Is there a better way to reject an unsuccessful applicant?

Rejecting applicants occurs at each decision point in the hiring process. The hiring process may include the following decision points:

• Selecting from recent applicants whom to interview
• Deciding to advertise in lieu of reviewing existing applicant files
• Rejecting some responses to a blind newspaper advertisement
• Reviewing and eliminating applicants based on test results
• Deciding to hire one person over several that have been interviewed

When interviewing any candidate, be sure to:

Follow all company policies and procedures. Make sure interviewers are very clear on the rules. To be safe, interviewing training should be provided periodically, and interviewers for a specific job should be coached in that job and given an opportunity to ask questions. Certain employment searches are complex and may require specific training for all interviewers.

Never raise false hopes. Successful interviewers do not raise false hopes in the process of being warm and friendly. Anger can be generated by employment rejections when the applicant believed the company's interviewer encouraged the applicant and, therefore, misled the applicant.

Provide factual feedback. Address during the interview those areas where the candidate falls short of the hiring criteria. For example, if the company wishes the successful applicant to know a certain type of software, and this candidate knows an older version, point out to the candidate the company's standard. It may be that the company will be unsuccessful in securing a candidate with the current software knowledge and therefore will hire someone with some background. However, the company may also be successful in finding a candidate with current knowledge. In this fashion, the interviewer prepared the way for the potential rejection.

Cut the interview short if necessary. It is possible to curtail the interview without being rude at the point you determine that the candidate is unqualified. To continue the interview in those circumstances is a waste of time for both parties and can be misleading to the candidate. Advise the candidate politely but honestly that his or her background does not match the company's needs.

Be candid. If you are interviewing other applicants over a period of time and you wish to try and put this candidate on hold, tell the truth. You may not be successful; however, you probably would not have been even if you had said nothing. And the candidate may retain a more favorable feeling about the company knowing there had been continuing interest.

Avoid certain statements. While it is critical that interviewers remember that they represent the company at all times and that they make a favorable impression, it may not always be possible to impress the candidate and to complete the tasks necessary to a successful interview. However, it is always possible to be respectful and polite. As a rule of thumb, do not use the following statements:

• You should have no trouble finding another position.
• Please call me anytime if you have any questions.
• Don't call us, we'll call you.

Companies should design policies instructing managers how to interview, hire and reject candidates. Failure to do so invites errors. Those errors can be costly. Basic policy issues that should be addressed include:

• Authority. Who has the authority to decide to reject a candidate? Those managers should be carefully trained.
• Documentation. It is necessary to document each step in the hiring process. When a candidate is rejected, write down why. Be sure to use specific language describing behaviors or lack of qualifications. Do not use vague generalities such "poor appearance," "poor attitude," "lacks ability or background," etc. Document immediately; if you've interviewed even a few candidates, it is extremely easy to become confused as to who said what in the interview or which candidate demonstrated a particular skill. If you don't document immediately, you are likely to forget important
• Notification. Advise unsuccessful candidates as soon as possible after they are determined to be no longer eligible for consideration. Not only is it a polite thing to do and projects a professional image, it also reduces the amount of calls from candidates. If possible, respond to the unsuccessful candidate in writing.
• Truth. Never lie to an applicant; be sure that whatever you tell the applicant is the truth. This does not, however, mean that you must reveal to the applicant everything that you know. For example, if the reason you are rejecting an applicant is because of a poor employment reference, tell the applicant that. Do not tell the applicant who provided the reference or exactly what the reference said. Similarly, do not imply that you will review existing in-house applicants before conducting external employment searches unless it is true.
• Control. Stay in control no matter how offensive a rejected candidate may be. Do not allow his or her anger to cause you to do or say something you and your company may regret. You do not have to be abused, however. Simply indicate that abusive behavior is unacceptable and terminate the conversation. Document the circumstances.
• Confidentiality. Shred applications after they are no longer legally required to be retained. Restrict access to prior applicants to staff who have a business need to review the material. Do not maintain medical, credit or other sensitive information with the application itself. Document the application as to the existence and location of the more sensitive records and maintain separately. Be sure all records are on the same retention schedules.
• Record retention. Federal law requires hiring records to be retained for a specified period of time. Most employers need to keep them for at least one year --and in some instances longer --after the hiring decision is made. Educational institutions and state and local governments must keep hiring records for two years. However, if hiring records become the subject of investigation, they must be retained until the investigation and any resulting legal action is completed. Because state laws vary, and for other reasons, you may choose to retain hiring records for a much longer period.
• Security. Take all threats seriously. Contact local law enforcement if threats are made. Although rejecting a candidate is not a major cause of violence in the workplace, sensible precautions should be taken.