Delivering candidate rejection emails is an inevitable part of hiring, but also an opportunity. Thoughtfully crafted emails provide closure for applicants while maintaining your employer brand's reputation. They also open the door for future roles.
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Rejection emails may seem unnecessary when applicants can assume from silence they didn’t get the job. But explicitly informing candidates of your decision has multiple advantages:
A rejection email provides closure so candidates aren’t left wondering. It shows respect for applicants’ time and effort going through your screening process and interviews. Extending this courtesy improves talent brand impressions.
Thanks again for taking the time to interview with us. We enjoyed our conversations learning more about your background, but ultimately decided to pursue other candidates more closely aligned with the skills needed for this particular role. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best with your job search!
Formally rejecting candidates minimizes potential for legal claims around discriminatory hiring practices. When based solely on skills misalignment, emailed rejections limit liability.
While your profile is impressive, we’ve selected finalists whose experience more directly matches our need for 5+ years in mobile app design roles. We appreciate you taking the time to explore this opportunity and wish you success in securing a position better leveraging your UX abilities.
Despite current misalignment, a warm rejection keeps the door open for future roles or referrals. Make it easy for impressive candidates to reconnect down the road.
You clearly have tremendous potential to excel in product marketing roles. Unfortunately our headcount needs shifted, delaying such hiring. Please check back in 6 months - I’d be happy to fast-track you then for roles aligning with your strengths!
Now let’s review best practices for constructing considerate, professional rejection emails.
Follow these guidelines when drafting your candidate rejection emails:
Personalized emails show respect for candidates’ time versus impersonal bulk messages. Include their name, role sought and date(s) interviewed.
If sending manual emails seems burdensome, many applicant tracking systems (ATS) feature templates that allow personalization at scale.
Subject: Product Manager Role - Decision
Dear [Candace],
I wanted to follow up regarding your interview on [March 7th] for the [Product Manager] position here at [Company X].
Open by warmly thanking them for interviewing. Acknowledge the effort involved in applying, taking assessments and thoughtfully answering questions.
If they dazzled you, compliment them on strengths noted during interviews. This softens disappointment and reinforces self-esteem for ambitious talent.
We were all incredibly impressed learning about your 7 years of digital marketing experience and results optimizing campaign performance metrics.
Many thanks for the time invested exploring this opportunity with us!
Provide transparency into why they weren’t the right fit at this particular time. Whether due to missing skills, losing headcount or other priorities shifting, closure gives peace of mind.
Unfortunately, we’ve opted to pursue a candidate with more hands-on experience managing cross-platform paid social campaigns.
Be brief yet specific. Accuracy reduces the chance of legal disputes while softening frustration over vague rejections.
The email tone should remain warm and constructive, avoiding overly formal or impersonal phrasing. Maintain a “door’s still open” relationship for future touchpoints.
Let talent know you’d welcome connecting down the road on roles better aligned with their abilities or seeing referrals if they know outstanding candidates.
That said, we were all impressed by your track record and remain open to staying in touch for future FinTech or strategy consultant openings we have pending.
Finally, wish the candidate well on their search with an optimistic sign-off. Inspire them to keep striving towards landing the perfect fit opportunity soon.
We have no doubt you’ll find the right role leveraging your talents and leadership potential with a values-aligned employer. Wishing you the very best, [Your name]
Now let’s explore rejection email templates and examples tailored to different applicant scenarios.
Here are sample rejection email templates for various candidate situations.
If deciding post initial interview, customize this template:
Subject: Thanks for Interviewing
Dear [Name],
Thank you for taking time to speak with me and [hiring manager] earlier today to discuss the [role] position. We enjoyed our conversation and learning more about your [background/experience/skills].
However after further discussion, we’ve decided to pursue candidates more closely meeting our needs for [core skill sets/competencies needed]. Please don’t be discouraged, as we were impressed by many of your qualifications and are confident you’ll find the right opportunity soon.
Thanks again for your interest in [Company]. We wish you the very best with your job search and future career ambitions!
