
An email template for candidates frustrated with unresponsive employers - pauloteixeira
http://blog.landing.jobs/an-email-template-for-candidates-frustrated-with-unresponsive-employers/
======
Akkuma
What is ironic is I had no reply on a job posting on landing.jobs after
talking directly with landing.jobs too. I was able to leave feedback directly
through the site that the company was unresponsive, but landing.jobs hasn't
communicated since that feedback.

Update: Proof [http://imgur.com/m34rFUX](http://imgur.com/m34rFUX)

~~~
pcbo
Hey, (Founder of Landing.jobs here)

I can't guarantee you'll get feedback from the employer but I can definitely
make sure we'll always insist on your behalf, and that what I just did :)

Let me know if you don't hear back from them until the end of the week!

Pedro

~~~
Akkuma
Thanks Pedro! I know it isn't your or landing.jobs fault at all. I like what
you guys push for, unfortunately getting everyone to make the world a better
place is hard. If companies abided by the golden rule everyone would be
happier!

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getsat
The reason you don't get a reply (in the US anyways) is for legal reasons. If
you say anything which could be even _remotely_ (mis)interpreted as some sort
of bias, your company could lose lots of money/time and potentially go
bankrupt due to a discrimination lawsuit.

It's sadly safer to just not reject candidates at all. Don't hate the player,
hate the game.

~~~
rbcgerard
A simple "you are no longer being considered for the [x] position, thank you
for your application" is all most people are looking for.

~~~
binxbolling
Exactly! And modern HR tech makes rejection en masse so ridiculously easy. So
if your company has an ATS that doesn't make it ridiculously easy to reject en
masse with a boilerplate message, then you badly need to upgrade your ATS.

(LEGO even sent me a nicely formatted, well-branded letter within 7 business
days despite not even making it to the phone screen stage.)

------
dijit
I've hired people before, and usually when it comes time to send rejection
emails it can be very hard.

If someone clearly isn't right for the job, you owe it to them to mention why-
I'm an engineer, I work in absolutes and "Culture fit" or something so wishy-
washy doesn't roll well off my fingers.

But how do you tell people that they lack basic knowledge or experience in
certain areas without sounding bitchy or attacking.

Even worse is the ones that interviewed well, or showed significant
competence.. yet were not as strong as another candidate.

I agree it's wrong to send nothing- but it can be hard to formulate a pleasant
email.. especially if you've interviewed many people. (10-15 at my last
employment, I was replacing myself and had limited time to document/check
everything).

~~~
column
How about the generic but at least semi-informative

"We received your application as [JOBTITLE] and thank you for your interest in
our company. After careful review of the applications for this position, we
regret to inform you that we are considering other candidates which match the
skills and qualifications of this position more closely. We will keep your
application for the next 2 months should the position reopen, if you wish to
oppose this please click this link."

That said I completely oppose OP's (satirical) template. If you want news,
grab a phone and just make the call. If you can't get an answer after a
reasonable time and an active research from your side, is it really a place
you want to work at?

~~~
njloof
This; I have generally been able to get a response by calling the HR or
recruiting person with whom I first made contact.

------
cwp
This is funny, and probably very satisfying, but if you need to send this kind
of email, you're doing it wrong. I get that other industries are different,
but if you're looking for a job in the tech world, do your homework.

To (a small amount of) background research on companies that would fit with
your situation. Find out what the open reqs are, and who the hiring manager is
for each one. Pre-screen yourself by finding a req that you're qualified for
and apply specifically for that job. Write a custom cover letter for each
application, even if it's just an informal 4-line email. If possible, get a
warm introduction.

If you do all that still don't get a quick response, move on without a second
thought. You don't want to work for this company anyway.

~~~
rbanffy
You can, on your introduction message or on the thank you note you send after
a first interview, state you understand the hiring manager is a busy person
and you will get back in touch on a specific timeframe. And then you get in
touch on that specific time.

If even this fails, you should fire the company - you really don't want to
work there. As much as this is a fun read, unless you are applying for a job
at The Onion, don't do it.

------
peteboyd
We are hiring right now for a new bookkeeper, actually they start Monday, so
we just finalized the hiring.

We regularly post ads for designers, developers and content writers too.
Probably every other month I am reviewing resumes, so I have a bit of
experience in responding to applicants.

Typically any given job posting gets around 50 to 100 resumes depending on the
category. It takes time to read through everything. We use a mix of Craiglist,
Indeed, various job boards, LinkedIn and our own website postings. It has
worked well for awhile now.

Due to the nature of various job boards, some responses are often automated by
clicking a few buttons so it is too easy to apply. With that you get
candidates off topic (i.e. wrong skill set) and not putting in any effort
(i.e. skipping a cover letter that we want to read). Other times, the cover
letter and resume are comically sad in mistakes and grammar, so they do not
warrant full attention.

Our biggest gripe is that at least 50% of the applicants never follow our
instructions on how to apply correctly. We put very specific steps on how to
apply and want it followed (i.e. subject line, cover letter, links to
portfolio, PDF resume).

My take on this is if the applicant is not going to take the time to respond
correctly, then we are not going to take the time to respond back. Sounds
harsh, but kicking out 50 canned replies is tedious work for those who are
wasting our time to review. Perhaps we could automate it somehow with scanning
emails addresses in the "no" folder and sending out a batch bcc, but it is
still extra work.

However, before everyone jumps on us. We do respond to every applicant we
interview (phone or in-person). Often we respond with a personal note that
helps them out and lets them know where they stand. Sometimes we even try them
out on freelance projects in the future.

For every applicant that correctly fills out our application process, or at
least made an effort, then we also reach out to them with a more automated
message via email. I consider that the least we can do, but we do keep in
short and sweet.

Finally, in the future, I am going to probably put our entire application
process on our website. This will automate a lot of what we do and require the
applicant to fill out set fields that we need answered. Then we could send
batch emails back to everyone as needed.

