Sample Applicant Rejection Letter and How to Write One

Employee writing a candidate rejection letter at his desk

An applicant rejection letter isn’t fun to send, but it’s an inherent part of the hiring process. In addition to being a kind thing to do for candidates, sending rejection letters helps preserve your company’s reputation and can actually be a boon to your future recruitment efforts.

Writing applicant rejection letters, however, isn’t the easiest (or the most exciting) task a hiring manager has on their plate. To help you, we’ve created a sample rejection letter you can borrow and adjust to suit your needs. But first, let’s cover some of the basics of why applicant rejection letters are necessary and a few best practices to follow when writing them.

Why Send an Applicant Rejection Letter?

First and foremost, it’s a professional courtesy. Searching for jobs can be stressful, and one of the worst parts of the process for candidates is being left in the dark about their status, whether it’s good or bad.

Sending a rejection letter when you know you won’t be moving forward with a candidate is a small kindness that keeps them from waiting on pins and needles to hear back from you. Look at it as a trade-off: they invested the time to fill out an application, write a cover letter, and compile the required documents necessary to apply. You can return the favor by sending a rejection letter when they’re no longer in consideration for the position.

Applicant rejection letters help you stay organized. When you have dozens or hundreds of candidates vying for a single position, putting order to them all can be challenging. Sending a formal rejection is the last box you need to check before you can file away an application that doesn’t meet your criteria. This allows you to put your full focus on the candidates you intend to proceed with.

Though no one wants to hear they’ve been passed over for a position, rejection letters can actually be a positive thing from the candidate’s perspective. Your goal in building a strong employer brand should be to provide a positive experience throughout the application process, including the many people who don’t get a job with your company after applying.

Rejection letters close the loop in a gracious way and end the interaction on a professional note, preserving your reputation. We’ve all heard a friend gripe about how they applied with such a company and never even heard back (or maybe it’s happened to you!); rejection letters prevent such complaints and ensure that great candidates want to apply with you in the future.

Finally, rejection letters help build your talent pool. Huh?? Yep, you heard right. Just because a candidate isn’t a fit for a particular role right now doesn’t mean they won’t be a great match for a different role later on, whether with a different skill set or after they’ve built up more experience. A rejection letter doesn’t end the relationship with a candidate if written correctly. Rather, it leaves the door open to build upon it in the future if the right timing and situation arise.

When to Send Candidates a Rejection Letter

So, when exactly do you need to send a candidate a rejection letter? Do you need to send one to everyone who applies for the job or just to the finalists who aren’t ultimately selected?

You should send a rejection letter to any candidate who has applied but won’t receive an interview. In many cases, you know immediately when an applicant doesn’t fit the bill. Maybe they don’t have enough experience, or their work history doesn’t quite align with what you’re looking for. Let them know in a timely manner that you’ll be moving forward with other candidates.

You should also send an applicant rejection letter to candidates who are interviewed but won’t be receiving an offer. These are people with whom you’ve built a deeper connection than those who just sent in an application, so it’s even more important that you close out the process in a courteous manner with written correspondence (more on this below).

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Applicant Rejection Letter Tips

Keep it simple

There are varying schools of thought on rejection letters. Some hiring managers firmly believe they’re a great opportunity to give candidates feedback (especially when it appears desperately needed). Generally, we’re not in this camp. Instead, we favor a short and sweet approach that tells candidates what they need to know and leaves the job of giving feedback to recruiters and other professional mentors.

There are a few exceptions to this. For an internal candidate, it might be more important to provide professional guidance that will help them advance within the company in the future. Or, if there’s a very green applicant who’s clearly nervous when interviewing, they might greatly appreciate some positive feedback coupled with gentle pointers to gain confidence. Finally, suppose a candidate went through several interviews and made it to the last round of your selection process but wasn’t ultimately chosen. In that case, it’s appropriate to offer some additional details on why you went with someone else.

