How to turn rejection – or a mismatch – into an opportunity

I’ve seen many postings lately about ghosting by recruiters. If we’re going to complain about candidates ghosting us, perhaps a look in the mirror would be timely! 

Are you responding to every application? Do you tell candidates they aren’t selected as soon as you know? I recently saw a post by a candidate who got rejected for an application submitted 4 years ago. I posted about it and had a comment from someone who just had received a rejection after 3 years.

Candidates all want the same thing – an answer. If it’s YES, fantastic! They will be happy to go further in your process.  IF it is a NO, that is okay too. They can move on and look at other opportunities.

I sometimes think recruiters are hesitant to say no if they think they might want to reconsider the candidate later in the process or for another role. If that’s the case, here are some alternative communication ideas to use instead of the standard, “We have found someone that better matches…”

Not This but THAT: “We reviewed your application for Job A and think your skills and abilities are a better match for Job B. Here is a link to that posting. If you are interested in pursuing that opportunity, please let us know.”

SO Close: “After a hard choice, we have decided to go with another candidate for this role.  However, we believe another similar opportunity will (or is) opening soon.  Can we keep you in the loop and contact you when it becomes available?”

It’s not You, it’s US!: “We apologize for the delay in reviewing your application (or moving forward), but due to some unforeseen delays, we are putting the process on hold.  We expect the next update to be on DATE.  While we understand that this delay may not meet your timeline, we hope you remain interested and will update us if your interest changes.

These are just some initial ideas. By giving your recruiters some additional ways to update candidates during the process, candidates will feel like the process is more personal, be more invested in the organization, and more likely to respond when you do reach out.