To all HR departments, recruiters and small business owners out there. please respond to all job applications you receive.
People that apply for a new job are humans and deserve to be treated that way. A lot of them put a lot of energy in applying for a new job. They are out of a job and really need one to be able to pay the bills and raise their children, they are currently in a bad job and need the change, they have taken a day off for their interview, ….
Please treat those people with the respect they deserve. I recently witnessed what getting no answer can do to someone. Being rejected for a job itself is bad enough, not knowing the answer and being in this in between phase where you assume to be rejected but are secretly still hoping they will call or email you…. nerve wrecking.
There’s a couple of reasons why you need to reply as an employer.
- It’s polite to do so, and not doing is bloody rude. It’s common courtesy
- Being busy is not a good excuse, it means you are managing your time wrong or you are using the wrong tools
- Legal reasons are not a good excuse either, you could easily create a standard neutral response template that leaves no risk at law suits
- And last but not least, it puts your company in a bad position. It’s a small world after all, you might want to be looking for more staff later, or they could become customers or suppliers. The former rejected candidates will have a negative image of your company in your head
- You could get negative reactions on social media that might hurt your reputation
Here’s a link with tips in case you want to start doing things better than you have in the past