Why Do HR Say "We'll Get Back to You" After Interviews? Seeking Honest Insights

Hi all,

If a person attends an interview and doesn't get selected, why does HR go to the person and say 'we will get back to you'? This happens in many companies. In fact, even I did. I was told that in case you don't get a better one, we can call the same person back. Is this the reason or is there any other reason?

Instead, we can directly say the truth, and I feel this helps when we need to call him once again after 6 months. The candidate may feel he got another chance.

Please enlighten me. If anything is wrong with what I asked, please forgive me.

Regards,

Deepthi

Hi Deepthi,

What you said is correct. Mainly, the reason is the company still has a chance to call the person if they don't find a suitable candidate. Another reason could be that some more interviews are pending, so decisions regarding shortlisting are taken at a later date after the completion of interviews. Yet another reason could be that it doesn't look good to say no directly sometimes, so "we will get back to you" is a very common response.

Enjoy, Harshad

Hi,

My experience when I used to select candidates for a call center: If you don't find a candidate suitable, then clearly tell him/her where he/she is lagging behind and how to improve on that. It's my experience that 90% of candidates take this sportingly and leave with a smile on their face.

I have seen a number of candidates who were rejected the first time in the interview, and the second time they left with an offer letter in hand because they had understood their weaknesses, worked on them, and improved drastically.

This might seem like an unprofessional practice to some, but after all, "Manage Men Tactfully" – that's what management says.

Regards,
Prerak Vasavada

Hi Prerak Vasavada,

That's wonderful. Many times even I do that. Even I don't know whether it is professional or not. But when I put myself in the opposite person's shoes, I feel it's better not to make them wait for a negative reply. Instead, clear it right then and there in a tactful manner where the candidate comes out of the tension and gets ready for the next step in a better way. I feel this is a better approach.

I would love to hear some more views on this so that we can learn more.

Regards,
Deepthi

Hi Deepti,

I have earlier mentioned that 90% of candidates left with a smile on their faces even after rejection. Now let me talk about the other 10% - somehow, they couldn't digest rejection and started:

1. crying
2. requesting another chance
3. offering bribes to clear them
4. scolding

Let's not talk about the third and fourth points as they do not show character. Those who started crying or requesting another chance, I used to ask them in a friendly manner why they were doing so.

Usually, the main reason behind their behavior was financial crises in the family, so they were desperate for a job. This kind of person has great strength in doing hard work, handling pressure, and usually, they are very committed as well.

I used to collect their resumes and give them to my personal references to find another job for them.

Again, this might be an unprofessional practice, but I can't see a person leaving my company with a heavy heart and tears in their eyes. I want everyone to depart with positivity and hope in their hearts. I don't know whether this was right or wrong, professional or unprofessional, but HRM doesn't only mean "Human Resource Management"; it also means "Human Relationship Management."

Regards,

Prerak

Hi Deepthi,

Yes, even I know that this might not be right in a professional setting, but it gives me great satisfaction. I have talked with my boss regarding this, and he has also appreciated this, so I am still following the same tactics. Please let me know, is it wrong if, for a minute, I put aside my professionalism and help someone to get settled down in life.

Regards,
Prerak

I am a newbie of the site, but what I am doing for rejecting and ranking candidates as "stand-by" employees is as follows:

1. We have the schedule for every interview with the interview date and confirmation date.
2. After the interview, we inform candidates of the date they will receive the results.
3. We send a thank-you letter to them by mail with individual results.
4. Some candidates who have not been appointed yet would receive a thank-you note with a sentence like, "We had a high impression of your knowledge and experiences, but we found out that some of it does not match our requirements such as: ... And we hope that in our next interview campaign on ... you're still interested in our vacancy."

Something like that... Please share your ideas on this.

Regards,
thach_thien1972

Dear Deepthi,

A very important topic you have raised. This is what I practice:

If the candidate is shortlisted, I tell him straight away and inform him that we will call him again for a second round.

If the candidate is potential, I tell him/her straightforwardly that I cannot process their application for this profile due to some reasons (I also share the reasons with them) and will consider it for future openings.

If the candidate is rejected, I inform him that if he is being shortlisted, then he would receive a call within 3 days. If he doesn't get any such call, then he can conclude that he has not been shortlisted.

The main objective, as someone mentioned above, is to not say NO to anyone on his/her face. I consider saying NO discourteous.

Regards,
Ajay Gandhi

Hi Deepthi,

It's a good practice on the part of the interviewer to tell the candidate about his shortcomings so that he can develop himself. Most people see this as beneficial and constructive criticism that helps them to develop in the future.

It will be appropriate to inform them that they will be contacted later if there is a chance of calling them for subsequent interviews or selection.

Regards,
Deepankar

Hi,

That's true. We have to communicate everything at the same time so that a candidate will be clearer rather than waiting for a call. We should have a transparent system. Carry on. 😊

Hi, Deepthi,

You have raised a very important topic. I was also thinking about the same since recruitments are ongoing in my organization. I have important information regarding the post-interview issue.

Regards,
Ratandeep Kaur

Dear Deepti,

In fact, there are a few reasons behind this, and a few of them are... Maybe the candidate is so frustrated from giving interviews continuously that if you directly tell him/her that he/she is not selected, in that case, he/she can do anything. He/She can take any dangerous decision. Also, refusing directly would not be mannerly.

I have a few reasons to tell you, but due to a shortage of time, I could not write more. I will tell you later.

Regards,
Anil Tomar

It hurts a lot for a candidate to hear that he is not selected. No one likes to hear NO, which is a general human nature. From the facial expressions of HR and by the tone in which the HR says "we will get back to you later," the candidate understands the hidden meaning, i.e., he is not selected. But if tomorrow there is no candidate for the HR, he can always call back the candidate to whom he said, "we will get back to you later." At this time, if the candidate is still searching, he will thank his stars. This situation creates a win-win situation for the HR only, not for the candidate.

You know what, I once gave a telephonic interview and got a call for a personal interview after 3-4 months. This clearly gave me the idea that they must have selected someone who left after 3-4 months. So, the next candidate, i.e., I, was told that the opening is still available, and I can attend the interview.

Here, I very diplomatically increased my CTC and mentioned that to attend the interview, I would need traveling expenses. Since then, I have not heard from them. Probably, they must be flabbergasted by my reply.

The best practice is after finalization, a letter needs to be sent to rejected candidates, mentioning that they are not fit for the job or are not suitable.

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I have corrected the spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in the user's input and ensured proper paragraph formatting.