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Constant contact: The case for always following up with job seekers
It’s a complaint we hear all the time from our job seekers. “Why don’t I ever hear anything from the places I apply to? Even if they didn’t want to interview me, they could have at least sent me an email and told me so. Now I don’t even know if they got my application!”
This may seem like a trivial complaint but it’s one that comes up over and over again. Our surveys show that hourly job applicants expect some kind of response within 48 hours of submitting their application. The solution is as simple as sending an email. Yet so many companies still aren’t in the habit of following up with candidates – how come? Here are some of the excuses we hear from employers.
Excuse #1. Job seekers don’t really care.
Not true. Job seekers may not tell you directly when they’re upset, but they certainly tell us. Overwhelmingly, they want to know where they stand after they submit an application – even if you’re not interested in them. Responding to all applicants, even if it’s a simple form letter, is what job seekers expect. And more important than that, it’s what’s polite to do.
Excuse #2. They’ll figure it out eventually.
Alison Green, author of the “Ask A Manager” blog, says that not sending a rejection letter is “inexcusable” – especially if you’ve had some sort of prior contact with the person, such as a phone call or an interview. “It's callous and dismissive and lacks any appreciation for the fact that the candidate is anxiously waiting to hear an answer – any answer – and keeps waiting and waiting, long after a decision has been made,” Green says. She’s even created a new site, emailyourinterviewer.com that sends an anonymous email to employers who don’t follow up with the people they’ve interviewed.
We’ve all been on the other end of this process and know how painful it can be to hear nothing about a job we so desperately want. Put your job seekers out of their misery and let them know they didn’t get the job.
Excuse #3. It takes up too much time.
If sending individual emails to each applicant seems too time-consuming, Alison suggests the following:
- Have an intern do it
- Use your current applicant management system
At the very least, she says, you should make it clear to job seekers that you won’t get in touch with them unless they’re moving on to the next stage, so they know what to expect. Tell them:
“Thank you for your interest. We will only be contacting you if you are selected for an interview.”
Or
“We’ve received your application. If you are selected for an interview we will be in contact.”
This should make it clear to seekers that there may not be further contact.
Excuse #4. It won’t matter in the long run.
Look at it this way: those job seekers are very likely customers of yours and could someday be potential employees. If they feel slighted by you, they’re going to tell everyone they know. It’s like any other business transaction. But if you take time out to email them and let them know that their time is valuable to you, your small gesture of goodwill just may go a long way.