A job rejection letter is an official letter crafted and written by an employer to inform a job applicant that they have not been selected for the job position they had interviewed for.
Rejection letters provide this information to the job applicants in a formal, respectful, and prompt way. This will allow these job candidates to continue their work search and still respect the organization or employer.
An employer must understand that sending these rejection letters is part of the hiring process, and it is a mandatory step. With different résumés to review and people to interview, only the ones that qualify are selected. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the employer to write and send each of the other job applicants a job rejection letter.
Other names for a job rejection letter:
- Employment rejection letter
- Candidate rejection letter
Why Write a Positive Job Rejection Letter?
Here is a list of reasons why an employer should write a positive rejection letter to the job applicants who were not selected for particular job positions after interviews were conducted:
- With a positive job rejection letter, an employer is bound to retain a positive and healthy relationship with the job candidate if the employer needs their set of skills in the future.
- A positive rejection letter means that the employer can keep these potential employees’ information like résumés and make any future hiring process easier and faster. This is because the job candidates have already been evaluated and interviewed.
- A professional job rejection letter is also helpful for an employer to help the job applicant continue with their search for employment instead of waiting in vain.
- Any employer would like to have only positive comments associated with their brand or organization. A positive job rejection letter from an employer to potential employees is likely to be the case, as the letter will leave a positive impression of the employer. It is also helpful to improve a company’s image on the internet as such potential employees are likely to praise the employer to others on job search websites.
Job Rejection Letter Writing Guide
Since an employer needs to write and send job rejection letters to potential employees who were not chosen after an interview, here is a guide to properly crafting a rejection letter.
Create a creative subject line
For the subject line of a job rejection letter, an employer should write a brief and creative one. In addition, the subject line should contain the company’s name and the position title that the potential employee had interviewed for. This way, the recipient will automatically know what the letter is for.
Example 1:
ABC Company- Marketing and Sales Manager
Example 2:
XYZ Company- System Analyst
Thank the candidate for their time
The employer should include their salutations followed by a paragraph that focuses on thanking the candidate for their time to send their application details and attend the interview(s). An employer should try and be specific when showing gratitude to the job applicant to portray their integrity in the letter.
Example 1:
Dear (Applicant’s Name)
Thank you for sparing the time to send your application, résumés, and other required professional documents for the marketing and sales manager position here at ABC Company.
Example 2:
Dear (Applicant’s Name)
Thank you for attending the interviews for the system analyst position here at XYZ Company.
Include the reason for writing the letter
This is the main subject of the job rejection letter. In a well-written, outstanding sentence, the employer should inform the job applicant about their stand, which is that they are no longer being considered for the job position they had applied for and interviewed for.
Example 1:
We are no longer considering for the position of marketing and sales manager.
Example 2:
Sadly, you are no longer being considered for the system analyst position.
Point Out why the candidate is not a good fit
The employer should then highlight the reasons as to why they had to reject the job candidate. The reasons should be brief and highlight the weaknesses of the potential employee but should be written in a positive tone.
Example 1:
For the marketing and sales manager position, we are currently looking for a candidate with more experience.
Example 2:
The system analyst position requires specific skills and education levels that you sadly do not have.
Explain some positive aspects too
After mentioning what caused the potential employee not to qualify for the position, it is best to highlight some positive qualities, traits, and strengths that impressed them. This will leave a positive impression on the job candidate for future connections.
Example 1:
However, we were highly impressed with your communication skills during the interview.
Example 2:
However, your expertise and knowledge, as evidenced by your application documents, were imposing.
Encourage them to apply in the future
The employer can also encourage the job candidate to apply for work in the future if their skills and expertise match up with the company’s culture. By informing the job candidate about the consideration that will help the job candidate secure a role in the company’s future, an employer is assured of positive connections.
Example 1:
We consider you for future job positions based on your great application and knowledge during the interview.
Example 2:
With your experience, we would like to keep your documents for future considerations
Close with a positive message
The employer should then end the job rejection letter with a positive message. For example, the employer can wish the potential employee the best of luck on their employment search and highlight their strengths once more. The employer can also thank them again at the end of the letter.
Example 1:
We thank you for your time, and we wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.
Example 2:
All the best in your employment search and thank you once again for your time.
Job Rejection Letter Template
Subject: (Name of Organization) – Job Position
Dear (Name of Candidate)
Thank you for sparing the time to send your application, résumés, and other required professional documents for [job] position here at [name of company]. We appreciate the time and effort you put into [interview or applying].
Sadly, we are no longer considering you for the [job] position. The [job] position requires specific skills and education levels that you sadly do not have. However, as evidenced by your application documents, your [specific qualifications or traits] were impressive.
We are considering you for future job positions based on your great application and knowledge during the interview. However, we would like to encourage you to apply for other positions where you would suit best.
Once again, thank you for your time and effort, and we wish you all the best in your future activities.
[Employer’s name]
[Job title]
[Company]
Job Rejection Letter Sample
Subject: ABC Company – Marketing and Sales Manager
Dear Elvis Chunky
We appreciate you for taking the time to send in your application documents for the system analyst position here at ABC Company. Thank you for the time and effort you put into the interview. You were impressive.
Unfortunately, we are not in the market for people with your skills and knowledge for that position. Instead, we are looking for an individual with more experience for the system analyst position you sadly do not have. However, your communication skills, as portrayed during the interview, were very outstanding.
We want to retain your professional and application documents to consider you for future opportunities here at our company based on your excellent skills.
Thank you again for your time, and we wish you all the best in your future activities.
Alvin Hilary
Hiring Manager
ABC Company
Following are some free downloadable job rejection letter samples for you:
Professional Tips for Writing
Here are some professional tips for writing that an employer can observe to craft an exceptional and positive letter when writing a job rejection letter.
Personalize the letter
An employer should personalize the letter to sound more truthful and authentic. It is not beneficial if an employer writes a “cold” rejection letter.
For example:
Instead of writing, “Thank you for applying for [job position] at the company,” an employer can write, “We appreciate your effort and the time you took to apply for [job position] at the company.”
Keep it concise
The letter should contain all the information that the potential employee needs to know about why their application was declined but should be concise and brief. That means that the employer should maintain professionalism and write a letter that is straight-to-the-point. This is because professional documents are usually brief.
Be professional
To be professional, the employer should write a formal letter with a personal touch. That means that the letter should have a formal business format and an official tone to maintain professionalism.
Send it as soon as possible
An employer should write and send a candidate rejection letter as soon as possible. This will help the job applicant to continue their employment search instead of waiting in vain; hence, the employer will leave a good impression on the potential employee.
Conclusion
Employers are bound to accept some candidates and reject others during the hiring process. Therefore, the most professional approach when dealing with potential employees who did not get selected for the positions they had applied for is writing and sending them a job rejection letter.
This official letter is the best way to inform job candidates that they were not selected for the positions they had applied for and interviewed for. In addition, sending a job rejection letter leaves a positive impression on the employer and allows them to go on with their employment search.
A job rejection letter is an essential part of the hiring process, and an employer must know how to write one and learn the professional tips involved in writing this type of formal letter.
