(Published August 24, 2009)
Whether or not you agree that the current economic crisis is winding down, I think there's one thing we can probably agree on: There are a lot of people out of work, which means there are a lot of people applying for jobs. If you post an opening, you're likely to get far more applications than you have time to process.
If you accept online applications, I recommend setting up the system to automatically send out an acknowledgment that the application was received, if you haven't already done so. This will reduce the number of phone calls you get from individuals asking about their application. If you accept (or require) paper applications, I recommend sending out postcards acknowledging receipt, if it is at all possible to do so. If you're receiving 300 applications for a single opening, it may not be feasible, and if that's the case, so be it. But if that is the case, I would recommend going to online applications, or at least e-mails, so that the system will make the acknowledgments for you. The more phone calls you can eliminate, the better. Not to mention the fact that it's polite to respond to applicants.
But I'm going to split a hair here, even if it's my own hair. It's one thing to acknowledge (or not acknowledge) receipt of an application. It's quite another to leave an applicant hanging after they've been interviewed. While it's nice to let someone know their application has been received, it's not mandatory. But there is no excuse for not letting an interviewee know the final resolution.
Just to be clear, I am only talking about a brief letter stating that the position has been filled. It doesn't even have to be personalized, though it's nice if it can be. A pre-typed postcard, "Thank you for interviewing with Company ABC. After due consideration, the position has been filled with an applicant whose qualifications more closely match the needs of the position," is enough. Type up (or even handwrite) the address, throw on a stamp, and you're done. If you're lucky enough to have an assistant, give the duty to them. But send out something.
You don't need to go into detail. You need not (and should not) tell them why they were not chosen or what qualifications the other applicant had. You don't even really have to wait until you've made your final selection, if the applicant doesn't make the first cut. But too often we forget that there are real people on the other side of that application, who may need to make decisions about other jobs and need to know about your job to make an informed one.
We all know that sometimes you think it will take two weeks to make a decision and it ends up taking six weeks. That can't be helped. We're all busy and sometimes we're doing 17 other things, all of which take priority over hiring and certainly over correspondence. But no matter what, when a final decision is made, we have to let applicants know that they haven't been hired. It's inexcusably rude not to.
Catherine Bannon is an HR consultant in Marshfield, MA (catherine.bannon@gmail.com). Bannon worked for 10 years in HR management before starting her consulting practice.
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