I'm Afraid I've Got Some Bad News... (letters, applying, interviews)

[SweepTheLeg]

I'm curious.

When receiving bad news from a company regarding hiring decisions, would you rather get information via snail mail, phone, e-mail, or not get anything at all?

Here's my thought process:

For the initial application process, I'd prefer to get nothing. If I don't hear anything from the hiring company within 3-4 weeks, I'm pretty sure I didn't get the job. When you are doing 10-20 applications a week, it's kind of weird getting an email from a company you don't remember applying to saying that they've chosen another candidate.

Anything else I'd prefer an email. Letters rejecting you are a waste of paper and it's a physical reminder of failure. Emails are just two clicks and the reminder of failure is gone.

I've gotten a couple of phone calls saying they've gone in a different direction but that's usually with a headhunter. I think I've only gotten one phone call from an actual HR department telling me no and that was an awkward conversation.

Conversely, I've had a friend who got to a final round of interviews, HR was telling him everything was going great, and then he heard *nothing* until he called HR 3 weeks later. That was just stupid and dumb on HR's part.

[StPaulGal]

I agree with you that email would be preferable. Snail mail takes a few days to be delivered and just seems...oddly formal and out of place, assuming that you have not been corresponding by mail previously. Calls disrupt whatever you were engaged in and have a way of awkwardly putting people on the spot. No response is just rude/cruel; if you have invested your time interviewing with a company they should at least have the courtesy to let you know they have gone another direction. (Not saying it always happens that way, though)

[Hemlock140]

We send a letter to people that are rejected without being interviewed, but call those interviewed and not selected. For me it just seems more personal and respectful to notify them in person. Before taking this job in 2009 I was not selected for two others and in both cases they called, and I was fine with the phone notification. Making that call does seem like it would be a miserable task, luckily for me HR takes care of it, not the hiring manager.

[Serious Conversation]

I would prefer email. Quick, to the point, and impersonal.

[RarelyRelocating]

Email is fine, I'd rather be notified as soon as they know that they won't hire me, that way there's no ambiguity.

[trying harder]

I sent an email to a candidate to thank him for applying and interviewing, but that we'd chosen another candidate. Two weeks later he sent me an angry email chastising me for notifying him by email rather than a phone call or formal letter.

After getting this, I asked several people in the field if using email had been a breach of professional courtesy. All seemed to feel the same as most here--email is the best way to handle.

BTW, I also found out that he'd been fired from his then-current job the day he sent that email. I guess he felt the need to redirect what had to have been a lot of anger, as he'd been with that employer for nearly 10 years.

[Adhom]

I doubt I have ever gotten snail mail for a hiring decision especially if the entire application process happened online. I would probably prefer to get an email rather than a phone call. You may get unnecessarily excited if you see the HR number and assume it's an offer. The email title should hint at the contents.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Making that call does seem like it would be a miserable task, luckily for me HR takes care of it, not the hiring manager.

If someone makes it to the final round of imterviews (we only normally do two interviews), I will, as Hiring Manager, personally call the people who do not get the job.

[FBJ]

When it comes to job rejections I rather make my own conclusion and not receive anything at all because I don't want junk email in my primary folder or junk mail in my mailbox.