Picture the scene. It’s prom season at Brookdale High School. Emotions, hormones, Taylor Swift, and the faint scent of benzoyl peroxide permeate the air.
Brandy is a popular and pretty senior who is perceptively aware that she is both popular and pretty. She makes it clear to all of her friends, enemies, frenemies, and the entire social media universe that she is excited about prom…but does not yet have a date.
After sending out her social SOS, she eagerly awaits what will surely be multiple promposals.
The first invitation arrives during a crowded lunch from an underclassman named Randy. It involves a dozen roses and a Chat GPT-generated poem read aloud:
Oh Brandy, Brandy, can I be so bold?
Would you join me at prom, so our stories unfold?
You’re as hot as the sun, shining bright in the hall,
While I’m just a junior, standing so small.
But dreams are like stars, they twinkle in the night,
And I’m here, Randy, with my courage taking flight.
So let’s dance through the prom, like nobody’s there,
With you by my side, Brandy, I won’t have a care.
We’ll make memories, laugh, and have such great fun,
Just say yes, dear Brandy, and let this story be spun.
For a night to remember, with you in my sight,
Randy and Brandy, together, shining so bright!
Brandy giggles and flips her hair in the way only cheer captains can. She is flattered, but she isn’t about to commit. Randy lingers long enough for the awkward silence to set in and then walks away, hoping against hope.
The next invitation arrives two days later during study hall, replete with an oversized teddy bear wearing an “I COULDN’T BEAR PROM WITHOUT YOU” t-shirt and a note signed by a fellow named Andy. Again, Brandy is honored. But now is not a time for choosing. It’s a time to soak up the attention like a Mean Girl and see what else the prom market bears.
The third, fourth, and fifth invitations arrive via singing telegram, a balloon-filled locker, and a suitor dressed in a banana suit, respectively. At this point, Brookdale is abuzz with whispers. Who will Brandy choose?
Brandy doesn’t acknowledge or even respond to any of the promposals formally. When she passes her potential suitors in the hallway, she barely makes eye contact. They are pursuing her, after all, and she’ll make a decision when she’s damn good and ready (and when the promposals have slowed to a trickle and she has milked this prom season like the popularity cow it is).
Randy, Andy, and the entire Take Brandy to Prom Fan Club are left to wonder if they stand a chance.
Days pass. Then weeks. To the angsty admirers, it feels like an eternity or at least as long as the wait for the release of Stranger Things Season 5.
Finally, mere days before prom, Brandy accepts the invitation from the guy in the banana suit. (I guess he a-peeled to her. HA!)
Sadly, Randy, Andy, and the rest of the also-rans never hear back from Brandy. Not a word. Not a text. Not a call. Not a peep. No thank you for the singing telegram, balloons, oversized teddy bear, roses, or painfully cheesy ChatGPT poem.
Sad times at Brookdale High.
This doesn’t make you think very highly of the beloved Brandy, does it?
Well, what would you say if I told you that hiring managers sometimes treat candidates the way Brandy treats her suitors?
I don’t think hiring managers are intentionally being dismissive like Brandy. Rather, they just aren’t thinking about how each job application is very much like a promposal: it’s personal! (Even if it doesn’t involve an oversized stuffed mammal or a fruit suit.)
Here are four things hiring managers can do to avoid being a Brookdale Brandy:
- Acknowledge every application. Applications may not feel as unique as promposals, but most candidates put a lot of time into each application. They spend time researching the organization and then tailoring a cover letter to the specific opportunity. Occasionally candidates will even tailor their resumes to highlight relevant experience for the hiring manager.And for some applicants, they are literally applying for their dream job when they send you an application. They have poured their heart and soul into that document! So, the least you can do as a hiring manager is to respond to every application you receive.
Now, if Talent Market is managing the search for you, we handle this on our end, so you’re off the hook. But if you’re going it alone, make sure you email every applicant back and let them know you received their materials.
- Send updates throughout the hiring process. The Take Brandy to Prom Fan Club waited anxiously for weeks for an update from Brandy. Don’t let your candidates sit in Prom Purgatory! Update them every couple of weeks, even if your update indicates the process is still ongoing and you don’t have any news yet.And as soon as you decide a candidate isn’t going to be a contender, the respectful thing to do is gently decline that person so he/she can get on with life. Waiting on news isn’t fun for anyone and candidates will be appreciative of a timely response, even if it’s not the news they wanted to hear.
Again, if Talent Market is managing the search for you, we will update candidates on at least a weekly basis. But if you’re handling the hiring on your own, make sure to keep your applicant pool informed as the process moves along.
- Close the loop with every candidate. As soon as Brandy chose BananaBoy, the right thing for her to do was tell Randy, Andy, and the others that while she appreciated their invitations, she regretfully had to decline because she had accepted another promposal.After you make a hire, the right thing to do is close the loop with every remaining candidate. Send each one a kind note thanking them for their time and interest and telling them you’ve gone in another direction. Candidates will be very grateful that you’ve let them know.
Of course, if Talent Market is managing the search for you, we will close the loop with all remaining candidates on your behalf. But if you’re flying solo, don’t forget this critical step!
We often hear from declined candidates who are appreciative that we let them know the role had been filled…and they tell us hearing back from hiring mangers is becoming increasingly rare. But you’re better than that! Don’t be a Brookdale Brandy! - Treat them like you would want to be treated. High school was a long time ago for most of us, but can’t you still recall the angst and heartache of finding a date to prom? Try to channel your previously pimpled self next time you manage a search.Inevitably, someone’s feelings are going to get hurt if they don’t get hired, but if you treat them well throughout the process, you’ll end up with a group of candidates who still admire your organization and will want to explore opportunities there in the future.
If you’re wondering, Brandy and BananaBoy flamed out shortly after prom. Perhaps not surprisingly, it took him weeks to figure out they were no longer an item because she neglected to tell him.
