A ‘Hired someone else’ letter is a painful one to write; the trick is to sugar coat the knife! Read the following article to know how to go about writing a rejection letter for a job application.

Career Advice & Tips: Workplace Communication

Hired Someone Else Letter

Organisations are generally overwhelmed with the number of applications they get for each vacancy. And these sheer numbers make them wish there were more positions available for such talented applicants. But that, unfortunately, doesn’t happen. The job market is a funny place – with supply of manpower almost always overweighing demand, heartbreaks are commonplace. But this doesn’t mean that, afraid of breaking someone’s heart, you don’t let them know the outcome of their interview. So what if you hired someone, you still have to tell others that they were also good so that they don’t lose faith in you as an organisation and, most importantly, in themselves. How? By writing a ‘‘Hired-Someone-Else” letter! It is a polite letter mentioning that you have offered the post to another candidate and the vacancy is now closed; inform them that their resumes have been added to your company’s database and they shall be contacted if something suitable comes up in the future and finish the letter by wishing them luck for their job search. In this cut-throat corporate world, a little bit of politeness and respect goes a long way in ensuring an organisation’s reputation as a dependable and people-friendly firm which cares even about the rejected applicants. Read the following section for tips on ‘‘Hired-Someone-Else” letter.

How To Write Hired Someone Else Letter

Begin the letter with the candidate’s name and the job position that you are talking about. Personalise the letter or the template that you are using with statements like ‘I enjoyed interviewing you.’ If you are not using a template then you could include some titbit from the interview like “I hope you do well with your French language lessons”. These simple sentences can bring smiles on the faces of the rejected candidates.
Come to the point immediately and mention that the candidate is not chosen for the job position in the second sentence itself. Don’t wait for the rejected applicant to read the whole letter with high hopes only to come to the last sentence, ‘you are not selected!’ And mention the reason why another candidate fits the position better – it generally is because of more experience.
If you were particularly impressed with an applicant and found him better for some other available profile in the organisation then do mention this in the letter. Mention the qualities or the qualifications that caught your attention and encourage the rejected applicant to apply for the alternative position.
Don’t forget to thank the candidate for answering your interview call. And if you think that the candidate’s profile could have some takers in the company in the near future then mention it too in the letter. But don’t give false hopes at any cost!
Conclude your letter by wishing the candidate luck with his/her job search.
Here is a sample to help you write your a “Hired-Someone-Else” letter.

From:

Name of the interviewer
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code

Subject: Position that the Applicant interviewed for

To,

Name of Applicant,

Address
City, State, Zip Code

Dear Mr. /Ms. ______________,

We are writing to let you know that (name of the organisation) has hired a candidate for the position of (mention the position which was vacant). You qualifications were certainly impressive but we were looking for more experience in the relevant field and hence the decision. We, at (name of the organisation), are sure that your credentials will assist you in getting a satisfactory job with another firm. Unfortunately our circumstances do not enable us to offer you a position in our organisation right now. On behalf of (Name of the organisation), I thank you for your time, interest and effort. If another appropriate position should arise, which appears to fit your particular qualifications, we will certainly contact you. I wish you success in your current job search and your future career endeavours.

Thanking you,

Signature

Name of the H.R Manager

Office Seal

Date:

Location:

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