Just Say No...Thank You

“Okay, so not all of the candidates were good candidates for my position, but that doesn’t mean I want to treat them with any less respect when replying to their inquiry.”  I know this scenario is running through your mind, so we are going to work out what the proper response would be to any candidate for any position, when that phone rings and you feel that lump in your throat.

First of all, any human resources professional worth his or her salt knows that you need to contact the candidates as quickly as possible if they are not in the running.  There is no need to keep that person waiting in the wings as it were, just to save yourself from the conversation.  In short, send out that letter that says, "thank you, but no thank you."  Although the wording may never seem “nice” enough to the candidate, trust me when I tell you that you need to keep your letter brief and to the point.  Don’t sugar-coat it by indicating that if there is another opening they will be considered if that isn’t true.  Be positive and simply thank the person for taking time to come and meet with your company, and make your decision clear.  Keep in mind that the longer you take in sending this notification the more likely the candidate is to become agitated or angry.

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