~~~
sdalfakj
> Our biggest gripe is that at least 50% of the applicants never follow our
> instructions on how to apply correctly. We put very specific steps on how to
> apply and want it followed (i.e. subject line, cover letter, links to
> portfolio, PDF resume).

You need to consider the ROI for the applicant before saying "OMG follow
instructions."

Too many of your fellow employers ignore applicants (ROI = none), even those
they interviewed. No "we received the application," no "here's where you seem
to lack," no "here's where you seem to be strong." Even introductory classes
with 300-400 students in them provide more feedback to their constituents than
employers to candidates.

Hence many of your applicants decrease their investment as much as possible.

I do not have 30-40 minutes to twist and turn words in order for them to fit
to your specific job description to let you know that I know the shit out of
[insert skill]. Not because I don't care about you but because I already
assume, looking at previous experiences, that you don't care about me (both as
a candidate and as an employee).

It is your job to accurately spot potential and current skills from a resume
and respond to the applicant with a request for more information. (In
situations where you do not have a separate HR department for recruitment,
then do ask for all information outright, but don't be surprised and
judgemental when you do not receive it. If the candidate is of interest, reply
back and ask for more information again.)

~~~
matwood
This is an excellent point. I have been contacted directly by companies before
when they find my LinkedIn, Github or website. Occasionally they interest me
so I have updated my resume and forwarded it along only to never hear from
them again[1]. Luckily I'm happy at my current job and don't have to deal with
the annoyances right now.

[1] Oddly enough, my public profile is pretty sparse so a more in depth resume
shouldn't really turn anyone off.

------
eli
People I actually interview will be informed if they aren't hired, of course,
but I don't generally email people I don't interview. I guess I could start
adding all the email addresses of people I don't hire to a list and then
sending them a generic message once a hire is made, but I'm not sure it's
realistic to expect the hiring manager at a startup to respond to every single
applicant. If you send me an email asking for an update or advice, I'll
usually try to provide a useful answer.

That said, I feel bad. If anyone has recommendations for candidate tracking
software/services that would make it easier for me to make this happen, I'd be
interested.

------
Robadob
I recall a friend ~12 months ago (in their final year of university), hearing
positive news back from IBM after 6+ months of silence since their interview,
by which point they had accepted a job elsewhere.

I expect some companies prefer not to officially reject, so they have more
applicants to potentially consider for future positions, although many may
have taken jobs elsewhere by this point.

~~~
atirip
I was once rejected by Spotify 6 months after i sent application in. No hard
feelings, I just wonder who was that who waited that process out and got hired
;-)

~~~
x1798DE
I have no experience on the hiring side of this, but I always assumed that a
lot of companies prefer not to make any clear statements until after a
decision is made, since at this point it's basically zero cost to defer making
a first contact with someone. It's quite possible that the person who got the
job applied 2 weeks before they hired him/her, went to the top of the
"interview" pile, and soared through the process.

Of course, it's also possible that someone _did_ wait in the queue - I've been
interviewing for jobs since the beginning of the year, some of which had
almost no lag in contact but a fairly long process (multiple phone screens,
etc), others had long lag time but a quick process.

------
imroot
RedHat was the worst when it came to this.

In 2007, I interviewed for a professional services position within RedHat. I
had a phone screen and then three or four weeks would go by, and then the
recruiter would ask me for another phone screen. It eventually ended up with a
stay in Chicago for an in-person...series of phone calls and one face-to-face
interview.

Another six months(!) went by before they called me to ask me if I would be
interested in working with them and started the verbal negotiation process.

Suffice to say, I turned them down (my work situation had changed and I wasn't
looking to leave), but, I always remember that process and the length of time
that it took to get there when I hear friends talking about applying to
RedHat.

~~~
rbanffy
Happened to me. By the time company A managed to get me through the second
interview, I was receiving a phone call from the CEO congratulating me for my
excellent interview cycle with company B. And, while I'm sure company A would
be interesting, I _loved_ my time at company B.

And yes, they'll both remain anonymous.

------
jawns
It sounds, based on the comments here, that both job seekers and employers can
sometimes run into a frustrating lack of response (job seekers when they
submit an application and never hear back; employers when they try to engage
an applicant and never hear back).

I wonder if there might be a business opportunity here.

