Email Mishaps Hiring Managers Make

Halloween is almost upon us, but that’s no reason to partake in scary hiring behavior. There are so many mistakes that job seekers and candidates can make in the hiring process that cause you to think, “This is definitely not the candidate for me!” That’s simple enough. Especially since it is your job to find mistakes in your candidates. Have you ever thought about the mistakes you are making in the hiring process though? More specifically, the email mistakes you might be making? Before you meet a candidate in person, what you say and do in your email correspondence is a reflection of the company you are hiring for.

In light of All Hallow’s Eve tomorrow, we will be covering the scariest video interviewing mistakes you can make. In order to get warmed up for those mistakes so that you can easily avoid them, and to avoid top candidates running away from you and your company as if you were The Blob, why not cover some of the email mishaps that hiring managers often make?

You may be thinking, email mishaps? How much can you possible screw up in an email? Well, if that was a thought that crossed your mind then that is one of your first mistakes. Often times when we send emails we are doing so in a hurry. It’s easier to send along an email than to pick up the phone and talk to a candidate. Email certainly has its pros and cons, but with it comes the potential of making a lot of silly- and easily avoidable- mistakes. Take note of these email mishaps and avoid them like the plague next time you take to your keyboard to write to a candidate.

Spelling Errors
This should be complete common sense, but there are still thousands of people that refuse to edit their emails before they push that send button. Before a candidate comes in for an interview, it’s highly likely you will be interacting with them through email and over the internet in some capacity like with video interviews. That is completely fine, but you have to remember that what you say- and how you say it- is a reflection of the company. Since you are likely the only person from your company interacting with the candidate, it’s easy for them to associate your behavior and responses with how the company operates.

If you send along an emails ripe with vocabulary and grammatical errors, then it doesn’t say much about you or the company you work for. “Does this person not care how they are representing the company?” “Are all employees that work there this careless?” Not all candidates will come to this conclusion, but it’s possible that if you have a ton of repeated errors in your email correspondence that you may lose out on some candidates that would otherwise be interested. Be sure to edit and check your emails before you send them off.

Job Descriptions
Though it’s not part of email correspondence, making sure your job description is void of any vocab or grammatical errors is extremely important. A company that lists a job description with a handful of errors- even just one or two- looks less credible and very unprofessional. Be sure to edit your job description and even have other people view it as well.

Deathly-Long Waits
Everyone knows that the hiring process takes a long time to complete. However, leaving candidates guessing for weeks is enough to send them running for the hills. If you say in your emails that you will get back to them after a set time period, then stand by your word. Stay on top of your email correspondence and don’t let your candidates sit for weeks on end before getting back to them. As stated in our post on how long a candidate will wait for a job offer, if you leave them hanging for too long they will most certainly move on- or worse, they’ll get picked up by another employer or company.

If your decision making or hiring process is going longer than previously thought, then be sure to stay in contact with candidates to let them know what is going on. Tell them the interviewing and hiring process is going over the estimated time period and that you will get back to them as soon as a decision has been made. Leaving them in the dark is an easy way for candidate’s to associate ghoulish, unappealing characteristics with your company.

Email Job Offers
There is nothing more impersonal or confusing than receiving a job offer over email. Granted, most candidates won’t turn a job offer down simply because it was offered over email, but it’s very impersonal and a bit unprofessional as well. If you are truly excited about hiring this candidate and bringing them onto your team, then take the time to give them a call directly to offer them the job. They will be able to hear your excitement and enthusiasm and will know that you are anxious to have them start.

Email is a great tool to use both in our personal and professional lives, that much is certainly true. However, as with any tool there are proper ways to use it and improper ays. Be sure you are properly using your email to correspond with candidates and coworkers as well, and always remember to edit your emails before you push send.

Have you ever made or experienced a terrible email mishap? Let us know about it in the comments section below.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Sean MacEntee