How to reject aviation candidates when recruiting

A positive candidate experience is crucial for depicting a nice image of your employer brand. It will go a long way in building your talent pool and getting good reviews for your aviation organisation.

Rejecting the candidates is one of the trickiest stages of hiring, if done in a professional way it will benefit your company. Businesses with bad candidate rejection practices lose prospects of finding the best talent as the applicants will spread the word about how they got treated.

Here are some tips on gracefully rejecting candidates and encouraging them to apply again!

The dos and don'ts of writing a rejection email

A thoughtful rejection email will make the candidates feel valued by your company. When writing the email make sure to include the essential elements that count for leaving a good impression. The email should have a thank you note for the applicants; you need to tell them you appreciate their time and effort in applying for a position.

Address the applicants by their names and specifically mention/highlight the skills that stand out during the assessment/interview process.

Start the email with a thank you and move on to sharing the news that you have made the decision to move forward with another candidate. Provide the reason without hurting the self-esteem of a candidate and give feedback on the interview/assessment. The feedback should be well-intended and not read like cynic criticism.

Tell the candidates if there are other positions for which they are a better fit and wish them luck in their future career endeavors. Personalising the rejection emails will add more value to them.

Don’t delay sending that email

One of the worst things you can do to job applicants is to keep them waiting for a response. If you have decided not to hire the candidates after the interview, communicate that within three days. Job seekers want to hear back from an employer quickly so they can move on with finding an opportunity elsewhere.

Wasting their time by putting them on hold for telling the bad news will make them wary of your company. It is better to set a timeline for sending rejection emails and then avidly follow the rule.

Keep the communication constructive

It is better to call the candidates who qualified for the final interview to tell them why you are not hiring them. Start the conversation by thanking them for applying to your company. Give them detailed feedback keeping your tone genial.

A personalised phone call expressing your gratitude will make your hiring process more engaging and gratifying for the candidates.

Send emails to the candidates that you want to reject during the early screening. Add a personalised tone and notes even if you are using a template. The email shouldn’t have any words that imply criticism or harsh evaluation.

For instance, when you send an email to a candidate who applied for the airport manager job, express your gratitude for applying to the position and appreciate what you really like during the evaluation/interview. Tell the reasons for not hiring in a professional and courteous manner and give actionable tips for future applications.

How to give feedback

The feedback you want to give to the rejected candidates should be useful for them. Honesty is definitely the best policy but you should not get too blunt with giving feedback. Saying or writing something that hints towards discrimination or bias can land you in trouble. Be very careful when stating the reasons for rejection to the job applicants.

If for instance, you are rejecting a candidate for not having the required skills for a cabin crew role, tell the applicant in a manner that is not demeaning and offensive. Give honest advice to the candidates that help them with the future job hunt. The feedback should have points on what an applicant needs to improve.

Connotations to avoid

Any words and phrases that imply comparison or favouritism should be avoided. Don’t use sentences like you have been rejected or we are hiring someone else because that candidate performed better than you.

A professional email/feedback intended to help candidates with their job applications will strengthen your aviation business’ image.

Take questions and feedback from candidates

Give the applicants the impression that you have an interactive hiring process. They should be encouraged to ask questions and share any concerns. Tell them to give their feedback on your recruitment practices. This will help you with evaluating their experiences and improving according to their opinion.

Make it easy for aviation job applicants to ask questions about your hiring process and practices and collect their feedback for identifying the loopholes. You will be able to create better experiences for future applicants by taking into account the suggestions of the unsuccessful candidates.

You can use an easy-to-fill questionnaire survey for gauging candidate experience. The candidates who provide you with detailed feedback should be thanked and appreciated generously.

Build positive connections with rejected candidates

Once you end things on a genial and positive note with rejected candidates, interacting with them will not seem like a challenging task. You can reach out to them for future job openings and ask them to apply if they fulfil the qualifications and skills criteria.

If you go to career events and job fairs for hiring talent, invite past candidates there. Add them on your LinkedIn and stay in touch with them.

Turning down job applicants in a graceful way will make your recruitment process more effective. You will be rejecting more candidates than hiring them so adopting a smart approach and constantly improving it will help you in avoiding lawsuits and building a strong talent pool. Most candidates don’t take rejection positively; it is important to provide well-intended feedback that helps them succeed in scoring a job.

Frequently asked questions

How to politely reject a candidate after the interview?

The best way to go about sharing the news of rejection with a candidate is to express your appreciation and tell the applicant that you have decided to move forward with another candidate without drawing any comparison or giving any negative feedback.

What should be the subject of the Rejection Email?

The subject line should hint that it’s about the job application of a candidate. Don’t use the word rejection in the subject line. The email should always be addressed using the name of the applicant. Don't use cold and typical email templates.

What is the best way to notify the unsuccessful candidates?

The best way to communicate with the unsuccessful candidates is through a personalised email or call. The candidates whom you don’t want to move forward with from the initial screening should be notified through emails. The candidates who have made it to the final interview need to hear it from you through a courteous call.