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15 Job Rejection Letter Sample Templates

A job rejection letter is a document sent to a job candidate by an employer or a hiring manager, who did not make it to the next phase of the selection process. After conducting the interviews, the hiring manager and/or the human resource manager must consider each applicant’s strengths and skillsets, and determine whom they would like to work with. However, before they proceed with a candidate, they must inform the other candidates that they have decided not to move forward with them.

Why You Should Send a Job Rejection Letter

According to several studies conducted to review the response to rejection, those who receive a job rejection are more likely to adjust, be flexible, and more open-minded in their future job search. In addition, in situations where people feel they have been rejected unfairly, they are more likely to invest time in improving their skills and finding other opportunities.

Being rejected isn’t easy for anyone, but receiving a standard letter meant for everyone who had applied for the position only adds insult to the injury. When drafting a job candidate rejection letter, it is important that carefully choose your words. Even though the recipient may not welcome the news that they have been rejected for the position they had applied for, being kind and considerate will ensure that they maintain a positive perception of your company.

The following points should be consider in this regard.

  • Sending a clear and positive candidate rejection letter is not only kind but also a proper and professional way to address the candidates who didn’t make the cut.
  • A rejection letter is not only important in improving your candidate experience but also a great way of employer and company branding.
  • Most candidates appreciate receiving an official communication from companies they had invested their time to apply.
  • A candidate-job rejection letter shows the candidate that you recognize the effort they put coming for the interview or sending in their application and helps in limiting any negative feelings towards you and your company.

How to Write a Job Rejection Letter

and not too formal, thus reminding the applicant that you still value them as a person behind the job. Here are the essential items that should be included in any job rejection letter:

Greetings

When writing a job rejection letter, it is crucial to start with a greeting. The greeting can be formal or informal, depending on the type of job or your relationship with the applicant. For instance, a simple Mr. and Mrs. are suitable for a formal job, while for an informal one, Dear or simply the applicant’s name can be used.

First paragraph

After greeting the applicant, the letter should be immediately followed by a paragraph outlining why you have decided not to hire this applicant. Here are some of the things that should be covered in the first paragraph:

Thank the candidate

Always thank the applicant for taking their time to come for the interview or sending in their application. Try to be as polite and convey genuine appreciation.

Include the number of applications received

To help the candidate better understand why they were not given the job, it is important to include the number of other applicants who applied for the same role. Making the candidate understand that the competition was very high will help them accept the rejection more easily.

Second paragraph

The second paragraph of the job rejection letter is perhaps the most crucial part of the letter as most candidates will be keen to read this part to learn the reasons why they were not chosen for the job and to see if there are any constructive suggestions on what they can do to improve their chances the next time they apply. Here are key items that should be covered in the second paragraph:

Explain the motive for writing

When writing the letter, first, you want to explain to the applicant the purpose of the letter. You can do it by saying: “In the light of the many applications we received to fill this position, we are sorry to inform you that we have decided not to give you the job.”

Provide the reason(s) for rejection

Next, you should provide the applicant with reason(s) for rejecting them. If possible, point out one or two items that have reduced their chances of getting the job. For instance, if the candidate did not meet your educational requirements, you can say: “while you met all other requirements for this position, we have decided to prioritize candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management.”

Include why the final candidate is selected

To help the applicant better understand why you have decided to choose the other applicant for the job, it is important to include a paragraph providing information about how that person met your requirements and what makes that person more qualified than the other applicants. This information will help the applicant better understand why they were not selected and what they can do to get the next chance.

Closing paragraph

The closing paragraph comes the last in the letter. This is where the letter should end with a final statement thanking the applicant for their interest in the job. The closing can be formal or informal, depending on how you addressed the applicant at the beginning of your letter. Two essential items that should be covered in this section include:

A statement wishing them luck

This is a significant part of the job rejection letter as it not only shows that you are genuinely thankful for the applicant’s interest in the job and shows that you have valued their time and effort in applying for the same. If a formal closing is used, it can be good to add a phrase: “We hope they find your experience as beneficial and fulfilling as we did” or “We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.”

Invite to apply again

If you feel that a candidate has all the skills that fit for another position in your company, let them know you would like for them to send in their applications for other positions in the future. However, if you feel that an applicant’s skills don’t fit what you are looking for, there is no need to invite them to send in their application for other opportunities in the future.

Closing and signatures

The closing and signatures are unique to different job rejection letters. The closing for a formal letter can be as simple as a “Thank you” or ‘With best wishes.” However, this same statement may not be appropriate for a more informal job rejection letter. In such instances where you wish to end the letter on a high note, it is good to add some friendly clichés such as: “It has been a great pleasure to have met you.” or “To your future success and happiness.”

Free Samples & Templates

Job Rejection Letter Template

[date]

_ [Company Name]

_ [Postal address]

_ [City]

_ [Recipient Name]

__ [Street address, Postal code]

_ [City]

Dear (name of recipient)

We would like to thank you for sending in your application for the [job title]. We really appreciate that you took your time to learn more about the task and completed your application.

The candidate pool for this job title was very competitive, and we would like to notify you that you have not been selected for this role. We are deeply sorry for this outcome.

We will be advertising other positions soon. We hope you will keep us in mind, and we encourage you to send in your application again.

We wish you luck in your future endeavors.

Regards,

__ [sender name]

Job Rejection Letter Sample

Tammy Airlines

Texas, 2485 SA

New Zealand

September 3, 2020

Jonathan Adams

Castile road, 2596 CA

Paris

Dear Jonathan,

We trust you are well together with your family members. Thank you for applying for the steward role position with Tammy airlines. We went through your resume and learned more about your skills and accomplishment. We sincerely regret to notify you that you have not been selected for this position.

We had many qualified candidates, and we had to choose only one candidate for this role, it was a difficult decision to be made. Kindly bear with us.

Now that we had the chance to know you better (talents and abilities), we would like to keep your curriculum vitae on file for any job openings that best suits you.

Yours truly,

Hailey Brad,

Human resource manager

Free Downloads

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      Tips

      Personalization

      Personalize the letter as much as possible. Use the applicant’s first and last name in the letter. You may also include a note from your previous conversation or mention an attribute you appreciated.

      Feedback

      Applicants often value feedback from hiring managers they’ve been interviewed with because it provides them with an insight into key areas of improvement and may help them consider the next steps in their job search.

      Be direct, but gracious

      Begin the letter by thanking the applicant for taking their time to consider your organization for their next career move. After that, get directions to the point, remembering to extend a compliment, if you can.

      Writing a candidate rejection letter is not a task anyone enjoys. It is an easy task to fumble with, but it is much worse to avoid altogether. A candidate rejection letter will always be disappointing to the candidate no matter how the news is delivered to them. However, knowing how to let a candidate down respectfully may motivate them in their job search.

      The rejection letter after a job interview or job application is an integral part of what is commonly referred to as the candidate experience. This provides a brief description of the whole process of interacting with the applicant. A botched job rejection letter can turn someone who wanted to work with you into someone determined to bad-mouth it

      To make your work easy when drafting a candidate rejection letter, you can download our ready to use templates that are designed to help you let down the candidate respectfully. You can choose from the templates provided and customize them to provide your feedback without having to start from scratch.

      FAQs

      When should a job rejection letter be sent?

      Ideally, a job rejection letter should be written as close to the person’s application date as possible. This is because most applicants want to know their status as soon as possible. However, if it takes you some time before you can decide, it is vital to still inform the candidate of the outcome at the soonest possible date.

      What do you put in the subject line of a rejection email?

      While job rejection letters should be sent directly to the applicant, it is important to differentiate between a regular email and a job rejection letter. A subject line containing the words “Job Rejection” is clear and shows that you have well informed the applicant of their status.

      How do you sign off a rejection letter?

      Job rejection letters should be closed and signed with a simple “Sincerely,” “Regards,” or “Good Luck.” The latter two are more informal and can be used to show that you wish the applicant the very best in their future endeavors.

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