Notifying candidates
The final stage in the selection process is to contact the successful candidate and make the job offer. Usually, you give the offer verbally over the phone and then confirm it in writing.
This written confirmation should include:
- Position title and FTE (if applicable),
- compensation,
- benefits coverage,
- vacation time,
- any other specialized items that may have been discussed (such as a moving allowance),
- contact information for someone to contact if they have additional questions, and
- a date by which the candidate must accept or reject the offer of employment.
Contacting unsuccessful candidates
Contacting unsuccessful applicants is part of a transparent and open hiring process, and it contributes to your positive image as an employer of choice. All candidates who took the time to apply deserve a timely response in return.
Wait until the selected candidate has accepted the job offer before contacting unsuccessful candidates. If your top-ranked candidate does not accept the position, you can then offer the job to the next-ranked candidate on your list.
Those candidates who were interviewed have invested significant time in the process and it is therefore appropriate to contact them by phone. Providing verbal feedback through a phone call is a simple way of respecting a candidate’s investment of time.
You will also want to contact those candidates who were not shortlisted for an interview. In these cases, an email rather than a phone call is a fine approach. Application management systems make it very easy to streamline this task. For example, if you used makeafuture.ca to accept applications, you can send a bulk email response to unsuccessful applicants, personalized to each candidate.
Your email could include a link to other job listings in your district on the www.makeafuture.ca website. Even though the unsuccessful candidates weren’t the right fit for one position, they might be a great fit for other positions in your district. You could also encourage them to sign up for job alerts so they know when new positions open. Including this kind of information in your email is a way of showing you care about the candidates and are genuinely interested in their success. Contact us and we’ll teach you how to use our system to send customized bulk emails.
If an internal candidate applied for the position as a promotion or transfer, you might provide more detailed feedback in person or over the phone, particularly on areas of development. This will help the unsuccessful candidates better prepare themselves for future opportunities and may possibly improve their performance in their current job. Be cautious of providing written feedback in case the feedback is taken out of context. It could be used against your organization in a discrimination grievance.