How Do I Tell My Boss That All My Submitted Resumes Were Rejected?

Hi Max, I have spent a day selecting some resumes (about 20) and forwarded them to the concerned department. Unfortunately, they rejected all of them! I repeated this activity three times in a week, meaning I worked for three days and forwarded 60 resumes, but they didn't accept any of them.

Now, I need to inform my Head of Department (HoD) that I have been actively working on this task, but the department is not cooperating by rejecting all the resumes I submit.

I require assistance in drafting a formal email to explain the entire situation. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your support!

Regards, Max

Improving the Selection Process

If 60 resumes are turned down by the respective HoD, then there is some confusion in your selection process. Have you designed the Job Description for each position? If not, then henceforth whenever any vacancy needs to be filled, I recommend you ask for the JD of that position.

Secondly, ask for the search parameters to select the candidate, such as educational qualification, gender, age, specific technical or functional expertise, etc. If you adhere to these search parameters, then I do not think that HoDs will turn down the resumes that you send to them.

All the best!

Regards,
Dinesh Divekar

This is not a new thing that despite working hard, we are not getting recognition, especially when we are involved in recruitment. One crucial thing to understand is that the work you do should be noticed by your immediate superior. If you are screening candidates and conducting telephonic rounds, you have to invest a lot of time as it is a time-consuming task. People will only see the results, not the effort you put in. It is your responsibility to showcase the efforts you have put into this.

Steps to Showcase Your Recruitment Efforts

Now, ask every relevant person for remarks and reasons for the rejection of each profile. You can prepare a list in Excel with columns for Name, Designation, Qualification, Experience, and Remarks. Every concerned person should fill in the Remarks column for each candidate, and ask for this information via email. This can serve as proof of your efforts.

By utilizing the remarks provided by your seniors for each candidate, you can analyze and screen candidates more efficiently.

Additionally, make it a practice to request these remarks via email and cc your Head of Department (HOD) so that they are also aware of the ongoing processes.

As one has pointed out already, do check out the job description. More importantly, while using the screening software, you should be alert that not just the words match but the description asked for. For example, if it requires 4 to 5 years of experience, you might receive a resume, but you forget you are supposed to filter for finance and accounting only. Instead, you might have chosen 4 years of marketing. You should always verify before sending it for consideration.

Also, check out if they really have the job opportunity. Sometimes, a few consultancies just keep screening the resumes and send emails saying they have a job, but in fact, they don't, and they have already sent such emails to the candidates you have filtered.

In your case, it sounds more like an HR agency or consultancy rather than a good company, so do check out.

Also, if you are complaining about just 60 resumes, you may try changing your job. I have heard of people screening out almost a thousand resumes, but only considering around 50 or a hundred a day! It is clear that you are being forced to do the job by yourself. Try searching for a new one.