If you read the candidates response it gives the impression he was told, not asked.

If you are not going to hire someone, tell them in person or on the phone.

I’m not the greatest writer by any means and yet I am published. Not because I’m a great writer, because I had thoughts and ideas unlike anyone else in my industry. Instead of publishing this out in the open I presented it to a publisher in my industry that required a review process.

And it was brutal, but honest. I made all the changes requested but without comprise to the intent of the message. I learned.

I learned several things. I learned that I should have paid more attention when it came to grammar and many other related things.

Not my area of strength. Despite my intent to help and educate, my message was coming across or not understood. And like myself, they had a reputation and standards. Rules. Otherwise, what is the point?

Anyone can write something and publish online.

I went with the option that strengthened my weakness.

Then I read the Worst manager books.

Then the HR books… you can say this but not that….

Then, I hired 30 people (one example). And to do that, I wrote a 5 page job description that was handed over to 19 recruitment companies (not HR).

Based on what I got back in return, I narrowed that down to 3 people that could match the requirements to the candidate.

On average I had interviewed 1 candidate every 40 resumes.

When the interview as over, I made them an offer or face to face made it known their was no offer. And the majority of those candidates already knew. I simply treated them as I would wish to be treated and that is simply stating the truth. If they asked why, I told them. By the time they left, they completely understood “why”. I eliminated the wait and pray period. I did the opposite of what I despised. Leaving people hanging, wondering, hoping – to avoid doing the right thing.

I was one of 4 global enterprise architects at the time. And that wasn’t going to change, leadership was asking for my help and was supposed to be a short term arrangement.

Every person I made an offer to accepted despite the strings attached. All of them were employed at the time.

The strings attached were non-negotiable. The bar is set high. I’m offering you a position because you are strong in these areas and I am building a team comprised of people strong in these areas but recognize they are weak in others and part of your job is to train those on the team weak in the areas where you are strong and become strong in the areas which you are weak.

This way, everyone has a life, vacation time, without impact to our customer which is why we exist.

And I will never ask you to do something I cannot do myself. And I my expectation is that you question me any time you disagree. Debate is a good thing. But if you are going to disagree, be prepared to back it up.

And on the first day on site, the first question I ask is what do you need to do your job?

I never missed the one on one meetings despite the # of people.

And despite the contradiction, the customer was wrong unless proven otherwise. If my people did something wrong the team did something wrong, no one was singled out and no “name” was given. The one thing missing most of all was not having the back of people you presume to manage.

A “manager” success or lack of it is at the mercy of the people they manage. And by manage I mean, a piece of paper and org chart.

I based my success on their success. I listened and learned. I delegated out tasks like all managers should but required a action plan and explanation prior to approval. Instead of being critical of it not meeting my standards, I asked questions that led them to the right answers. The more I did this, the less questions I had to ask.

And together we broke records and won awards. Today, they are all managers. One is a CIO, several others SVP.

Does that qualify me as a hiring manager? Perhaps. You will have to ask the people I hired.

If the candidate had asked for an explanation, maybe.

Giving them one and keeping it subjective. Absolutely wrong.

I’m not convinced that was done in the best interest of the candidate.

It “sounds” like someone that was insecure and where they felt the need to justify their own action by explaining why they thing they are right. For their own personal satisfaction.

You don’t send someone a critique to help. It was sent as an alternative to telling that person face to face – your not a fit here but that is not a judgement.

Then, if they ask why – you tell them. Face to face.

And it better be based on the facts. Not your opinion or suggestions of where you might have gone wrong.

Not only was it wrong, the generic rejection letter was the lesser offense.

If you want to correct someone that you believe could have done better – hire them first. Then help them.

As a hiring manager you have duty to the people that comprise the company to hire the right people and maximize their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses. And the people that don’t get hired, you owe them an answer. Whether face to face or minimum a phone call. If they ask why, they deserve the truth. The truth is not a judgement, it is not right or wrong, it is not subjective, it is not your opinion.

If people know the truth, they then have the option to improve when given facts alone.

Leaving them in a state of guessing, wrong.

Telling them what you think they did wrong without asking, unacceptable.

That is not a “hiring manager”.

Not by any measure.

The word “mansplainer” was invented for this guy. He can’t even spell awkward or millennial, yet he expects the applicant to show him gratitude for insulting her.

He did her a favor, alright, but more along the lines of letting her (and now a bunch of people on the internet) know he’d be terrible to work with.

And the repeated name dropping of his Uni? Reminds me of Andy from the Office.

Yes, it wasn’t what he said but how he said it. Calling her work an “absolute monstrosity” – it’s over the top.

For someone so eager to criticize, Mr. Pollard’s writing could use some editing. He changes pronouns from “their” to “her”, uses semicolons in place of commas, and the greatest sin of all, he writes “literally” when he meant “actually.”

Not only did this brat burn a bridge with this firm, but she just went on the radar of a lot of other employers, too.