Writing a ‘thanks but no thanks’ letter is not a big deal, if you could only politely turn down the candidate and wish them the very best in life. Voila! Your rejection letter is ready. A normal scenario for the recruitment process involves short-listing the resumes and informing the chosen candidates to come for an interview. After the interview, the candidates are told that they will be kept informed about the latest developments. After careful scrutiny and consideration the best candidate is chosen and then follows the dreaded courtesy of notifying the other candidates that they did not get the job. Filling out the name of the rejected candidates in a pre-drafted rejection letter template is the course of action taken by most of the companies but sending a more personalised letter is an extra and positive step towards building your company’s goodwill in the recruitment market – it also establishes you as a people-friendly organisation. The reputation of an organisation is built one drop at a time and the ongoing attempt at showing empathy, politeness and encouragement goes a long way towards attracting the best and the most skilled talent to the firm. Browse through the sample rejection letter to get a fair idea.
Interview Rejection Letter
- Saying ‘no’ with respect, consideration and graciousness is the key point to keep in mind while drafting the rejection letter.
- Getting straight to the point is both professional and courteous. Beginning with a note of thanks to the candidate for turning up for the interview and refreshing their mind about the position they had applied for and maybe the date and the time is a good start. Respect the candidate’s time, efforts and interest in your company.
- Don’t raise the hopes of the candidate by asking them to apply in the future if his/her profile does not match the company’s profile. If there are other profiles in the company that can be suitable for the candidate in the near future then mention your company procedure. State the fact that the resume and the documents submitted will be filed and the candidate will be notified if a position arises in the future.
- Write a supportive sentence which encourages the candidate to continue his/her job hunt and wish him the very best as you wind up the letter finally.
- A rejection letter that makes the effort to take the sting out of the rejection is a wise step. This could probably be the last you ever see of that candidate and therefore it is all the more important to make sure that this last opportunity is turned into your company’s favour so that the candidate leaves with a professional impression of you. Your treatment and the candidate’s opinion affect the reputation of your organisation as a potential employer.
- Here is a sample letter for you to get inspiration from.
From:
Name of the interviewer
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Subject: Regarding: Position that the applicant interviewed for
To,
Name of Applicant
Address of the Applicant
City, State, Zip Code
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to explore whether you were the right fit for the position of XYZ (mention the position that the applicant applied for). We had a number of excellent applicants including you, which made our choice a difficult one. While we were impressed with your background and experience, we concluded that another candidate's profile more closely matches our requirements. If another appropriate position should arise which appears to fit your particular qualifications, we will certainly get in touch with you. In the meantime, thank you for letting us get to know you and I wish you success in your current job search.
Thanking you,
Signature
Name of the H.R Manager
Office Seal
Date:
Location:
