For Manager’s Only: Note To Self!

There are a lot of people looking for work right now. And there are jobs available. But there are more people than jobs. Obviously, that leads to frustration among job seekers. I talk to people daily who are in the midst of a job search. Given the frustrations that many job seekers are experiencing in a depressed job market, getting a call back or a letter from a potential employer is not really asking too much, is it? I thought I would share a note I got this morning from a job seeker:

“I think that the most frustrating thing about this job search is that people will call and then just ignore you. A simple ‘I am not interested or someone else has been hired’ goes a long way towards making you feel good about a company, recruiter, person, etc.”

This job seeker is referring to organizations who call, set up an interview, take the time to interview a candidate and then the candidate sits by the phone waiting to hear back from the organization. Think about it, hiring manager, when you were waiting for the job you currently have. You waited for that phone to ring with the job offer. That is what people are doing right now. If they are “lucky” enough to get an interview, candidates feel elated. Someone is considering them for a job opportunity. If you as a manager took the time to bring someone in for an interview, please take the time to contact them and give them a status and/or outcome of the interview. Even if the answer is “no”. Note to self – contact the candidates and tell them your decision! That is better than keeping people hanging, hoping, waiting for the phone to ring…

Here are some common courtesies that hiring managers expect of job seekers:

1. Be on time

2. Be courtesous to the organization’s staff

3. Be honest

4. Don’t waste my time

For you as a manager, job seekers have some common courtesies:

1. Be on time

2. Don’t waste my time

3. Be polite

4. Notify me when you have made a hiring decision

These are not necessarily in the right order, I am attempted to make a point to the hiring managers. When you know that you are not going to extend an offer to a candidate, notify them and tell them. If you are uncomfortable making the call, ask HR to make the call. Somebody call and let the person off the hook!

Image Credit: sxc.hu