Delivering Bad News During a Recruitment Process 🫣

As recruitment professionals, the law of averages dictates that not everyone we support and arrange interviews for, will be successful.

It's unfortunate, but it is the nature of the beast.

Finding out that you have been unsuccessful during a recruitment process sucks!!! There's no other way to put it!

So it is incredibly important that you get this bit right.

Especially as a recruiter! This the quickest and likely the number 1 thing that gets you (and all other recruiters 🙄) a bad reputation!

So.... how do you get it right? In our humble opinion, it's not that difficult!

1) IT NEEDS TO BE TIMELY. The longer the candidate waits, the worse it will be.

2) IT NEEDS TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE. The candidate needs to be able to take learning points away from the process that they can implement in future interviews.

3) NO SH*T SANDWICHES! (if you know, you know)

4) DON'T MAKE EXCUSES! The majority of times, if a candidate is struggling to get feedback or a decision from a recruiter, it is because the recruiter is struggling to get feedback or a decision from the client/hiring manager. As a recruiter, If you are struggling to get a decision from your client, don't lie, just tell the candidate honestly! Allow them to decide how long they are willing to wait. Agree timelines and deadlines and feed that back to the client to give ample opportunity to bring the process to a professional conclusion.

5) DISCUSS THE FEEDBACK. Before ending the conversation, make sure that the candidate understands the feedback and why they have been unsuccessful. Allow the opportunity for them to ask questions and leave the lines of communication open to discuss anything that comes up after digesting all the information.

6) DON'T WASH YOUR HANDS! In a market where great talent is hard to find, and even harder to get into your business, why walk away from a committed candidate just because they weren't successful the first time around?

You liked them enough to represent them and put them forward to your client. Use the feedback to help you identify the right fit for them and start the search again! Remember, just because somebody has been unsuccessful this time, doesn't mean the next role won't be a perfect fit. If you give them a bad experience at this vital stage when they have been unsuccessful, they will never trust you to support them again when the right role comes along.

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