Regret Letters

HRMaiden · September 2002

Does anyone have sample language for a regret letter to be sent to candidates applying for upper level management jobs? These letters would be sent to candidates that we have chosen not to interview. Your help is greatly appreciated. :DD

Don D · September 2002

If they are candidates who I considered to be 'in the pipeline', perhaps those I have spoken once with or who might have come for the first step interview, I send a letter like this: ".....The selection committee responsible for reviewing candidates for the - - - - - position has carefully reviewed all resumes received for that position. A decision has been made not to elevate your candidacy to the next level. We do appreciate your interest in opportunities at - - - -." I don't ever give reasons, but I also don't lie to them. And I certainly won't say, "Other, more qualified candidates are being considered ....etc". I have used the 'selection committee' language for years. It works well for me. This adds a little mystery (insulation) to the process; but, keeps them from trying to ferret out who precisely is in the loop that they can call. I never identify the committee, who generally is me. I do not send regrets or responses to unsolicited resumes. Often I run a website ad and get 150 or more resumes in two weeks and cannot reply to all of those. I think applicants today realize not to expect the level of personal attention they once anticipated. It would be a full time job.

Jessica · September 2002

I send the following to every applicant:

Thank you for applying for our _____ position.

We have completed the interview process and have made an offer to another
candidate we feel more closely meets the requirements for this position.
We appreciate your interest in the position, as well as your time and
effort in responding to our recruitment.

Best of luck in your future career pursuits.

On the idealistic hand, I feel that how we treat an applicant is either good or bad advertising. I would want to receive a response if I had taken the time to draft a cover letter and submit my resume for a position.

On the self-serving hand, I also like the fact that I don't get any more phone calls once the letters go out. When I have 90 applicants for a position, I certainly don't want to have to take 23 phone calls wondering where we are in the hiring process.

Regret Letters

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