Provide a reason…

Humans crave closure. Job applicants are the same in this regard. You can help soften the blow of a rejection by giving them a little context on their elimination. For example:

‘We received a huge number of applications for the position, and the candidate pool was very competitive. After careful consideration, another candidate has been selected.’

…But don’t get too specific

You’ll notice the example above gives a general explanation without diving into too much detail about the interview process or the reasons for the choice. This not only keeps the task of sending rejection letters manageable–you don’t have to personalize them for every candidate–but also protects you from potential legal issues. Rejected candidates can and do win discrimination lawsuits against companies for various reasons. The fewer details you spill in your letter, the less material you give a disgruntled applicant who might decide to take legal action.

Personalize letters for your top finalists

Form rejection letters are fine for early-stage candidates, especially for positions where you receive an avalanche of applications. For those select candidates who make it to the final stages, though, it’s best to personalize your rejection letter or, better yet, make it a phone call. Suppose you’ve built a good rapport with a candidate. In that case, this might be an exception where it makes sense to tell them a little more about why they weren’t the final pick, like if the chosen candidate had a highly relevant piece of experience or a specialized credential that put them above the rest of the pack. Again, it’s all about preserving the candidate relationship and protecting your employer brand.

Use the tips above and the sample rejection letters below to draft a version that works for your company.

Sample Applicant Rejection Letters

Example #1: Applicant not receiving an interview

Dear CANDIDATE NAME,

Thank you for applying for the JOB TITLE position. We appreciate your interest in working for COMPANY NAME and the time you took to apply with us.

Although your resume is impressive, we received a great deal of interest in the position and have decided to move forward with other candidates whose qualifications are more closely aligned with the needs of this particular role. We’ll keep your resume in mind for upcoming positions that more closely match your skills and hope you’ll consider applying with us again in the future.

Wishing you professional success,

HIRING MANAGER NAME

Example #2: Candidate not selected after interview

CANDIDATE NAME,

Thank you again for interviewing with us for the JOB TITLE position. We appreciated learning more about your skills in LIST SKILLS HERE.

After careful consideration, we have selected another candidate with MORE EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS. However, you made a very positive impression on everyone you met with, and we’d love to send other openings with our company your way in the future. Please let me know if you’re open to this.

Thanks again for your time and professionalism.

Best,

HIRING MANAGER NAME

Example #3: Top finalist not selected

DEAR CANDIDATE NAME,

On behalf of all of us at COMPANY NAME, thank you for the time and attention you invested in interviewing for the POSITION TITLE job. With your skills and experience, there’s no doubt you’d bring great value to any role.

After carefully reviewing all of our finalists, I regret to inform you that we’ve decided to offer the job to another applicant. Please know that this decision is not a reflection of the strength of your candidacy; we all agreed you were an excellent contender. In this particular case, our chosen candidate possesses specific experience that’s highly relevant to ASPECT OF THE JOB. However, it would be our pleasure to consider you for future positions that are a fit for your qualifications.

Once again, thank you for considering employment with COMPANY NAME.

Best regards,

HIRING MANAGER

Example #4: Internal candidate

CANDIDATE NAME,

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the chance to discuss the POSITION TITLE role with you and review your qualifications for it. As you probably know, we had a number of talented applicants, both internal and external, for the company. Unfortunately, we have decided to move forward with a different candidate.

I was impressed by your professionalism and wanted to emphasize COMPANY’S commitment to your continued development. To that end, here are a few areas where you can strengthen your candidacy for a future opening:

FEEDBACK ITEM #1
FEEDBACK ITEM #2
FEEDBACK ITEM #3

If you have any questions or want to discuss the above further, please feel free to contact me via phone or come by my office at any time. Thank you again for your enthusiasm and interest in this job.

Best,

HIRING MANAGER NAME

By using rejection letters to demonstrate respect and courtesy to all applicants–even those who aren’t ultimately selected–you’ll establish a great candidate experience that supports your exceptional employer brand.