What is candidate rejection email?

A candidate rejection email or letter is a document that the employer sends to the candidate who does not qualified for the next phase of the selection process. It can be during the pre-screen process, before or after the interview.

Why is the candidate rejection email important?

No recruiter likes to deliver bad news to the candidates who have spent the times to apply and interview for the jobs. Thus, a lot of recruiters are tempted to take the easy way and go radio silent so that they would not hurt the candidate.

The fact is the candidates appreciate receiving official notification from companies in which they have invested the time to apply. There is nothing more unkind than to leave a candidate waiting and wondering. Writing a clear and positive candidate rejection email is not only a kind thing to do, but it is also a professional and proper way to address the candidates who have invested the times.

Also, a candidate’s experience doesn’t end when you decide not to hire them. Candidate that does not make the cut for this position may be a great fit for some other current or future job opening. Thus, rejecting a candidate professional, thoughtfully and kindly can have a direct outcome on your future hiring success.

In summary, candidate rejection emails are very crucial to ensure a great employer branding and improve your candidate experience.

Write good candidate rejection email

While it is unlikely you’ll have the time to personalise each rejection email to candidates, you can use some of the sample rejection templates below to make you stand out and deliver a better-than-most candidate experience.

In Talentcloud.ai platform, navigate to Settings -> Emails. Find the email with type:Rejected. Edit the default rejection email or you can add more email template so that you can choose different email rejection to send to different candidates. You can copy the email samples below.

Sample Subject

• Sample 1:
  {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} application at {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}
• Sample 2:
  Update on your status for the {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} job
• Sample 3:
  Your application to {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}

Sample Body Content

• Sample 1:
  A short and simple email with a neutral tone.

  Hi {{ CANDIDATE_FIRST_NAME }} {{ CANDIDATE_LAST_NAME }},

  We really appreciate that you took the time to consider us for the {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} role. We know there are a lot of companies out there that are hiring.

  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to learn more about your background and what you’re looking for next. We’ve narrowed our search and have decided not to move forward with your application right now.

  Thanks again for your time. You undoubtedly have many opportunities open to you and we appreciate that you considered us among them. We hope you don’t mind if we reach out to you in the future. We wish you all the best in your job search!

  Thanks,
  {{ YOUR_FULL_NAME }}
  {{ YOUR_JOB_TITLE }}
  {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}

• Sample 2:
  A more informal email which is good if you have some relationships with the candidates.

  Hi {{ CANDIDATE_FIRST_NAME }},

  Thanks for the application. We don’t like to leave candidates in limbo here at {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }} and although we think your application has lots of awesome qualities, we don’t feel like you’re quite right for what we’re looking for right now.

  We hope you’re not too disappointed but, trust me, there are lots of great companies out there. Our advice, don’t settle. Make sure you find a company that aligns with your personal values and that will challenge you to grow.

  Thanks and best of luck for the future and we hope to see you on {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }} sometimes soon.

  Regards,
  {{ YOUR_FULL_NAME }}
  {{ YOUR_JOB_TITLE }}
  {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}

• Sample 3:
  A short and simple email with neutral tone.

  Hi {{ CANDIDATE_FIRST_NAME }} {{ CANDIDATE_LAST_NAME }},

  Thank you for your time taken to apply for the {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} role at {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}.

  We regret to inform that you are not selected to proceed to the next step for now. We shall keep your profile in our database for our future hirings.

  Do keep in touch, we wish you all the best in your job search!

  Thanks,
  {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }} Team

• Sample 4:
  A more formal and longer email suitable for larger companies

  Dear {{ CANDIDATE_FIRST_NAME }} {{ CANDIDATE_LAST_NAME }},

  Thank you for your application for the {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} at {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}. We really appreciate your interest in joining our company and we want to thank you for the time and energy you invested in your job application.

  We received a large number of job application, and after carefully reviewing all of them, unfortunately, we have to inform you that this time we won’t be able to invite you to the next phase of our selection process.

  We truly appreciate your expertise and interest in our company. We hope you’ll keep us in mind and apply again in the future. If you have any questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email at or phone.

  We wish you every personal and professional success in your future endeavours. Once again, thank you for your interest in working with us.

  Kind regards,
  {{ YOUR_FULL_NAME }}
  {{ YOUR_JOB_TITLE }}
  {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}
• Sample 5:
  Rejection after an interview or when the position is closed. You may need to include more feedback on the interview.

  Dear {{ CANDIDATE_FIRST_NAME }} {{ CANDIDATE_LAST_NAME }},

  Thank you for taking the time to consider {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}. We wanted to let you know that we have chosen to move forward with a different candidate for the {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} position.

  Our team was impressed by your skills and accomplishments. We think you could be a good fit for other future openings and will reach out again if we find a good match.

  We wish you all the best in your job search and future professional endeavours.

  Best Regards,
  {{ YOUR_FULL_NAME }}
  {{ YOUR_JOB_TITLE }}
  {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}
• Sample 6:
  Rejection when the position is closed.

  Dear {{ CANDIDATE_FIRST_NAME }},

  Thank you very much for investing your time and effort to interview with our team about our {{ JOB_POST_TITLE }} position at {{ POST_COMPANY_NAME }}. It was a pleasure to learn more about your skills and accomplishments.

  Unfortunately, our team did not select you for further consideration. It is a decision we didn’t make easily because you are really a strong candidate with a wonderful personality.

  We will definitely keep your resume in our talent database, and in case that we have a job opening that better fits your profile, we will make sure to get in touch with you.

  If you have any further questions or need more feedback, please do not hesitate to ask. I will be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

  I wish you best of luck in your future endeavours and hope we’ll have a chance to meet again soon.

  Best Regards,
  {{ YOUR_FULL_NAME }}

Conclusion

Rejection emails are often seemed cold, mechanical and lifeless. Perhaps that are the reasons why recruiters do not like to send them. While candidates will always feel disappointed when they receive a rejection email, but the key to a good rejection email is they still feel valued and appreciated by the company and that their invested times are not completely wasted.

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