Time to Reply to All Applicants

Applying for work is putting yourself out there. For better or worse, when someone puts herself out there, he or she deserves feedback. Unfortunately in the hiring process, applicants are too often left alone in the cold wondering, “Did they even receive my information? I would understand if they chose someone else, but did they even take the time to consider me?”

At SmartRecruiters, we are hiring. Unfortunately, we must turn down many candidates. Many talented people just aren’t the right fit for a particular job. However, every applicant you reject will serve as ambassador to your brand and a potential hire for a future position. Every applicant should be treated with respect. Every applicant should be replied to. Here is the default reject candidate email in the SmartRecruiters Platform, written by CEO Jerome Ternynck, and sent out yesterday by Jerome to a real candidate:

Dear [Real Candidate],

Thank you for your interest in the position of [job_title]. Unfortunately we are unable to offer you a role at this time. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for now. Please stay in touch with us on @SmartRecruiters or www.facebook.com/smartrecruiters as we are consistently hiring.

I wish you the best of luck in your job search.

Best regards,

Jerome Ternynck

This Real Candidate had this to say today:

Thank you for your reply Jerome,

I am now more impressed with your organization because you took the time to reply. This is my motto and practice when I work with talents. I always reply to resumes as I know how frustrating it can be in this current economic climate. I always believe that when I communicate with them, I hopefully have made them feel that I did take the time to review their efforts. And you made me feel you did.

Again, thank you for your response and please keep me in mind as I continue to track SmartRecruiters’ success and hope to be a part of that and your team sometime, even on a consulting, remote, temporary or part-time basis.

Best,
Real Candidate

And another Candidate had this to say:

Mr. Ternynck,

I wanted to send you a quick note to say how much I appreciated reading your approach, and response to applicants. It has been my experience that it builds character in a company’s reputation, and shows how candidates would be treated if hired.

I was so intrigued by your post that I signed up for a SmartRecruiters account. I love the design, overall look and feel, and the ease of use. Keep up the great work, you have an amazing product…

Sincerely,
Another Real Candidate

Thank You Candidates, for your interest in SmartRecruiters, and moreso, thank you for your interest in a civil hiring process. We will keep you in our SmartRecruiters software, and consider you for future positions. As Maya Angelou said, “Every person is born with talent.” Treat that talent with respect. It is time to reply to all applicants.