Suppose there were some way for both job applicants and employers to publicly
commit themselves to offering at least a cursory reply (sort of how LinkedIn
guarantees a response to each InMail, even if the response is just a
boilerplate "Not interested").

If either party fails to respond within some designated timeframe, the penalty
could be as simple as publicly noting the fact that they broke their
commitment, which is likely to affect their trustworthiness.

This would be advantageous for both parties.

There might even be some decent money-making potential in being such a
commitment clearinghouse. For instance, employers who participate might pay to
have their jobs listed on the site, with the expectation that a "reply
guaranteed" will be an effective way to bring in applicants.

~~~
JSeymourATL
> I wonder if there might be a business opportunity here.

There's an entire multi-billion dollar industry of executive search and
staffing built on this premise.

A commitment clearinghouse would threaten the existing schema of ambiguity.
There are always outliers, new information, and change. There in lies the rub.

------
Corrado
I have another suggestion. How about giving some real feedback on how a
candidate performed on an interview? I realize that its almost impossible for
companies to reveal what they really think of an interviewee but it would be
immensely helpful for everyone involved.

Was I really not qualified, or did you just not like my tie/cologne/hair? Did
I know the material but am the wrong age? My whiteboard coding was great but I
spilled my drink at lunch and ate with my mouth open?

I realize that most (all) of these things could get a company in truly hot
water (ie. age discrimination) but without some additional information a
candidate can be left feeling very confused and unsure how to improve. If I'm
really too old then maybe I should get out of the business. If I flubbed the
algorithm part of the interview then maybe I can study up and be ready for the
next company.

I wish there was a way to give companies a one-time "Get out of jail Free"
card and have them tell me exactly why they didn't want me to move on to the
next step. :/

------
ohitsdom
I guess this is a joke, but all the comments so far seem to take this
seriously. So let me say what is obvious to me- there are many legitimate
reasons why you may have not heard back in a manner that seems timely to you.
There are also bad reasons, such as disorganization and poor communication
skills. But what message does an email like this send? "If you hire me, be
prepared to deal with complaints about my professional behavior!" Seriously,
poor communication is an everyday workplace occurrence, so if this is how you
respond...

And then there is general networking stuff- which is even mentioned in the
email! He acknowledges he may one day be a client or partner, and yet still
thinks sending this type of "cathartic" email is a good idea.

~~~
mikecmpbll
I don't think it's unprofessional and I wouldn't want to work with anyone who
did, so if that's the effect it has for some people, then it's self-
fulfilling!

------
jeffool
Isn't that the norm?

My career history is journalism (producing TV news). The vast majority of jobs
I apply for never reply. Not so much as an automated or form-letter "thank
you". Even if they do reply, and we talk a couple of times, they stop replying
when they go with someone else.

Back in March, on a lark, I applied to a few tech and game companies. Five
days ago one of the game companies sent me a "thank you for applying, but we
went with another candidate" email.

I sent her (the HR lady) a letter back thanking her for caring enough to
bother. Erica is good people in my book. She's absolutely an outlier.

------
rbanffy
These guys:

[https://www.manager-tools.com/all-
podcasts?field_content_dom...](https://www.manager-tools.com/all-
podcasts?field_content_domain_tid=5)

have excellent advice for situations like these.

------
robalfonso
While I agree that companies who go quiet are behaving poorly and would think
ill of an applicant who was not responsive myself. My reaction reading the
note was that its a bit long to send someone who already blew you off. I hope
it makes the sender feel better, I don't think there is much else you are
going to do. In this case reporting to the job site that they are unresponsive
is probably better (though depending on the site and their rules it may do
little as well)

------
eggbrain
My approach with TrueJob to solve this is allowing employers and job seekers
to favorite or block almost anything about each other. Employers get back
anonymous analytics as to how to improve their job postings, and job seekers
get back anonymous analytics as to how to improve their resume.

It seems to work pretty well so far, but there's a lot more to be done in the
job space -- the lack of transparency and information can cause a lot of
frustrations for both employers and job seekers.

------
rfrey
Fun read!

I'm having the opposite problem. I'm trying desperately to get people to apply
for mobile dev positions... and of the FIVE applications I've managed to lure
in, none of them replied to my phone calls or emails back.

I was considering asking for an address in the application so I could go wait
on applicants' doorsteps, but maybe a letter like this is a less litigable
idea.

~~~
eli
I frankly believe there are candidates applying for jobs based on the title
and maybe skimming the ad, and then waiting for a response before considering
if they actually want to work there.

~~~
rfrey
You're probably right, and my responses probably could be improved. In which
case I sympathize even more with job seekers who get silent rejections, and
don't know what went wrong. :)

------
greggarious
I think it also depends on how "cool" the company is.

Obviously, this comment should be taken with a grain of salt since I was not
selected (so I'm probably biased), but I felt like Google's hiring process was
pretty haphazard. I had actually assumed I wouldn't be interviewing further
when they told me about my on-site.

------
rmdmachado
Awesome! I have committed this sin myself. :(

------
OedipusRex
Would love to actually see someone's response to this.

