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An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

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Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#41

Post by ohitsdom »

I guess this is a joke, but all the comments so far seem to take this seriously. So let me say what is obvious to me- there are many legitimate reasons why you may have not heard back in a manner that seems timely to you. There are also bad reasons, such as disorganization and poor communication skills. But what message does an email like this send? "If you hire me, be prepared to deal with complaints about my professional behavior!" Seriously, poor communication is an everyday workplace occurrence, so if this is how you respond...

And then there is general networking stuff- which is even mentioned in the email! He acknowledges he may one day be a client or partner, and yet still thinks sending this type of "cathartic" email is a good idea.

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#42

Post by binxbolling »

peteboyd wrote: post #40

We are hiring right now for a new bookkeeper, actually they start Monday, so we just finalized the hiring. We regularly post ads for designers, developers and content writers too. Probably every other month I am reviewing resumes, so I have a bit of experience in responding to applicants. Typically any given job posting gets around 50 to 100 resumes depending on the category. It takes time to read through everything.…

Just curious, but what ATS are you using that makes sending 50 canned replies tedious?

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#43

Post by mikecmpbll »

ohitsdom wrote: post #41

I guess this is a joke, but all the comments so far seem to take this seriously. So let me say what is obvious to me- there are many legitimate reasons why you may have not heard back in a manner that seems timely to you. There are also bad reasons, such as disorganization and poor communication skills. But what message does an email like this send? "If you hire me, be prepared to deal with complaints about my profes…

I don't think it's unprofessional and I wouldn't want to work with anyone who did, so if that's the effect it has for some people, then it's self-fulfilling!

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#44

Post by pauloteixeira »

rbcgerard wrote: post #7
getsat wrote: post #3

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.

Exactly something so simple but so important!

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#45

Post by imroot »

RedHat was the worst when it came to this.

In 2007, I interviewed for a professional services position within RedHat. I had a phone screen and then three or four weeks would go by, and then the recruiter would ask me for another phone screen. It eventually ended up with a stay in Chicago for an in-person...series of phone calls and one face-to-face interview.

Another six months(!) went by before they called me to ask me if I would be interested in working with them and started the verbal negotiation process.

Suffice to say, I turned them down (my work situation had changed and I wasn't looking to leave), but, I always remember that process and the length of time that it took to get there when I hear friends talking about applying to RedHat.

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#46

Post by eli »

rfrey wrote: post #11

Fun read! 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.

I frankly believe there are candidates applying for jobs based on the title and maybe skimming the ad, and then waiting for a response before considering if they actually want to work there.

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#47

Post by drauh »

peteboyd wrote: post #40

We are hiring right now for a new bookkeeper, actually they start Monday, so we just finalized the hiring. We regularly post ads for designers, developers and content writers too. Probably every other month I am reviewing resumes, so I have a bit of experience in responding to applicants. Typically any given job posting gets around 50 to 100 resumes depending on the category. It takes time to read through everything.…

FWIW, I have, in the past, applied for jobs at colleges and other research institutions which all have their own resume input system. All different from each other, of course, so it takes 30--45 minutes to completely fill one in. Yes, they have a semi-smart parser that will take a .DOC or a .PDF and pull out the relevant info, but they are more often wrong than right, so it's easier to just manually key in every field right off.

So, count me as a non-fan of these web-based systems.

With such a system, one may expect a quick response, but most of my applications went into a no-reply black hole, except for the submission confirmation provided by the form.

The most annoying one was a phone call from one institution, that I received the first day I started work at a different institution, 6 months after the application was submitted.

On the other side, most of the private sector jobs I have applied to have been very efficient at responding: either a quick rejection after a few days, or moving ahead in the process.

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#48

Post by atirip »

Robadob wrote: post #9

I recall a friend ~12 months ago (in their final year of university), hearing positive news back from IBM after 6+ months of silence since their interview, by which point they had accepted a job elsewhere. I expect some companies prefer not to officially reject, so they have more applicants to potentially consider for future positions, although many may have taken jobs elsewhere by this point.

I was once rejected by Spotify 6 months after i sent application in. No hard feelings, I just wonder who was that who waited that process out and got hired ;-)

Re: An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers

#49

Post by rbanffy »

cwp wrote: post #29

This is funny, and probably very satisfying, but if you need to send this kind of email, you're doing it wrong. I get that other industries are different, but if you're looking for a job in the tech world, do your homework. To (a small amount of) background research on companies that would fit with your situation. Find out what the open reqs are, and who the hiring manager is for each one. Pre-screen yourself by find…

You can, on your introduction message or on the thank you note you send after a first interview, state you understand the hiring manager is a busy person and you will get back in touch on a specific timeframe. And then you get in touch on that specific time.

If even this fails, you should fire the company - you really don't want to work there. As much as this is a fun read, unless you are applying for a job at The Onion, don't do it.

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