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I'm having the opposite problem. I'm trying desperately to get people to apply for mobile dev positions... and of the FIVE applications I've managed to lure in, none of them replied to my phone calls or emails back.
I was considering asking for an address in the application so I could go wait on applicants' doorsteps, but maybe a letter like this is a less litigable idea.
The reason you don't get a reply (in the US anyways) is for legal reasons. If you say anything which could be even remotely (mis)interpreted as some sort of bias, your company could lose lots of money/time and potentially go bankrupt due to a discrimination lawsuit. It's sadly safer to just not reject candidates at all. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
This is merely a convenient excuse for companies behaving inconsiderately. Since many companies in the U.S. do send rejection emails, it's clearly one of any number of other reasons why some companies neglect this basic courtesy. The silver lining is, you probably don't want to work for these companies anyway :)
Are you able to provide any kind of data backing up that claim?
I am strongly in the "don't hate the player, hate the game" camp on this issue.
This is NOT a basic courtesy but a business process that requires a lot of resources to be at least somewhat meaningful. How long do you think it takes to write a rejection letter that provides useful, actionable data for the potential candidate? Multiply that by 10-100 for every position.
Oh, and I've seen much more nasty replies and general insults than thank yous in response to rejection letters.
I would be in support of rejection letters if the process would be mandated by the hiring platform / shared culture / etc.
I've hired people before, and usually when it comes time to send rejection emails it can be very hard. If someone clearly isn't right for the job, you owe it to them to mention why- I'm an engineer, I work in absolutes and "Culture fit" or something so wishy-washy doesn't roll well off my fingers. But how do you tell people that they lack basic knowledge or experience in certain areas without sounding bitchy or attac…
It frustrates me that you see it this way because it means when I give direct criticism to individuals I'm expected to bring in line via performance reviews, they get upset and take it personally. It also frustrates me because I'm surrounded by people who refuse to give me direct criticism of my work for fear that I will take it personally. Meanwhile, I'm trying to develop professionally...
I've hired people before, and usually when it comes time to send rejection emails it can be very hard. If someone clearly isn't right for the job, you owe it to them to mention why- I'm an engineer, I work in absolutes and "Culture fit" or something so wishy-washy doesn't roll well off my fingers. But how do you tell people that they lack basic knowledge or experience in certain areas without sounding bitchy or attac…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is merely a convenient excuse for companies behaving inconsiderately. Since many companies in the U.S. do send rejection emails, it's clearly one of any number of other reasons why some companies neglect this basic courtesy. The silver lining is, you probably don't want to work for these companies anyway :)
>Since many companies in the U.S. do send rejection emails Are you able to provide any kind of data backing up that claim? I am strongly in the "don't hate the player, hate the game" camp on this issue. This is NOT a basic courtesy but a business process that requires a lot of resources to be at least somewhat meaningful. How long do you think it takes to write a rejection letter that provides useful, actionable data…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is merely a convenient excuse for companies behaving inconsiderately. Since many companies in the U.S. do send rejection emails, it's clearly one of any number of other reasons why some companies neglect this basic courtesy. The silver lining is, you probably don't want to work for these companies anyway :)
>Since many companies in the U.S. do send rejection emails Are you able to provide any kind of data backing up that claim? I am strongly in the "don't hate the player, hate the game" camp on this issue. This is NOT a basic courtesy but a business process that requires a lot of resources to be at least somewhat meaningful. How long do you think it takes to write a rejection letter that provides useful, actionable data…
[0] At Google's scale, some candidates fall through the cracks. But their recruiting process does mandate rejection notifications. It'd be great if a Google recruiter would back me up here :)
The reason you don't get a reply (in the US anyways) is for legal reasons. If you say anything which could be even remotely (mis)interpreted as some sort of bias, your company could lose lots of money/time and potentially go bankrupt due to a discrimination lawsuit. It's sadly safer to just not reject candidates at all. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
A simple "you are no longer being considered for the [x] position, thank you for your application" is all most people are looking for.
(LEGO even sent me a nicely formatted, well-branded letter within 7 business days despite not even making it to the phone screen stage.)
I've hired people before, and usually when it comes time to send rejection emails it can be very hard. If someone clearly isn't right for the job, you owe it to them to mention why- I'm an engineer, I work in absolutes and "Culture fit" or something so wishy-washy doesn't roll well off my fingers. But how do you tell people that they lack basic knowledge or experience in certain areas without sounding bitchy or attac…
We would have liked to work with you, but unfortunately we do not feel your skills in $AREA_OF_CONCERN are as strong as we require.
Despite this rejection we wish you a happy job hunt and strongly encourage you to apply to $CORP in the future.
If somebody was better, you say that outright.
If the problem is culture fit? Well I really wouldn't write that in an email (too likely to make you come of as an ass, too likely to make you easy to sue if the person was a member of some minority).
I've hired people before, and usually when it comes time to send rejection emails it can be very hard. If someone clearly isn't right for the job, you owe it to them to mention why- I'm an engineer, I work in absolutes and "Culture fit" or something so wishy-washy doesn't roll well off my fingers. But how do you tell people that they lack basic knowledge or experience in certain areas without sounding bitchy or attac…
>But how do you tell people that they lack basic knowledge or experience in certain areas without sounding bitchy or attacking. It frustrates me that you see it this way because it means when I give direct criticism to individuals I'm expected to bring in line via performance reviews, they get upset and take it personally. It also frustrates me because I'm surrounded by people who refuse to give me direct criticism o…