Background Investigation Blueprints: How to Deliver Bad News!

Thanks for reading the Marketing 'For Cops' Newsletter. Want this newsletter delivered straight to your email every week so you don't have to remember to check LinkedIn? Join my Police Marketing Squad and I'll send it to you every Thursday morning! Forever free, always delivering knowledge, and never spam!

Anyone here enjoy delivering bad news to a police officer applicant who is now out of your process?  Of course not, it’s brutal and the conversations can get really awkward.  🤨

Wanna know how to take the sting out of it for both them…and you? 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️

Here are my 3 easy steps to delivering bad news...keep reading! 👀

Background Investigation Basics...

Hey everyone, it’s Tom Sye your Police Marketing FTO, and this week, let’s talk about one of the more difficult aspects of working in backgrounds and recruiting and that is delivering bad news to an applicant. 📰

This can feel like an incredibly daunting task to many Background Investigators, especially when they’re new, which makes an already uncomfortable conversation even more uncomfortable. 🫤

This area isn’t exclusive to just new folks though…my old partner, whose been retired for years now, even in her twentieth year of policing, hated delivering bad news so much, she would hand me all of the scoresheets of the people who failed the written test and keep all of the ones who passed so she didn’t have tell anybody they didn’t do so well. 😧

So, if you’re struggling with telling applicants they’re out of your process, use these three steps to make it a little easier on you, a little more dignifying for them, and eliminate the awkwardness of the whole thing…

Step 1: Make sure they’re available

Now…if you’re face to face with an applicant, you can skip ahead to Step 2 as this is exclusively for delivering bad news over the phone, but the first thing you want to do is make sure they are free to talk by asking them exactly that. 🗣️

“Do you have a minute to talk” or “are you available to speak right now” will do the trick just fine. 👌

A lot of times we’re so nervous to deliver the bad news we just fire it off right away without even considering that the applicant may be right in the middle of something or in mixed company and only picked up because they didn’t want you to think they were blowing you off.  That leaves them in a very precarious spot of how to react right then in that moment. 😕

Do not skip this step.  Even though you’re about to break an applicant’s heart they’ll be appreciative that you did this. 🤲

Step 2: Deliver the news   

When giving bad news, don’t beat around the bush with it…just come right out and say it.  This doesn’t mean you have to be heartless or emotionless though. 🚫🤖

Try something like, “well, unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news…something’s come up with the background and we’re not going to be able to move forward with you…I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but you’ll get a letter in the mail letting you know if and when you can reapply again, but again, at this point we’re not going to be able to move forward with you”. 

99% of the time you’re going to hear ‘ok, thank you’, but every now and again someone may press you for the reason why.  If this happens, you simply refer back to your background interview where you told the applicant your agency doesn’t disclose reasons as to why someone isn’t moving forward.  🤷

If you’re not doing that in your background interview, you should start doing that immediately.  It helps for times just like this. 💯 

If asked, simply reply, “like I told you in our background interview, to protect the integrity of the process, we don’t disclose the reasons as to why someone isn’t moving forward, but like I said you’ll get a letter in the mail here shortly that will let you know if and when you can apply again”. 

That usually ends the argument, but if they persist, simply continue apologizing and referring to the integrity of the process before moving on to step three.  💪

Step 3: Close with sympathy

To end the call, simply offer some genuine sympathy and empathize in question form. 🥺 

“Hey, I’m so sorry for the bad news…I wish you the best of luck, ok?”.

Typically, this triggers an understanding “thank you” from your applicant and you’re all done. 🏁 

Most of the time, this call lasts 30 seconds when you do it this way, because you eliminate the dragging things on, the long, awkward pauses, the constant stream of questions, and you fumbling with the answers. 💨

Give it a try on your next call and let me know how it goes! 👍

OK.  If you got a ton out of this, imagine what I can do for you in a four-hour class?!?! 🤯

My Road to Better Recruiting online training course is open right now and will teach you all of my favorite strategies for attracting, retaining, and getting applicants through your police officer hiring process over and over again. 🚀

Check out everything you’re gonna learn by visiting forcopstraining.com/rtbr. 

Know someone in recruiting who’s been struggling with giving bad news?  Share this video with them so they ease the tension too.  Trust me, they’ll be stoked that you did!  🤝

Have more questions about police recruiting, marketing, or anything else you're struggling with? Don't hesitate to reach out...I’m always here to help. 🙏

Until next week my Police Marketing Squad, happy recruiting! 😃

Tom

---

Did you find this newsletter valuable? Make sure to like & comment below. 👇

I'd love to hear from you! 🤩

Also, if you know someone who needs to see this content, please share my newsletter with them! I would appreciate the help in spreading the knowledge that will benefit us all and make our profession stronger! 💪

Have a marketing or recruiting topic you would like more info on? Drop me a message 📩 and let me know what you would like to learn! It might just make its way into next week's newsletter! 🤞

---

👋 I’m Tom Sye, your Police Marketing FTO. I founded ‘For Cops’ Training to teach Police Departments how to attract more qualified candidates through the same tried and tested methods I’ve used for the past ten years at my own department to keep up with turnover and stay ahead of vacancies.

Want to learn more about police marketing and recruiting? 👇

🔔 Follow my profile

✅ Connect with me

🗞️ Subscribe to the Marketing ‘For Cops’ Newsletter

You can also connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, X, or visit my website to learn more about my Police Marketing courses which are enrolling right now!