Have you ever looked for a job, applied and never heard back?  Or worse yet… Have you ever gotten past the initial interview and into the hiring process, just to be left hanging?  If you’ve been in the job market multiple times like I have it’s probably happened to you. Today, companies are starting to get it.  However, there are still too many that don’t.

Those who don’t are subjecting their organization to the “double-whammy”.  If you piss off an applicant, no matter where they are in your process, they walk away with a negative impression of both your employment brand and your consumer brand.  In other words they tell their friends DON’T APPLY and DON’T BUY!  If you don’t think this can cause serious harm, think about the numbers…

Depending on the job, you are going to turn away 5 or 10 times the number of people  you are going to hire.  Multiply that by 10 jobs and the result is a pile of people.  Even if they walk away with a neutral feeling about the experience it’s an opportunity missed.

So how do you make a person feel good when they’ve been rejected for a job?  I’ll tell you what one organization does that made a difference for me.  Instead of saying something like, “While your background and experience are impressive we’ve decided you are not a fit for the position”.  They sent me a text that read something like this, “We received your application and yes this is an automated response.  We’d like it to be more personal however we receive hundreds of applications and this is the only way we can get to everyone.  Please don’t be discouraged.  Just because you aren’t a fit for this position doesn’t mean you won’t be a fit for other positions at Brand X.  Now that your information is in our system you will be considered for future openings where the job responsibilities are more aligned with your skills and background”.  Again, this isn’t verbatim but you get the gist.  I walked away thinking that applying to Brand X wasn’t a waste of time and there could be an opportunity for me down the road.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to find good people.  In Texas the unemployment rate dropped to 4.2%, its lowest point in a decade.  Nationally the story is pretty much the same.  Companies must understand it’s not enough to treat their employees right.  It’s of paramount importance to treat anyone who touches the company in the most personal, respectful way possible.  Job applicants may not qualify for a position that is open today but they may be a perfect fit for one that is open next month!  Even if they aren’t you want them to walk away from your process thinking positively about their experience.