How to Reject a Candidate: 7 Steps + Email Templates
Rejection is the part of hiring nobody enjoys, and the part candidates remember longest. You will always turn down more people than you hire, so how you do it matters: it shapes your employer brand, your referral pipeline and whether strong candidates apply again.
Quick answer: Decide fast and tell people quickly. Call anyone who reached interview, give one specific, job-related reason, personalize every message, and automate only the early stages in your applicant tracking system, never your finalists.
Last updated November 2026.
Why how you reject candidates matters
Silence is the default failure. Criteria Corp’s 2026 Candidate Experience Report found that 53% of job seekers were ghosted by an employer in the past year, a three-year high (summarized by Pin). A LiveCareer survey of more than 1,000 U.S. workers in April 2026 found that 48% would not apply to a company again after being ghosted (LiveCareer).
A rejection takes a few minutes to write. A candidate who feels ignored can take your reputation, and their friends’ applications, elsewhere. Here is how to do it well.
1. Tell candidates as soon as you decide
Don’t wait until the new hire has signed or started. Candidates who are still waiting may pause other applications or turn down offers, and the delay costs them real money and time. Once the decision is made, tell them, ideally within a few business days of the last interview.
Better still, set expectations early. Tell candidates when they will hear back at the application stage and at the end of every interview, then keep that promise. If the timeline slips, send a short holding update rather than going quiet.
2. Match the method to the stage
Not every candidate needs a phone call, but the further someone got, the more personal the message should be:
- Screened out at application: a prompt, polite email that uses their name and the job title.
- Rejected after a screening call: a short personal email from the recruiter.
- Rejected after a full interview or assessment: a call from the recruiter or hiring manager, followed by a brief email so they have a record.
- Finalists: a call from the hiring manager with specific feedback.
Gem, drawing on Talent Board benchmark research, reports that candidate experience improves by nearly 30% when rejection comes by phone instead of email or text (Gem).
3. Give one specific, job-related reason
Most rejected candidates hear nothing useful. Talent Board’s 2022 research found that 57% of North American candidates rejected during screening and interviewing received no feedback at all, while willingness to refer others rose by 53% when candidates were given specific feedback at the interview stage (ERE Media).
You don’t need an essay. One or two sentences tied to the requirements of the role is enough, for example: “We were impressed by your analytical skills, but we chose a candidate with more hands-on experience running paid campaigns.” Avoid vague lines like “not a culture fit”, which tell the candidate nothing and can raise questions you don’t want to answer.
Keep reasons factual and based on the criteria you set for the role, applied the same way to every candidate. In the UK and EU, candidates can make a data subject access request that may cover interview notes, and in the US records can be requested in a dispute, so write notes you would be comfortable showing. If you’re unsure what you can say in a specific case, check with employment counsel.
4. Personalize every message
A stale template says you didn’t care enough to look. Use the candidate’s name, the exact role and one detail from your conversation. If they completed a take-home task or a long assessment, acknowledge the time they spent on it. Templates are fine as a starting point; sending the same unedited text to a finalist and an applicant who never got past the first screen is not.
5. Be honest about the future
If you would genuinely consider someone for other roles, say which kind of role and ask whether they’d like to stay in touch. In the UK and EU, make sure you have a lawful basis and a retention period before you keep their details. If you can’t imagine hiring them, wish them well and leave it there. Don’t promise to “keep your CV on file” or offer a LinkedIn connection unless you mean it.
6. Ask for feedback
Most companies give candidates feedback and never ask for any back. A short, separate survey of three or four questions a few days after the rejection tells you where your process loses people. Send it to every stage, not only to the people you hired, and keep it out of the rejection message itself so it doesn’t read as a favor ask in the middle of bad news.
7. Automate the routine, not the relationship
Most applicant tracking systems can send a message when a candidate’s status changes, so nobody falls through the cracks at the early stages. Our guides to the best applicant tracking systems and the best ATS for small business cover options that fit different team sizes.
AI writing tools can draft rejection messages quickly, and our roundup of AI recruiting tools shows where they help. Read every draft before it goes out, because an invented detail or a generic tone is worse than a short, honest message. And never automate the rejection of someone who reached the final round.
Rejection email templates
Adapt these to your own voice and replace the bracketed text.
After the application
Hi [First name],
Thank you for applying for the [Job title] role at [Company]. We received a lot of strong applications, and we’ve decided to move forward with candidates whose experience more closely matches what we need right now.
We appreciate your interest in [Company] and wish you the best in your search.
After a first interview
Hi [First name],
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about the [Job title] role. I enjoyed hearing about [specific detail from the conversation].
After careful consideration, we’ve decided to continue with candidates who have more [specific requirement]. If you’d like, I’d be glad to stay in touch about [type of future role]. Thank you again, and good luck.
After the final round (call script or follow-up email)
Hi [First name],
I wanted to tell you myself rather than send an email. We’ve offered the role to another candidate whose background in [requirement] was the closest match. Your [strength] stood out, especially [specific example].
If it would be useful, I’m happy to share one thing I’d work on. We’d also like to keep you in mind for [type of future role]. Would that be okay? Thank you for the time you put into this process.
Rejection mistakes to avoid
- Going silent after an interview, or rejecting someone weeks later.
- Sending a generic message to finalists.
- Using “culture fit” as the reason.
- Putting candidates’ email addresses in the To or CC field instead of sending individually, which exposes their personal data.
- Telling candidates about the person who got the job.
FAQ
How soon should you reject a candidate?
As soon as you’ve made the decision, ideally within a few business days of the interview. Tell candidates at the start of the process when they’ll hear from you, and update them if that changes.
Should you tell rejected candidates why?
Yes, give one or two specific, job-related sentences, especially to anyone who reached interview. Stick to facts about the role requirements and check with employment counsel if your company has rules on what you can share.
Is it okay to send an automated rejection email?
Yes, for candidates screened out at the application stage, as long as it is prompt and uses their name and the job title. For anyone who has interviewed, send a personal message or call.
Should you reject a candidate by phone or email?
Call candidates who reached interview, then follow up with a short email so they have a written record. Use email for earlier stages.
Can you reconsider a rejected candidate later?
Yes, if you told them honestly that you might, and you have their permission to keep their details. Be specific about the kind of role you may contact them about.
