As a recruiter, you will be saying no to a lot more candidates than you will be saying yes to 🥲
While the "yes" responses are a lot more fun and exciting, it is important to handle candidate rejection in a respectful and professional manner. This blog quickly covers the basics on how to write a good rejection email.
Rejections can have a significant impact on the candidate's experience and perception of your company and of you as a recruiter.
Why it's important:
- Candidate experience: Candidates who are rejected in a respectful and professional manner are more likely to have a positive experience and view your company in a favorable light, even if they are not ultimately hired. This can be beneficial for your company's reputation and may even lead to future opportunities with the candidate or referrals from their network.
- Professionalism: Rejecting candidates with class demonstrates your company's professionalism and commitment to treating all candidates with respect. This can help build trust and credibility with candidates and stakeholders, and may even lead to future opportunities for collaboration.
- Personal brand: As a recruiter, your personal brand is closely tied to your company's reputation. Rejecting candidates with class can help you build a positive personal brand and reputation as a professional who treats candidates with respect and consideration.
Tips for rejection emails:
- Be prompt: It's important to communicate with candidates in a timely manner, so try to respond as soon as possible after making a decision.
- Be clear: Clearly communicate the decision to the candidate, and provide a specific reason for the rejection if possible. For example, you could say "Thank you for applying for the [position] at our company. After considering your application and qualifications, we have decided to move forward with other candidates who better meet the specific requirements of the role."
- Be professional: Regardless of the reason for the rejection, it's important to maintain a professional tone and avoid criticism or negative comments.
- Offer feedback: If appropriate and if the candidate is interested, you can offer constructive feedback on their application or interview performance. This can help the candidate improve their skills and increase their chances of success in future job searches.
- Keep an open door: Even if a candidate is not the right fit for a specific role, they may still be a good fit for your company in the future. Consider offering to keep the candidate's resume on file and reach out if a more suitable opportunity becomes available.
By following these tips, you can effectively turn down a candidate while maintaining a professional and respectful relationship.
Sample templates
Here are some sample rejections emails - best to use emails with your own "voice" but here is a starting point in case you have writer's block.
Rejection reason - skills
Dear {FirstName},
Thank you for applying for the {PositionName} at our company. We appreciate the time and effort you put into your application and the opportunity to learn more about your skills and experience.
After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with other candidates who better meet the specific requirements of the role. While we were impressed with your background and achievements, we determined that your skills and experience were not a strong match for this particular opportunity. If you would like more detailed feedback, let me know and we can schedule some time to discuss.
We encourage you to continue exploring opportunities within our company and hope you will consider applying for other positions that may be a better fit for your skills and experience. We appreciate your interest in our company and wish you the best of luck in your job search.
Sincerely,
{RecruiterName}
Rejection reason - visa transfer
Dear {FirstName},
Thank you for applying for the {PositionName} at our company. We appreciate the time and effort you put into your application and the opportunity to learn more about your skills and experience.
While we were impressed with your background and achievements, we unfortunately are unable to accommodate visa transfers at this time.
We understand that this decision may be disappointing, and we apologize for any inconvenience it may cause. We appreciate your interest in our company and wish you the best of luck in your job search and look forward to discussing any opportunities in the future once you no longer require visa sponsorship.
Sincerely,
{RecruiterName}
Re-engaging with a rejected candidate
As a recruiter, it's important to maintain professional and respectful relationships with candidates, even if they were not the right fit for a specific role. Here are some tips for checking in with a candidate that you previously rejected:
- Timing - ensure enough time has passed since the rejection
- Make sure you have a specific role in mind - don't re-engage if there isn't a different role that you believe the candidate could be a good fit for
- Loop in the hiring manager - ensure that you can guarantee the candidate at least a phone screen by pre-clearing the candidate with the hiring manager. Engaging a candidate again and then rejecting them without a phone screen is a very poor look
- Detailed feedback - have detailed feedback ready on how the candidate can do better if you hadn't provided it last time
Summary
It's important to reject candidates with class because it can have a significant impact on the candidate's experience and perception of your company. Handling rejection in a respectful and professional manner can help maintain a positive relationship with the candidate, even if they are not the right fit for the current role.
About Rocket
Rocket pairs talented recruiters with advanced AI to help companies hit their hiring goals and knows technology recruiting inside out. Rocket is headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley but has recruiters all over the US & Canada serving the needs of our growing client base across engineering, product management, data science and more.
