful on the bigger issues?
Exactly Jennifer! I think that is a great policy to have first and foremost for a business. I think its so important to always remember to keep the foundation of your business strong. Being polite to everyone you interact with in your business cannot be overlooked.
I so agree with you, I’ve never understood why companies don’t take the 2 seconds to tell people they didn’t get the job. It’s just common courtesy. I always assumed people just don’t want to deal with the awkwardness but if someone took the time to come in for an interview, the least the company can do is let them know so they don’t hang on to false expectations/hopes. Best of luck to your daughter, she’ll find the right job for her soon enough. As my friend always says “all things in divine order!”.
I know the phone call or email to let an applicant know they did not get the position really does take only a minute or two. It can be awkward, but it still has to be done. And a little update on my daughter job search . . She has found a job!
Yikes! I admit when I used to interview people and they weren’t hire we never called them. Hmm, you bring up a good point. I actually always wanted to know why I wasn’t hired especially becuase i only used to go to interviews that matched my skills set. I do agree calling the people who didn’t make would be a nice thing to do. Glad to hear your daughter found a job!
Thank you, Kat & Susan for writing to this! So many people deal with others unprofessionally. I am sure I have at times and constantly need to be awakened to that reality. The key is education. And that is what you have done here. that is what we need to do to change the planet. So many don’t even realize the impact of their actions, and are not told! So this is perfect. I love your ferocity and clarity. TEACH them! And you just did! Pass it on! (p.s. wouldn’t it be great to pass it on to those business owners? unfortunately they probably would take personal offense! But… it would be AWESOME for them to hear it in some way.)
Ohhhh I so agree with you! A very simple, curtious and ethical way to treat people if you ask me. I actually have a similar situation right now except with a babysitter we had a couple of times whom I feel is not right for our family. No one wants to be the one who doesn’t get called back and then wonder why. I’ll be letting her know, with thanks, that we have found another girl and wish her well. It’s little slips like these with businesses that get overlooked but can really reveal a lot about a company. I say, to your Daughter, that she has a sweet gig coming her way, who value her time a lot!
Thank you for posting this! (which I know was a while ago) I am job hunting for 2 months now and have wondered the exact same thing. These HR people are starting to tick me off. They expect us candidates to confirm our interview time/date with an email but they don’t have the simple courtesy to let us know we didn’t get the job. They can’t be so busy that a 2 sentence email with bcc to all candidates takes too much time. I find it rude and am tired of these games HR people play. Your readers are so right saying we could be future clients and will remember how we were treated. Thanks again!
I 100% agree with you! That annoys me so much. I had an interview recently that went really well. It was in my field which is accounting and the guy still hasn’t gotten in touch with me. I even emailed him a follow- up and he didn’t even respond to me. It really is upsetting it happens to me a lot where I have interviews go really well and I think I got the job and the person doesn’t even have the courtesy to let me know.
After reading your article and these comments, I wanted to add that it takes interviewees time and money to prepare for interview. So if any employers are reading, please let them know if they didn’t get the job by phone, email, or letter. Heck, you can forward them a generic email and put their email address on it. Just don’t keep them waiting and hoping because they might really need the job.
After my first interview with a big firm in Dallas, I sent a thank you e-mail and was immediately invited back for a second interview. The following week I had a second interview, which I felt went well. I was told it was down to two candidates, me being one of them. They would be making a decision by the end of the week or early the following week at the latest. I followed up with another thank you email and highlighted some of my qualifications that were in line with the position. I then waited patiently for a week and a half, sent another email letting them know I was still interested in the position and was looking forward to hearing back from them. NOTHING!! It’s now two weeks since the second interview and I haven’t received a response to my email, haven’t received the dreaded “we chose the other candidate” phone call – nor have I received a letter in the mail. While this is a large firm, they make decisions locally so there is not a lot of red tape – but apparently plenty of rudeness! I guess I don’t want to work for a place that treats people with such disrespect. I would probably not be so upset if I didn’t know I was one of two finalists – that lack of follow up is just plain RUDE!!