How to handle unsolicited job applicants who are also clients?
January 23, 2015 10:05 AM   Subscribe

If a client applies for a job, how do you reject them without ruining the relationship?

Say a couple years ago you started a company that does business in a small, specialized, close-knit business community. Say business is good, partly because you offer exceptional customer care, and party because you've built great relationships with the people who refer said customers to you. Now there is too much business and you are looking to hire. Word gets out and the people who are doing these referrals call or email you unsolicited job applications gushing about how they would love to work for you. But for one reason or another, they are not someone you want to hire.

How do you let them down really, really gently but without leaving the door open? It's not a good option to say anything that amounts to "we are not hiring right now" because someone will end up getting hired and soon enough everyone will know. It also hasn't worked out to give specific reasons: one person who was geographically unsuitable countered that they are willing to drive as far as they need to, another person who clearly had no sales experience countered with examples of what they consider sales experience, and so on.

In case it's not clear, standard and/or formal rejection lingo won't work, these are people you know personally so you can't announce "we have decided to go with other candidates at this time".
posted by rada to Human Relations (16 answers total)
 
Tell the truth, that you hired someone you thought would be a better fit for the job.
posted by soelo at 10:09 AM on January 23, 2015 [2 favorites]


In case it's not clear, standard and/or formal rejection lingo won't work, these are people you know personally so you can't announce "we have decided to go with other candidates at this time".

Why not? They're not part-owners of your business, they're clients. Just say, "We went with someone else" and leave it at that. If they press you on it, say, "I've already made up my mind, Stu. I appreciate that you want to help out here, but we went with someone else out of the [insert large but roughly accurate number here] applications we got for this position."

Everyone who's looking for a job these days knows that any position is going to get dozens, if not hundreds, of applications, many of them from people who are vastly overqualified but need something to keep bread on the table. If they don't, feel free to point that out to them. If your customer care is that good, they'll stick around as clients despite your not hiring them.
posted by Etrigan at 10:15 AM on January 23, 2015 [1 favorite]


Forgot to add: But never, ever, ever give reasons. As you've seen, they'll respond with counterarguments or go digging into the successful applicant's past or snipe back about it forever. Just leave it at "We went with someone else." You are not a career counselor or a recruiter. It is in no way your job to make them better at getting a job.
posted by Etrigan at 10:17 AM on January 23, 2015 [5 favorites]


Response by poster: To reiterate: no one has been hired. We are looking.
posted by rada at 10:19 AM on January 23, 2015


"We've gotten a lot of applications and have a really strong field of candidates, but we'll let you know if you're a finalist"?
posted by jabes at 10:21 AM on January 23, 2015 [9 favorites]


Best answer: Academic job searches have a lot of these features (small pond, close-knit community, lots of collaboration between people employed at different institutions), and one thing rejection letters for academic jobs tend to emphasize is "There were many qualified candidates and it was difficult to choose between them."

I'd take the same approach here. Don't try to convince these applicants that they're unsuitable for the job. (As you've intuited, there's often no non-insulting way to do that; and also, as Etrigan says, if you give specific reasons then it opens the door to all sorts of unpleasant counter-arguments.) Instead, let them go on believing that they were perfectly suitable candidates, and hint that they just got unlucky when you were narrowing down the pool of applicants.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:21 AM on January 23, 2015 [4 favorites]


To reiterate: no one has been hired. We are looking.

Oh, never turn someone down until you've hired someone and that person has started. Even if that person is the last person you would ever hire, you never know what will happen between the time you look at their crappy resume and the time you desperately need someone to start in on the job right goddammit now. Just go with jabes's answer until then.
posted by Etrigan at 10:23 AM on January 23, 2015 [6 favorites]


Ah. Yeah. No, if nobody has been hired yet, then jabes's answer is the right one.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:26 AM on January 23, 2015


"Thank you for sending us your resume. At this time we've decided not to move forward with your application.

Best of luck,
X"
posted by HMSSM at 10:33 AM on January 23, 2015


I get that a lot in my line of work and it's hard. I sympathise. It's hard telling clients that they're not right for the job without potentially rocking the boat.

If it helps, I try to make it clear that when I hire somebody for a job, I am all business and do not make my decisions on who I like/prior relationship, but entirely on who I think will be absolutely right for the job. I do it in a friendly tone and make sure they understand why I am not tapping them for the task (esp. if they are volunteering to do something for free). I find if I emphasise the business aspect with particular reference to certain skill sets, it works better.
posted by kariebookish at 11:02 AM on January 23, 2015


My favorite rejection is being told, "We've decided to take the search in another direction/we're rethinking the parameters of the job," because then it's not on my professional skill set, it's on the organization.
posted by kinetic at 11:14 AM on January 23, 2015 [3 favorites]


yes you can tell them you've decided to go with another candidate. They will appreciate your honesty and direct and frank report of the situation.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:53 PM on January 23, 2015


Can't you tell them you don't hire clients as a matter of principle?
posted by sour cream at 3:33 AM on January 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Seconding to never reject someone before you've made the hire.

Based on personal experience on both sides in a tight industry, when word gets around, most people will instantly see you chose a better candidate than them and understand. Sometimes announcements/bios are written to mention the superior characteristics of the new employee to help this happen.
posted by michaelh at 7:21 AM on January 24, 2015


But never, ever, ever give reasons.

100%. I used to hate that companies never give you rejection letters or are always extremely vague, and now I understand why. I learned this the hard way recently when I tried to write a "nice" rejection letter to a job applicant who kept sending me e-mails requesting an interview. I didn't want to interview them because they basically came off as a weirdo, so I wrote, as nicely as possible, that they were not the right "fit". Bad idea. They immediately wrote back arguing with me and then started sending e-mails to my boss asking for an interview. And this is for a position that would report directly to me.

Probably 99% of job seekers will take a rejection like a normal person, but it's the 1% that cost way more headache than they are worth. I would suggest simply not writing rejection e-mails at all, or delay as long as possible. If somebody specifically asks, then be as vague as possible, "at this time we are not proceeding with your candidacy but will keep your resume on file" etc. Never give reasons and never engage. Just not worth it.
posted by karakumy at 9:29 AM on January 24, 2015


When they ask about it originally, request a resume/cover letter/application through whatever your normal application process. Add that you're getting a lot of interest in the position, and are taking your time with the process. That way, they don't expect immediate results.

When you actually hire someone, let them know that you decided to go with another candidate, but that you appreciated their interest and you're glad you'll be able to continue working with them.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:35 AM on January 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


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