Best regards, [Your name]
If they made it to final interviews before rejection, try:
Subject: About the [Role] Position
Dear [Name],
We wanted to provide an update regarding the [role] position and let you know that we have decided to extend an offer to another candidate.
We enjoyed our interview process getting to know you over the past few weeks. This was a very difficult decision - our team was extremely impressed by your background and experiences. However, we ultimately chose a candidate whose skills and experiences more closely matched our requirements needing [core skills/experience lacking].
Please keep us in mind for future positions. We’d be happy to fast-track your application given the strengths you demonstrated. Thanks again for your time, and we wish you great success moving forward!
Best, [Your name]
Should hiring plans change altogether:
Subject: Update on [Role] Position
Dear [Name],
I’m reaching out with an update regarding the hiring process for [the role] position we’ve been discussing. Unfortunately, due to [reasons like budget changes, corporate restructuring, hiring freeze], this role is being placed on hold at the moment.
We want to sincerely thank you for the time you put into interviewing for this position. Our team was incredibly impressed with your qualifications and skills, and we regret that we cannot move forward together at this juncture.
The good news is we anticipate re-opening a similar role within the next [XX] months. I’d be happy to reach back out once we get closer to relaunching the hiring process. Please don’t hesitate to stay in touch, as you remain an impressive candidate.
Wishing you the very best, [Your name]
These templates cover the core scenarios of early rejection, runner-up notification if they made the final round, and rescinded offers if budgets unexpectedly changed.
They emphasize respect, transparency around decision factors and optimism for future chances to work together in roles better matched.
Now let’s look at a few real-world rejection email examples.
Review how these companies provided closure to candidates:
After Final Round Interviews
Hi Serena,
I wanted to provide an update on the Senior Product Manager position we discussed. This was an incredibly tough decision - our panel was very impressed by your 7 years successfully launching new mobile apps from concept to completion.
Ultimately, we offered the role to a candidate with more hands-on experience taking concepts not just to launch, but managing live apps at scale post-release.live apps at scale post-release. Please keep us top of mind for product leadership roles in the future that could better leverage your specialization on those important front-end delivery capabilities.
We wish you the best of luck with your continued job search and future career!
Regards,
Jamie
This email clearly explains why the chosen candidate edged out Serena while complimenting her impressive capabilities. The inviting tone keeps the door open for future opportunities.
After Withdrawing Job Offer
Dear Robin,
I regret to inform you that due to unexpected budget cuts, the Project Manager role we recently extended an offer for has been cancelled.
We realize how disruptive this must be, given you already put in your notice and went through great lengths interviewing. Our leadership team was incredibly enthusiastic about your infrastructure modernization experience.
While we will not be moving forward, I assure you this difficult decision reflects no fault in your impressive background. We will be sure to contact you as soon as we re-open a similar role in the coming fiscal year.
Good luck and please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Kelly
This email provides transparency around the crux budget issues forcing the difficult rescinded offer decision along with an invitation to reapply when possible. The apologetic yet encouraging tone maintains goodwill.
After an Initial 30 Minute Phone Screen
Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us about the sales manager position yesterday. It was a pleasure talking through your impressive career progression leading enterprise sales teams.
However, for this particular role we are seeking candidates with more hands-on experience selling our specific SaaS solutions into mid-market commercial segments for finance verticals.
Please do keep us in mind for future openings on our sales teams needing enterprise expertise, as we believe you could make an outstanding contribution with the right product-market fit.
We appreciate your interest and wish you continued success with your job search!
Best, Sam
This email clearly informs why Mark isn’t moving forward at this stage while highlighting strengths noted for better matched future roles. The thoughtful tone keeps doors open.
Candidate rejection emails represent a small investment that pays dividends preserving your employer brand’s reputation. These templates and real-world examples demonstrate how a bit of care in closing communication loops with applicants can maintain goodwill while reducing legal risks.
Adapt the language for your own friendly, yet unambiguous email rejections. Hiring is a two-way process - even during disengagement your messages should motivate impressive candidates to consider your company again when better roles arise.