In order to bring you the most accurate and useful information possible, Employee Selection and Development, Inc. will be issuing PRACTICAL RESEARCH REPORTS quarterly. Its purpose is to give you practical and useful information on hiring, motivating, and managing employees. Should you have any questions or want further elaboration, please contact us by email or call 800-947-5678.

Bert Zinkand
Director

PRACTICAL RESEARCH REPORT #11 

Interviewing Tips – Part 3

The Personal Interview

Telling the Applicant They Didn’t Get the Job

This is difficult for many managers as it involves delivering unpleasant news. However, not delivering the decision reflects poorly on you and your company. Consider not knowing the outcome of an interview from the candidate’s perspective. Would you recommend or want to do business with a company that did not inform you of a matter that meant so much to you Remember the old marketing adage, Give a person a good experience and they will tell 3 people about you. Give a person a bad experience and they will tell 10. Because you will have other openings as your firm grows, deliver the unpleasant news professionally and with compassion.

Before you contact the candidates that were not selected, be sure that your preferred candidate has been presented with and accepted your offer in writing.Following this, it’s up to you to decide whether to contact the others by telephone or letter.’s not necessary to explain why the person was not hired unless you feel compelled to do so. Whether you contact the candidate by phone or letter, remind the candidate that your company may be interested in talking with them should an appropriate opening become available in the future.

Here is a possible script for a telephone contact.

“Hello (candidate), this is (your name) from (company). I’m calling to update you on the selection process for the (job title) position. We were fortunate to have an opportunity to talk with you and the other candidates and we want to thank you for your interviewing with us. (Candidate), I have selected another candidate for this position based on the best match between this person’s qualifications and the requirements of the position.I wish you all the success in your current job search and look forward to reviewing your qualifications again as future openings become available. Thank you again for your interest in (company) and taking the time to interview with us.”

Here’s a sample letter.

(Heading)

Dear (Candidate),

Thank you for your interest in (Company) and taking the time to interview with us.We were fortunate to have interviewed a number of candidates for the (job title) position.I have selected another candidate for this position based on the best match between the job requirements and the person’s qualifications. We will keep your resume on file should another opening become available that matches your qualifications.Best wishes in the future and for your current job search.

Sincerely,

(your name)
(title)

Bottom line, remember the golden rule and treat the candidate as you would want to be treated. You never know when you may be on the other side of the desk.

IMPORTANT NOTE

All Enet Hire, Personality, Select Position Specific, Assess For Managers, SalesMax and Work Ethic and Integrity reports from Employee Selection and Development, Inc. include interview questions to help you identify needed job behaviors, traits and skills. To see examples of these, please visit www.employeeselect.com and click on Tests Offered.

This concludes our three part Practical Research Report series on interviewing. Should you have any questions or comments on this series we would like to hear from you. Please feel free to email us at president@employeeselect.com or call 800-947-5678.