Best Practices for Writing Rejection Emails

Candidate rejection emails are an important part of the hiring process. While delivering disappointing news is never easy, a thoughtful and professional rejection email helps create a positive candidate experience and reflects well on your organization.

Even candidates who are not selected may become future applicants, customers, referrals, or advocates for your brand. Providing a respectful and timely response demonstrates professionalism and helps maintain a positive employer reputation.

Why Rejection Emails Matter

Candidates invest time and effort into the application and interview process. Communicating your decision clearly and respectfully helps ensure they leave with a positive impression of your organization.

Well-written rejection emails can:

Improve the candidate experience
Strengthen your employer brand
Demonstrate professionalism
Encourage future applications from qualified candidates
Reduce candidate uncertainty about their application status

Send Rejections Promptly

Whenever possible, notify candidates as soon as a hiring decision has been made.

Timely communication:

Shows respect for candidates' time
Reduces uncertainty and frustration
Helps candidates continue their job search
Creates a more positive experience overall

Avoid leaving candidates waiting for updates after a final decision has been reached.

Be Clear and Direct

Rejection emails should communicate the decision clearly while remaining professional and respectful.

Candidates should not have to interpret vague language to understand the outcome.

For example, instead of delaying the message with excessive introductory language, clearly state that the organization has decided to move forward with another candidate.

Direct communication helps eliminate confusion and ensures candidates understand their status.

Maintain a Professional and Respectful Tone

A rejection email should be empathetic without being overly personal or apologetic.

Focus on:

Thanking the candidate for their interest
Acknowledging the time they invested in the process
Communicating the decision respectfully

A professional tone helps preserve goodwill and leaves candidates with a positive impression of your organization.

Consider Future Opportunities

If appropriate, encourage strong candidates to apply for future openings.

Candidates who were not selected for one position may be a strong fit for another opportunity in the future.

When relevant, consider including language that:

Encourages future applications
Invites candidates to monitor open positions
Expresses interest in staying connected

Be Careful with Feedback

Many organizations choose not to provide detailed feedback in rejection emails.

Providing candidate-specific feedback may:

Create legal or compliance concerns
Lead to misunderstandings
Generate additional follow-up conversations

Before including feedback, review your organization's policies and applicable legal requirements.

If feedback is provided, ensure it is:

Objective
Job-related
Consistent with your hiring process

Use Templates Thoughtfully

Email templates can help maintain consistency and save time, particularly when managing a high volume of candidates.

However, templates should still feel professional and considerate.

When possible:

Personalize the candidate's name
Reference the position title
Adjust language to reflect the stage of the hiring process

Candidates who participated in interviews may benefit from more personalized communication than candidates who were screened out earlier in the process.

Rejection Email Example

The following example demonstrates a professional and respectful rejection email:

Subject: Update on Your Application

Hello {{candidate-first-name}},

Thank you for your interest in the {{opening-title}} position and for taking the time to participate in our hiring process.

After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with another candidate whose qualifications more closely align with our current needs.

We appreciate the time and effort you invested in the process and encourage you to apply for future opportunities that match your skills and experience.

We wish you the very best in your job search and future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Additional Considerations

When creating rejection email templates:

Keep messages concise and easy to understand.
Use a professional and courteous tone.
Avoid language that could be interpreted as discriminatory or subjective.
Review templates periodically to ensure they align with current hiring practices and policies.
Ensure placeholders such as {{candidate-first-name}} and {{opening-title}} remain configured correctly before sending.

A thoughtful rejection process helps create a positive candidate experience, even when the outcome is not what the candidate hoped for.