Job Application Rejection Email Examples and Templates

Hiring is a busy process. While your recruiting team is reading résumés, scheduling interviews and evaluating candidates, one of the first things to take care of is letting the candidates you won't hire know. A job rejection email is a professional courtesy for applicants who weren't successful after applying or interviewing.

Being turned down for a job is hard enough. Getting a generic email that clearly went to everyone else too can sting even more. A good rejection email template helps you deliver the news well. Here are three job application rejection email templates you can use.

Why a rejection email matters

Once you've decided who you'll move forward with or hire, it's important to let the other candidates know as soon as possible. Rejection emails leave a lasting impression, so they have a real effect on your employer brand. Choose your words carefully when you write a rejection template. Nobody likes hearing they weren't selected, but being kind and thoughtful helps candidates keep a positive view of your company.

For an applicant counting the days after applying, the wait can feel endless, and hearing nothing at all can make your hiring process look bad. If dozens of people applied for one role, sending a personal rejection to each of them may feel tiring and time-consuming. Still, it's important not to skip or delay this step.

Why send candidates a rejection email?

Sending a rejection email to candidates you won't hire is basic courtesy. When you post a job, candidates take time out of their schedules and put effort into applying to join your company.

If you're turning down a promising candidate only because you received many strong applications, say so in the email to encourage them for the future. A rejection email that invites candidates to stay in touch helps you build your talent pool.

Sending rejection emails also improves the candidate experience, which is good for your brand. It shows you appreciate the effort candidates made, and everyone likes to feel appreciated. That leaves candidates with a positive view of your company, and they're likely to pass that impression on to others. Of course, the opposite can happen too.

What to include in a job rejection email

The key to a rejection email is finding the right tone: encouraging and positive, but also honest and professional. If you're sending rejections after a round of interviews, hiring managers should consider each applicant's strengths and skills and decide who moves on to the next stage. That's why it helps to take notes on every candidate during interviews. Before moving ahead with your top candidates, let the others know you've decided not to advance them.

The content of rejection emails varies from company to company, but a few elements show up again and again. The basics are the candidate's name, your company name, the position and the reason for the rejection. A good rejection email also includes:

Personalization

Use details from the interview or the candidate's résumé to make the email specific. Address them by name and mention the position they applied for. This shows you looked at them as an individual and paid attention.

Feedback

You may have noticed something the candidate could improve next time. If so, give them feedback they can use. Detailed feedback for every email may not be practical, but you should at least state the reason for the decision.

Caution

Some companies avoid sending rejection emails because of PR and legal concerns. They don't want a rejection email to go viral or lead to a lawsuit. Instead, they send standard rejection emails approved by their legal team, or don't notify rejected candidates at all. Think carefully about what you write so it doesn't lead to bad press or legal problems, but you can still send a rejection email.

Thanks

Thank the applicant for their interest in the company and for the time they spent interviewing with your team. Besides being polite, this shows that your company values other people's time.

An open door

If you think the candidate could be a good fit for a similar or different role later on, tell them you'd like them to apply again in the future.

3 job application rejection email examples

You might reject a candidate early on before any interview, after a few rounds of interviews with other candidates, or once all interviews are done. Rejection email templates help at each of these stages. Here's one example for each.

Rejection email before an interview

Dear [Candidate Name],

Thank you for applying for the [Position Title] role at our company.

Unfortunately, we've decided not to move forward with your application at this time. We reviewed a large number of applications in detail, and other candidates more closely matched our requirements for this position.

Thank you again for your application. We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you if you decide to apply for another role in the future.

Sincerely,

[Company Name]

Rejection email after a few interviews

Dear [Candidate Name],

Thank you for the time you've spent meeting with us over the past few [weeks/months]. After assessing your skills and experience for the [Position Title] role during our interviews, we've decided to move forward with other candidates. Please don't take this as a negative judgment of your skills or character in any way. We truly appreciate the trust you've shown in us.

We wish you all the best in your career and hope we'll have the chance to work together one day.

Sincerely,

[Company Name]

Rejection email after final interviews

Dear [Candidate Name],

It was a real pleasure meeting you, and we sincerely appreciate your interest in our company.

We were genuinely impressed by your experience and accomplishments. However, after careful consideration, we regret to let you know that we've chosen to move forward with another candidate whose background more closely matches the requirements of the role. Sometimes it's the smallest details that tip a decision.

We hope to talk again about future openings.

Thank you for the time you spent meeting with us. We wish you the very best in your job search and your future career.

Sincerely,

[Company Name]

Sources:

https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/how-to-write-a-candidate-rejection-email

https://prescreen.io/en/templates/email-templates-rejection-emails/

https://www.flowrite.com/blog/candidate-rejection-email

https://www.occupop.com/blog/candidate-rejection-emails-free-templates

https://www.testgorilla.com/blog/candidate-rejection-email-template/