The rejection emails are super annoying and disappointing. It's like one evil person wrote all of them. Thank you for your application. Unfortunately, after careful consideration, we've decided to move forward with another blah, blah, blah. I know those emails are discouraging, but what about something else that happens? Every once in a while, you might receive an email or call stating that the position is on hold or that they're going to pause hiring. This can mean a lot of things, and it's not a bad sign in this episode. I'm going to tell you how to take a situation like this, or other situations that you can apply this to and make it work as one of your biggest advantages. As a former Director of Talent Acquisition, putting positions on hold is not uncommon. Here are some reasons that it can happen. The manager of this position, the position that you hired, that you applied to, the manager of that, Leaves the company and there's no longer someone to manage it a new manager has to be hired before hiring this position another one might be There were plans for company growth or expectations for company growth that weren't met or maybe they're just delayed The hiring company has to come up with a game plan for next steps And in the meantime has to push out the hiring timeline a third reason and there's more than three But here's a third one that might be more common. The position was posted prematurely And as good candidates come in and they move quickly move forward in the process, the company realizes that they jump the gun and typically leaders or owners or the president or CEO will pump the brakes and say, Hey, we're not ready to hire yet. We don't have the budget for it. We don't have the customers for it or whatever. So what do you do? Most candidates will do one of two things. One, they will read that email that says the positions on hold and move on. Two, they will reply with something like thank you for the update, I look forward to hearing from you about next steps, and then forget all about it. There is good news here. If the company did not like your experience, they would just let you know you're not the right fit. And it happens all the time. Every day. So there is some interest in speaking with you if you receive this email or the phone call. It doesn't guarantee anything, but it's not a bad sign. If you receive one of these, here's what you do to stand out as a professional and top candidate. When you receive the email, you can either reply with, Thanks for letting me know, I look forward to hearing from you, or don't reply at all. That's your call. The next step is very important, and this is where you separate yourself from the other candidates that reply to them. Make a calendar event for yourself for two weeks out, maybe three weeks. That is a reminder to follow up with them. But how do you follow up? You have two weeks to put this together. Like I said, three weeks is also okay. If the company gives you a timeline for this, how long the position will be on hold, adjust accordingly, you are going to put together an email response for them. In essence, you are never going to stop working for them. You are going to show what you have to offer as an employee and what they will miss out on if they don't move forward with you. Your email needs to accomplish one of these three things doesn't have to accomplish all three things You should choose one of these for the goal and the content of your email One write to them and provide an insight on your industry to share a recent article On how your industry is changing make sure this is positive. Don't say how everything's crumbling And then your thoughts on that article and how a company with knowledge of this should can move forward option number three Demonstrate that you are an expert in their field By providing a thought you have, a process, a new market they could enter, a product, or something like that, it depends wildly on what kind of job it is and what industry they're in. Do they make something physical? Do they write software? Do they provide an online service? What you share should be something that helps them succeed in their industry that you're assuming they don't already do. In your email that you write to them, simply ignore the part about the position being on hold. Write to them and say something along these lines dear HR or the person's name. Hope you're having a great week Before we speak next I want to share an insight on the market to help and then enter the company name as you navigate The industry and continue your success Then so we pause here. Then you want to share some of your thoughts. This needs to be well written and professional This is not like a text or an email that you write to a friend I'm not gonna give you an example of what You Share is an example. There's just too many options, and it's up to you. That works on you, but next, at this point, you would share your thoughts, your insight, your article, anything like that. Now back to the email. No matter which, so you write this next. No matter which candidate you decide on for this role, I am confident that you will find this helpful. I look forward to our next conversation, as I also have put together a two step action plan to make the best use of my information above. Sincerely, your name. Okay. And here's the best part. Even if you haven't received the position on hold email, you can still use this. Use it. If you haven't heard back in a while, use it a couple of days after an interview. It takes thought, time and your insight, and it will help you be a top candidate. Maybe if you receive this from a recruiter, you can ask them to share it with the manager of the position. If you write this, you can follow up on it. Maybe a couple of days or a week later. You don't want to push too hard because the position's on hold. So I would space it out. You could even follow up on it a week or two after you send this email. Spacing it out helps you stay in touch with them without getting the point of being annoying and emailing too much. You send this, they will see you as a candidate that has information, knowledge, and the ability to do something that they need. If they don't at least talk to you more, they're gonna miss out on someone who knows how to win. And this will help you stand out. There it is. Have a great week.