Make the right hire by fine-tuning your interview process. Here are our tips for making that happen.
Your restaurant’s brand and reputation are some of the biggest influences on how many applications your establishment can get, and believe it or not — workers pay attention to every detail. So while it might not always seem necessary, it’s essential to close the loop with applicants that have taken the time to apply for your jobs or interview with you. Sometimes you just need to hire someone quickly, and it can be easy to forget all the other applicants who are waiting to hear if they got the job. Here is a general rule of thumb of what type of response is appropriate given what part of the hiring process an applicant reached.
It’s great to have a general response that you can give everyone who’s applied for your job. Thank the applicant for their time and let them know that you will be calling candidates to set up interviews within a specific time frame. This way, you’re setting expectations that if the applicant doesn’t hear from you within the specified time frame — they likely won’t be hearing from you.
If you interviewed someone over the phone or in a hiring event, then an email rejection should suffice. Thank them for their time and let them know that at this time that you are moving on with more qualified applicants. For the candidates that completed an in-person interview or stage, an email rejection is acceptable — but a phone call is more appropriate. It shows that you valued their time and creates an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions and seek constructive feedback.
Closing the loop is just professional. While rejections can be uncomfortable, workers will appreciate honesty— and making a good impression in this industry is critical, especially when hiring.