A few days ago I was browsing a group on Facebook and stopped to read the comments on a post. A non-profit organization sent a letter to a job applicant in the mail and basically informed her that she had not been chosen for the position.

You’d think that’s a good thing, but not in this case.

The letter became an example of how not to contact someone who applied for a job within your organization.

What not to say in a letter

This is some of what the letter said:

The talented pool of candidates made our decision very difficult. In addition to submitted documents, references, and personal interviews, we also consider applicants’ interests and areas of expertise, background, and management experience. The committee was impressed with his credentials, but in selecting the finalist, it meant we had to strike the right balance for the future…

The problem was that the organization never contacted the applicant before the cut letter was mailed. There was no submission for review by the job applicant, no documents (except her resume), references, or personal interviews.

The organization also made the following error in the final sentence of the letter, which read: “We hope you will continue to support the mission of…” Those few words were interpreted by the applicant and others to mean that the nonprofit profit was using a euphemism for asking for financial help. Essentially, a soft sell.

You can’t make these things up.

It’s time to show that you got your act together

On the one hand, it’s commendable (kind of) that the charity took the time to send a form letter to this applicant and at least contact him. I think one of the worst things we’ve done in the business world is people take the time to apply for our jobs and then not give them the courtesy of responding.

I know. We’re all busy, but that’s wrong. Since when did being too busy become more important than connecting with others and always doing your best? Since when did the little thoughtful things disappear and the golden rule of treating others as you would like to be treated became a precious commodity?

In the case of this particular organization, if they were going through the expense and effort of mailing a letter, then they should have gotten the data right. What they showed was that they were only moderately better than organizations that don’t contact candidates who will move forward in the process. However, since the applicant did not send anything other than a resume, they showed the applicant that they did not care about her. I’m sure that was not her intention.

That’s not something you want to perpetuate when you’re the leader of a nonprofit or any business. In this case, less would have been much more. Just acknowledging that he applied for a position and that his “information” was reviewed, but that there were other candidates who aligned more closely with the nonprofit, would have been enough.

But what about that latest award for continued support?

Well, in my opinion, if they had got the top paragraph right, the last sentence could have been attributed to an innocuous sentence. However, some people who commented on the post understood that the nonprofit was requesting a charitable donation. We’ll never really know, but the charity missed the benefit of the doubt by stating how thorough they were in reviewing all the credentials you provided, which they didn’t. The organization had lost all credibility when the last sentence was written.

I think the organization gets some points for sending a letter. As I said, these days many companies believe that they are exempt from common courtesy and respect towards job applicants.

But, if you’re going to make an effort (and have to pay the cost of mailing something), don’t put yourself in a position where you look like you just opened a store a day ago and have no idea. how to run an organization That doesn’t inspire confidence in anyone, including job applicants.