Lately, I’ve received a few “thanks, but no thanks” letters from prospective employers. Nothing out of the ordinary, considering the economy, my rustiness at interviewing, and my relatively short time in the job market. But, one thing stands out — many employers don’t know how to tell candidates they didn’t get the job.
This week, I received a “kiss off” form letter. A form letter for this purpose is probably necessary, but what galled me was that my name and the position I applied for were pasted into the letter in a different font and size than the rest of the text. Come on! A little effort here, guys! The letter went on to say how much they enjoyed meeting with me …. bla, bla, bla, but the copy and paste job turned me off. The letter ended with a line promising to keep my resume on file. Whose file? Where? Will it be top-of-mind a couple of years from now when the incumbent leaves the job? Not likely. That’s probably why you don’t often hear of a candidate called back to a company for a job they didn’t get in the first place. Why bother including that tired old cliche in every candidate rejection letter?
Another would-be employer called me and left a long and rambling message on my voice mail. I came home to see my voice mail indicator light flashing and then had to endure listening to her ramble on in a cheerful voice about why I wasn’t chosen. She would have been far better to leave me a message to call her back. At that time, we could have had a short dialogue rather than the one-way monologue she delivered. If you’re going to tell someone they didn’t get the job by phone, don’t tell them by voice mail. That’s just not professional.
I suppose the desired outcome from the employer’s perspective is to avoid any contentious issues about the hiring process. And perhaps, avoid extended dialogue with the candidate about why they weren’t chosen. With that in mind, perhaps something like this would leave a better impression:
”Thank you for attending the interview for [title of position] at [company name]. Based on scoring against the key qualifications outlined in the job description, and explored with you by our interview panel, your bid for [title of position] was not successful. However, we encourage you to visit our job board regularly and submit your resume for suitable positions posted in the future. We wish you well in your job search and appreciate your interest in [name of company].”
Consider that a freebie! My gift to myself.
I can’t believe that someone would leave that long voicemail Pat – how unprofessional! I even think that should be against the law as a privacy sort of thing.
Your second last paragraph is the perfect “kiss off” letter – very straight forward and not rambling on nor discouraging.
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