How to maintain a positive employer brand after rejecting a candidate

Why it is important to reply to candidates

Candidate experience begins before the first interview

All candidates go through several stages before submitting their application: they meticulously choose the offers that interest them the most, research the company, and verify that their profile matches its expectations. Then, they go through the application process itself.

When applying, candidates tailor their CV and cover letter. Currently, young talents remain skeptical about the relevance of the cover letter, thinking that recruiters do not read them. Finally, the new generations expect a reciprocal effort from the companies they apply to. They are looking for a position but are well aware that recruiters are looking for an employee, which means that both parties are in demand. Candidates make efforts to refine their application, and thus, they expect it to be reviewed and await a response.

Read on our blog: How to interview a Gen Z candidate 

How to reject a candidate while maintaining a positive candidate experience?

Before the first interview, recruiters often receive a large number of applications. Some candidates may not have the right profile at all, while others may not have made the efforts mentioned above to truly respond to the published job offer. In most cases, it remains difficult to inform each candidate why they were not selected.

However, it is essential to put oneself in the candidate's shoes and therefore to be able to justify a rejection. There is no need to call all candidates. The recruiter can send an email indicating that the non-selected application has been reviewed but is not retained for interviews. This step in the recruitment process can have a negative effect on the employer brand. The ignored candidate may communicate their bad experience with the company on the internet, thus discouraging potential talents from applying for future job offers. Like a relationship: without a response from the company, the candidate will feel ignored.

Taking the time to explain a rejection

A personalized email is always better than a pre-written template, but at this stage of the process, most candidates understand that recruiters handle numerous resumes. However, to enhance the employer brand, it is advisable to provide genuine feedback to a candidate by explaining why their resume was not selected.

Some candidates may lack sufficient experience or may not be specialized in the right field to meet the company's needs. Providing this feedback allows the candidate to understand, and even to evolve. The same profile may apply in the future having done everything to meet the company's requirements. It's an excellent opportunity to create and maintain a pool of candidates for future job openings, saving time and money in future recruitments.

If some recruiters do not have the means to write a personalized response for each application, fortunately, there are solutions allowing to send a customizable automatic email for the most interesting profiles, to inform them of the rejection of their application. JobTeaser offers this option for its clients who want to save time in sorting applications and in their employer branding strategy.

Check out our ultimate guide on recruiting junior profiles for your next recruitment

How to announce a rejection to a candidate after one or more interviews?

"My worst memory as a student? One day, I had an interview and after the interview, no news. I will never apply there again."

Juliette, communications student

After an interview, the situation is different. It is essential to provide feedback to the candidates, especially since a particular relationship will have been created with the individuals who have had an interview. This means that more efforts need to be made to maintain this relationship and make a good impression.

Where possible, calling the most advanced candidates in the recruitment process to announce the news gives a more human touch and is essential to avoid harming the candidates' experience. It shows that their profile still caught the recruiter's attention, even if they were not selected this time. Today's young talents are tomorrow's experts, so it remains important to make efforts for them.

Some feedback can also turn into advice on how to improve their application for their next interviews in other companies. This kind of feedback is appreciated and improves the candidate experience even after a rejection. It can even turn into recommendations about their positive experience with the company during the recruitment process, and why not a reminder from the recruiter if the profile matches a future job opening?

Make a difference and show your interest by responding to all candidates you reject; some tools will help you do this automatically. Never forget to respond to an application; provide constructive feedback that will retain the interest of rejected candidates and make them want to apply for future job openings that better match their profile.

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