Candidate Rejection Email Templates
Eight emails for the moments recruiters dread. Pick the stage, fill in the names, add one honest line if you have it, and copy.
Use when: You reviewed the application and won't take it forward.
Hi there, Thank you for applying for the the role role at our company and for the time you put into your application. We've reviewed it carefully, and we won't be taking your application forward for this role. We had to choose between a lot of strong applications and focused on the ones closest to what this particular role needs right now. We wish you the very best with your search. The hiring team our company
- Send it within a week of deciding. Silence is what candidates remember.
- A short, honest reason is kinder than a long, vague one.
- Don't write "we'll keep your CV on file" unless you will, and are allowed to.
What makes a rejection email good
Candidates forgive a no. They remember silence, vagueness and delay. A good rejection email is quick, clear in its first two sentences, thankful in proportion to the effort the person put in, and honest without being harsh. The longer the process someone has been through, the more detail and the more personal the message should be: a final-round candidate deserves a call, not a form letter.
These eight cover the usual cases: after an application review, a first call, interviews and a final round, when a role is filled, when a strong candidate misses out, when a candidate withdraws, and when a role is put on hold.
How to use the feedback line
The optional feedback line is where an email stops being generic. Include it only if it is specific, true, and something the interviewers actually agreed on, such as a skill the role needed that the candidate hasn't yet used at scale. Avoid anything about personality or "fit", and avoid reasons that could suggest a protected characteristic. If you aren't sure the reason will hold up, leave it out.
Be careful with promises. Don't say you'll keep someone's details on file unless you will, and where privacy law applies, only if you are allowed to. Don't say "we'll be in touch" unless you mean it. These templates are a starting point and not legal advice: adjust them to your company's policy and the laws where you hire.
Closing the loop at scale
The hard part isn't the wording, it's remembering everyone who is waiting. When you make a hire, tell every other active candidate that day. Rezumz's close-out step does this from the job page: choose who is still waiting, give a reason, and send one message to each, in your name.
Send them from the job page, in bulk
When a role is filled, Rezumz closes out everyone still waiting: it records the reason, and can email each one a message with their name filled in, from you.
Questions
How soon should I send a rejection?
As soon as you've decided, and within about a week for application and screening stages. The later the stage, the sooner and more personally you should tell them.
Should I give feedback?
When someone has given real time to interviews, yes if you can be specific and sure of it. For early-stage rejections, a short, kind no is enough.
Can I use these as they are?
You can, but a quick edit to match your voice helps. Fill in the fields, read it aloud, and change anything that doesn't sound like you.
Is it okay to keep a rejected candidate's details?
Only with a legal basis, and many places require telling them. Ask permission, as the "strong candidate" template does, and delete when asked.