Another week, another hiring decision. For growing companies,
finding the perfect person for a job is just another thing to check
off the to-do list. If one resume doesn't look good, keep
rifling through the stack. You have plenty to choose from, and you
only have to call the best people. The rest should get the hint
when the phone doesn't ring.
But for unemployed job seekers on the other side of the fence,
applying to your company is a serious endeavor. Ignore them, and
you could be encouraging some desperate job seekers to become what
Carole Martin, an interview coach in Danville, California, and the
interview expert for Monster.com, calls "Tasmanian
devils": overly aggressive job "stalkers" who hound
you with calls and e-mails, or stop by the office hoping for some
face time to find out where they stand.
These applicants don't know when to quit, says Martin.
"They're thinking 'If I call just one more time,
they'll take my call.'" Add to this a cultural message
that tells applicants to be aggressive and persistent with
employers, and you can end up becoming the hunted if you don't
know how to handle the situation.
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Hello,
Goodbye
In this fragile hiring climate, some applicants are mistaking
professional courtesy and friendliness-in the form of
"We'll call you"-as a sign you like them, says
Martin.
It's crucial for you to give firm messages instead of mixed
signals. If a candidate is not in your top 10 percent and won't
be interviewed, say so. If you won't be hiring this person but
want to keep the resume on file for future openings, let the
applicant know. "You have to close the door," Martin
says.
Of course, doing it is the hard part. Brian Barth, CEO of
SideStep, a 21-employee online travel search company in the Silicon
Valley with annual sales topping $3.5 million, hears a few times a
week from aggressive job hunters and recruiters who contact him
directly rather than going to the company's Web site, which
lists job openings, accepts resumes, and generates an automated
e-mail response letting applicants know their applications have
been received. "We prefer that people send their resumes to
our e-mail address," says Barth, 36. "Some people
don't want to follow the process."
Barth forwards the unsolicited messages to his HR person, who
screens up to 25 new resumes every day. With such volume, getting
back to people who won't be interviewed is impossible for one
person to do, Barth says. But if a rejected applicant follows up
after a job has been filled, the company tries to offer closure.
"When you're clear with people, you don't have a
problem," he says.
Take some simple steps today to make the rejection process
easier for everyone involved. Start by minimizing the things you
don't need to do. A lot of small employers interview every
person who applies, a mistake because it only encourages applicants
while making it harder to get back to all of them. Instead, select
the top 10 percent of the resumes for phone screenings and narrow
this field even further for in-person interviews.
Also, limit "mercy interviews"-interviewing friends of
friends-which can easily lead to unreasonable expectations. If you
feel obligated to speak with someone who doesn't seem right for
the job, set it up as an informational interview where you answer
basic questions about your company and your industry, but make it
clear that it's not a hiring situation, says Patrick J.
Lennahan, principal consultant of P.J. Lennahan & Associates, a
career consulting firm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. That way, you
fulfill an obligation without leading the person on.
"Don't build up people's hopes if there's no
opportunity there," he says.
If you're deluged with applications, consider bringing in an
extra person for a few hours a week during a hiring phase to send
out rejections and arrange interviews. Also think about setting up
separate voice mail and e-mail boxes for applicants so their
inquiries are easier to track. While a stock e-mail reply isn't
as nice as a letter or a phone call, it's a cheap and easy way
of letting applicants know they didn't make the cut.
Good
Impressions
Of course, a form letter rejection won't be enough for the
occasional applicant. What should you do with someone who calls
wanting to know why they were rejected? In many cases, employers
aren't getting back to people they've rejected because
they're worried about potential legal liabilities. Take the
time to resolve the issue, but keep the conversation away from
specific information that can get you into trouble, such as a
personality fit. "Say 'We found someone with more skills
and experience,'" says Martin.
Furthermore, letting applicants know where they stand is a good
public relations move on your part. The people you come in contact
with during your hiring efforts are more than just job seekers;
they're also potential consumers who will run and tell their
friends how your company treated them. Besides, it's a small
world out there, and the applicant you ignore today could someday
end up working for your main competitor or biggest client
tomorrow.
"Whatever interaction you have with [applicants] is going
to bespeak your reputation," Lennahan says. "You've
got to make a good impression."
Chris Penttila is a freelance journalist in the Chapel Hill,
North Carolina, area. Contact her at chris@sitting-duck.com.
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