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What happens to the players you don’t select?
BackThe confirmed participants receive instructions and reminders. Everyone else hears nothing.
For the recruitment team, those applications may be finished. For the applicants, the opportunity may still feel open.
A clear process needs to account for people who are not selected too.
Make application status understandable
Passing a screener does not mean someone has been selected. Completing validation does not necessarily mean a place is available.
Explain those distinctions as applicants progress.
If someone is still being considered, tell them what that means. Avoid language that implies a booking when the research team has not made one.
Where possible, give an expected decision date rather than leaving applicants to interpret silence.
Don’t hold someone’s time without agreement
An applicant who might be suitable is different from a booked reserve.
If you need someone to keep a session free, make a clear offer covering the commitment, payment and release arrangements.
Otherwise, do not assume they will remain available simply because they applied.
That distinction matters particularly when selection decisions take longer than expected.
Close the opportunity respectfully
When recruitment ends, a short status message can explain that no place has been offered and that no further action is needed.
There is no need to reveal qualifying answers, confidential quotas or other applicants’ information.
Where the person met the requirements but places were limited, avoid suggesting that they failed an assessment they actually passed.
Keep future contact a separate choice
Applying for one study should not be treated as an automatic agreement to hear about every future opportunity.
Explain any invitation to join a player database separately and respect the applicant’s choice.
The people who are not selected have still spent time engaging with the recruitment process. Clear communication should extend beyond the final participant list.