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Softening the blow
Updated On: 27 October, 2021 07:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Sukanya Datta
Recently, a pun-filled job rejection email by KFC went viral for all the wrong reasons. Taking cue, a communication expert decodes how employers can sensitively draft rejection letters and deliver bad news
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Empathy and compassion are key while delivering bad news
Any professional working in the service sector will agree that the stakes are high when you’re sending out a job application. Emails are refreshed every now and then, and there’s that sinking feeling in the stomach. So, imagine receiving a rejection letter drafted by KFC — one of the largest food chains in the world — loaded with chicken puns. That’s what happened to Twitter user Sophie Corcoran, who posted a screenshot of the letter that has since gone viral. The letter by KFC read, “Hi Sophie, thank you for your application to Team KFC. We’re cluckin’ delighted you’re keen to join our flock, however, at this moment in time your skills aren’t the secret recipe the Colonel is looking for.”
Several netizens slammed the response as inappropriate. “I feel that it made the applicant feel dejected, not because she wasn’t hired for the role but because the rejection letter was written in a way that wasn’t human enough,” shares career coach and communication expert Rhea Punjabi. Rejection letters, she suggests, should include a human touch. “It’s best to write the letters in a friendly tone and let the candidate believe that the human on the other side has actually typed the email. Replying to every applicant may not be possible. However, the further ahead a candidate has reached in the hiring funnel, the more personalised the letter should be,” she tells us. It goes a long way when employers share feedback as to why a candidate wasn’t selected, Punjabi notes.
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