There Is No Need To Be Rude
This is an open plea to all Hiring Managers, Recruiters and HR Professionals – job seekers want to know! Why won’t you return our phone calls and emails?
I hear this complaint over and over and over… and I’ve lived it myself. Job seekers really do not want to harass you. Believe me when I say we have better things to do with our time. We just want to know where we stand. If we’re not a viable candidate, say so. We’d settle for a form letter or auto-responder if you would only acknowledge receiving our resume.
Worse still is going MIA on us while we’re in the interview cycle. Tell us you need more time. Tell us you’re bringing in additional candidates. That you’re going a different direction. That your dog ate the job specifications… Tell us any darned thing you want but do not leave us hanging!
Just yesterday a subscriber I’ll call Jane recounted this story to me. All names have been changed to protect the morons. Jane is on the job hunt and her friend Marianne refers her to Bryan. Bryan has an open headcount and Marianne tells him that her pal Jane would be terrific. Bryan and Marianne have a long and close professional relationship so Jane hopes she has the inside track. Jane interviews with Bryan around Thanksgiving and is told that she’ll find out if she’s moving forward or not over the next few weeks. It’s aggressive, Bryan says, but he hopes to have someone on board by year-end.
Date stamp today. Bryan has not returned even one of Jane’s follow-up emails or phone calls. Unless Bryan is in some way physically unable to get back to Jane, I have to say there is simply NO EXCUSE for his rude behavior. I would think that Bryan would not want to damage his personal brand or sully his company’s reputation, especially with someone who came by way of personal referral.
Look we’ve all fallen behind on email before and sometimes phone messages get lost but after six volleys into Bryan’s court, Jane is ready to pull her hair out!
If you’re an HR or hiring manager and have an opinion on this recurring phenomenon… any tips to share with job seekers so we can better understand your processes and set realistic expectations, we are all ears!
[...] looking for candidates are thoughtful, efficient, and are great to work with in the hiring process. Others are a career seeker’s worst nightmare. You are just as accountable as your candidates, and should know better. Asking yourself this [...]