Those of you that follow my blog and other social media posts that I generate know that I am consistently reminding all employers to prepare well for the interview process. Have all your ducks in a row, including documents such as comprehensive job descriptions (in writing) along with any other materials that you might be able to supply the job seeker with to help them better understand what the position entails, the practice philosophy, etc.

But what if after thorough due diligence, vetting the candidate and evaluating their skill sets and their “soft” skills, you come to realize they are not going to be the best fit for your practice?  Do you get in touch with them or do you wait for them to call the office inquiring about status?

And what about the job seekers that appear to have promise–the ones that could be ideal candidates for your practice and the position you are looking to fill? Do you find yourself drifting off, losing contact with those that could be valuable assets to your practice or do you maintain an ongoing dialog with them?

It’s quite common for me to give my clients light nudges to remind them that “candidates you have interest in are not going to hang around long.” Or, ” Did you communicate with the clinical assistant that didn’t make the cut?” It’s not fair to her if you feel you want to curtail the forward motion and the hiring process with her.

I get it! This is one of the “yucky” things the practice leader, owner, dentist has to deal with.  This is why I’ll often hear, “Deb, can you call Suzie and let her know we’re still looking, or we are changing the job description, or our employee decided she is staying with us, so we stopped the process”. While I know this is a difficult task for many, the best thing to do is firstly, don’t leave these people hanging.  Be as honest as possible without hurting feelings.  Some are holding out for you and will stop seeking other opportunities as a result.

Heck, I know of a couple of instances where the job seeker was so certain the job was theirs that they excitedly give notice to their present employer. But what bothers me most is when nothing at all is said.  Rather than have to deliver this tough message, the job candidate is conveniently forgotten. Sure, it’s a tough conversation to have, but the least you can do is send a thoughtful, short email thanking them for their time and wishing them the best of luck.  No stories. No excuses. Simply. “We don’t believe we are the best fit for each other.”

While I don’t have a problem delivering the message (although I don’t find it particularly enjoyable) I have been the messenger for many of my clients for fear that these candidates would be patiently waiting for some news.  I’m troubled if I feel as though they are living on false hope or perhaps missing out on opportunities that could be more suitable for them. This is but another challenge of being a business owner and while I’m at it, please don’t have someone other than the person who will be generating the paycheck (the boss) finalize this relationship.

Don’t burn bridges, no matter where we reside, be it small towns, suburbia or major cities, dentistry is a close-knit community.   Good reputations travel fast, but bad ones travel faster.