This post was written by Alison Green and published on Career Catalyst
A reader writes:
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- our new hires keep quitting after their first week
- a nonprofit kept badgering me to interview their disabled client
- candidates ask so many questions that our interviews are running over schedule
- how to respond to a volatile rejected job applicant
- should I hire an ex?
- I think my nanny candidate used a fake reference
- I’m flooded by job candidates calling for more info
- is it OK for job postings to require a “clean-cut appearance”?
- how can I reject former coworkers applying for jobs with me?
- How to make Preparation for Interview in Amazon USA ?
- How to boost my career in IT industry ?
What’s the best way to ask a job applicant why they need to cancel or reschedule their interview at the last minute if they don’t offer an explanation? My company hires a good number of people who are fresh out of school and may not have much professional experience, so I don’t want to hold it against them if they don’t realize that missing an appointment for a genuine emergency won’t disqualify an otherwise solid candidate, but I also obviously don’t want to recommend an unreliable candidate.
How can I ask what happened in a way that’s not overly invasive or accusatory?
I answer this question — and three others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them).
Other questions I’m answering there today include:
Should you mention an employee’s smell during a reference check?
When people say their boss yelled at them, do they mean it literally?
Should I contact my strongest candidates before our application deadline closes?