Why You Should Be Sending Rejection Letters

Posted on by February 13, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentThe interview process can be just as stressful for a hiring manager as it is for a candidate. You are probably receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes from hopeful applicants and overwhelmed knowing that in order to find the best candidate for the position, you’re going to have to disappoint all the others. As tough as it may be, it is critical that you inform candidates not selected for the position of your decision to pursue other candidates. Most companies execute this by rejection letters or emails to these candidates thanking them for their time and interest and informing them of their decision to go in another direction. Despite what you may think, rejection letters are more for you and your company than for the unselected candidate! Here’s why:

  • Rejection letters give your company a professional image and show candidates that your organization is well managed. Although candidates will be disappointed that they weren’t selected for the position, they will appreciate your reaching out to them and making them aware of your hiring decisions.
  • In addition to showing your company’s professionalism, rejection letters show candidates that your company has genuine respect for people’s time and effort. Letting people know that they weren’t selected for the position will allow them to focus on other avenues of employment. To further show your respect of candidates’ time, rejection letters should be sent no later than two weeks after you’ve made your final hiring decision.
  • Rejection letters will help to protect your company against disgruntled candidates seeking to use loopholes in EEOC laws as grounds for legal action. Sending a rejection letter will make it impossible for former candidates to say that they were treated unfairly or kept in the dark by your company. Another way to protect your company in regards to rejections letters is by sending them to all unselected candidates. This will show that you are treating all candidates fairly and make it hard for a candidate to make a case for preferential treatment.

Keep in mind that candidates will be disappointed and frustrated when they receive the letter, especially if they’ve been looking for a job for a long time. Let them down as easily as possible. Thank them for their time, acknowledge the skills they bring to the table, and invite them to reapply for this position or another position within the company at a future date. Remember, just because this candidate isn’t right for the position you are trying to fill now, they may be perfect for this or another position at a later date; the last thing you want to do is burn bridges.

You may be thinking that your candidate pool is just too big to send rejection letters to so many unselected applicants. After all, who has that kind of time? It’s better to see it this way: think of the time and resources that will be wasted when three hundred applicants call every day for a month to check the status of their application. An easy way to expedite the process is to have a generic rejection letter template and personalize just the name of the candidate.

Letting people down can be tough for a hiring manager, but it is an essential part of the job. Sending rejection letters is an easy way to communicate not only your final hiring decision, but the respect you have for all candidates’ time and consideration.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Why Your Resume Isn’t Getting Read

Posted on by February 25, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentIn today’s economy, high unemployment rates and waning job security have created an onslaught of professionals searching for work. For every one job opening, there are more than four times as many applicants as there were in the mid- 2000s. This means one thing – you have got to make yourself stand out, in person and on paper.

Many job seekers have recently complained that they feel their resumes and applications are being submitted into a black hole, as they never get a response from the company. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not qualified (although it may), but what it does mean is that you failed to communicate your strengths and expertise to the resume reader. In order to be most effective, it’s important to remember some things about resume readers. Readers are overworked and overwhelmed by the sheer number of resumes they receive on a daily basis. They are rushed and have very little time to dedicate to reading a resume (most readers admit to give each resume between 20 and 30 seconds), and are looking for any reason to throw your resume out. Readers are smart, skeptical, and unimpressed by big words and fancy job titles, they are looking for content and accomplishments.

To make sure that your resume gets read, keep these tips in mind when crafting and submitting your resume and application:

  • The two questions to always keep in mind when writing your resume are 1) what are the readers looking for first? and 2) what do you want them to find first.
  • Make sure your resume is clean, organized, and visually appealing. As readers are looking for any excuse to throw it out, stylistic and formatting errors and inconstancies will send your resume straight to the trash bin. Consider saving your resume as a .pdf so that the formatting and fonts do not change when the reader opens the document.
  • It is not longer necessary to include an “objective” on your resume; in fact, some resume readers are so opposed to objectives that they will use it as their excuse to throw your resume out. Objectives are a thing of the past because hiring managers are not interested in what you want out of your career, they’re only interested in what you bring to the table and how you will benefit their company.
  • Tailor your resume to the position, not the industry. Every reader will have different priorities and will be searching for different keywords. Investigate the position and job description to find what qualities you possess that are in line with what they are looking for, and make those stand out.
  • Consider using a “functional” resume format instead of the standard “chronological” format. If you’re applying for an IT position, list the positions you’ve held that have most directly impacted your knowledge and skill sets in the field first, and then detail the positions you’ve held that may not have as great an impact on the resume reader.
  • Resume readers are not as impressed by the use of verbs as they used to be; the trend in today’s job market is numbers. Readers want to see quantitative data regarding experience and accomplishments, not simply that you’ve done it.

