Rejecting a Candidate is Tough, Here’s How to do it

After a tiring session of interviewing and answering questions from candidates, you have finally found the right one. Now comes the tough part, there were a few other candidates you liked, but who just weren't quite the right fit. 

You'll have to let them down gently and explain why they didn't get the job.

It will take some practice, but by making a few adjustments into your interview process, you’ll be better prepared to handle these conversations.

Prompt and Straightforward Response

Many people have at least experienced that one very positive interview which ended in a devastating rejection. The number one question running through one's brain was probably “Why?”. And when you asked for feedback, you had to wait days or weeks for a standard and generic response.

What interviewers don’t realize is that, by doing this, they may be losing out on a potential future candidate. If you really thought the candidate was great, then let them know. 

Keep in mind that the interview is also an opportunity for people to get to know your company. If the rejected candidate is not treated with the courtesy of a prompt and straightforward response, then they won’t even bother to apply again once another opportunity arises.

Clarify Your Selection Criteria

A job description may have a long list of desired experiences and skills, though you probably think that only some of those things are important. Try to rank these criteria from most important to least important.

Use this as a guide when you plan to write your feedback to candidates. For instance, if the most important criteria for the job was creating marketing plans, and a candidate had experience with the three other criteria but not the most important one, that's an understandable explanation. 

You can say to this candidate that while their experiences in other areas were great, they should try to work on marketing management projects to be a better fit for similar positions. That is better than "Another candidate's skill set matched our needs more closely." 

If you're not sure how a candidates matches the criteria, then the interviewer didn't give you enough information. Avoid making hiring mistakes in order to collect enough information about the candidates.

It's fair to tell the candidate this as you've enjoyed the interview and their resume looked great, but you simply didn't receive enough detail to assure they could do the job.

Keep in Touch

If you truly liked the candidate, maybe they were great but didn't fit the criteria for the job or they would be the perfect fit for another role that isn't available at the time, then tell the candidate exactly that.

Keep in touch with them. Perhaps send them a LinkedIn request or invite them to a networking event. You can also promise to let them know if there's another opening that would be a better fit. You never know when the timing will be right, and at that point you'll already have an established relationship.

This article is based on "What to Say to the Candidates You Don't Hire" by Anne Niederkorn.