Finding a job in today’s market is tough, without a doubt. Chances are you’ve spent your entire adult life building an impressive skill set and arsenal of experience. Articulating these things on your resume in an appropriate manner is going to be the key to getting noticed and contacted for those positions you’ve been applying for.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We specialize in clinical recruiting! You can sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Guidelines for Selecting Relevant work to include on your Resume

Posted on by February 25, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentWhen drafting their resume, many people struggle with determining exactly what jobs to list. Seasoned professionals who have held long term positions, numerous positions, or have been employed by several different companies may find it difficult to choose which work experiences to list on their resume.

What guidelines should you use when selecting the jobs to best represent you to a hiring manager?

Regardless of your experience and position, you should always list the most recent (or current) position you held. Employers like to know where their candidates’ focus has been leading up to their current resume submission.

So now that you have listed your most recent position, is this enough?  Be sure to fully list your key accomplishments, job roles and responsibilities.  We like to recommend you tailor these tasks to address the job requirements of the position for which you are applying.  Additionally, you should consider highlighting or bolding the tasks which best align to your desired position’s job functions.

Then, fill the rest of your job window with work experiences relevant to the job and industry for which you are currently applying. For example, if you’re applying for a position in Information Technology, you should list at least two or three positions you’ve held where you feel have best prepared you for the job you’re trying to obtain. It doesn’t matter if it has been a few years since you’ve held the positions; hiring managers will want to see your relevant skills and experiences as this will show you have solid work experience and can do the job.

Also, as expressed in the first article in this five part series, don’t underestimate the powerful impression listing relevant volunteer work experience on your resume has.  If you missed the first article, you can still catch it here.

Last, but definitely important:  You may find that listing only your most relevant work leaves some gaps in employment on your resume.  It is critical you address these gaps.  But don’t worry, we have discussed how to handle employment gaps in detail here.

Keep an eye out for part three of our five part article series where we are going to address how to handle Temporary Work and Short Term positions.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We specialize in clinical recruiting! You can sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

How to Write a Rejection Letter

Posted on by February 13, 2013

Clinical RecruitmentNobody likes being the bearer of bad news, but rejection letters are an essential part of the hiring process. Rejection letters are your company’s last opportunity to build good will with the candidate and establish your organization as an “employer of choice.” Rejection letters show your company’s professionalism and genuine consideration for people’s time and effort, and leave even rejected candidates with amicable feelings toward your organization. When drafting your candidate rejection letter, keep the following points in mind:

  • Keep rejection letters short and simple. Avoid going into too much detail by only including information essential to the candidate.
  • Personalize the letter as much as possible. Always address the candidate by name and refer to the position for which they were applying.
  • Be respectful and considerate. Remember that while this may be a simple candidate rejection letter to you, this letter will be an enormous disappointment to the person who receives it. Thank the candidate for their time, interest, and effort throughout the application and interview process.
  • Consider if the candidate would be a good fit for another position within the company or would be a good candidate to keep on file for future openings. If so, invite them to reapply in the future.
  • To soften the blow, include a sentence acknowledging their skills, qualifications, experience, or enthusiasm.
  • In closing, wish the candidate luck in their future endeavors.
  • End the letter professionally by closing with “sincerely” or “best wishes.”

While rejections by nature are disheartening, following the above guidelines will help you craft the most professional and considerate letter to inform your unselected candidates of your final hiring decision.

Written by Katie Fidler

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you ever involved with the clinical recruiting hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.