How to reject a candidate/applicant post-interview

Rejecting a candidate or applicant should be done in the most empathetic way possible. The most relevant and now widely used technique is rejection emails. Through the course of this article, I’ll be sharing a few tips on how to reject a candidate.

For a long time, job applicants were hanging on the line where feedback from their prospective hiring companies was concerned. They heard statements like, “If you don’t hear from us after this period, then know that you haven’t been selected for the job.”

Based on the data gotten from an indeed survey,

“44% of candidates reported waiting as much as two weeks for a response and another 15% waited months…”

Rejecting an applicant the wrong way can be injurious to your company in the long run. This is why in this article, I will be giving you useful hacks on how to reject a candidate through rejection emails.

What makes a rejection email vital?

Prevents hopeless expectations for the applicant

Successfully and formally informing candidates of being rejected for a job position is a crucial part of your employer’s brand.

This will ensure that the candidate quickly gets over the rejection, and channels his whole energy into embarking on his job hunt once again; especially when this is done in the most polite way .

Gives your brand a good reputation

You can give your brand a bad name when you make applicants await your response for a long time.

You don’t want to stand out as an insensitive brand. Who knows? These same candidates might just happen to be your customers, likewise.

What a rejection email should contain

A personalised message

It is possible to have over 250 candidates applying for a position, and only six end up making it to the final stage. However, despite the nerve-wrenching process, sending a personalised message to them all is highly advised.

Proper validation

Never forget or skip the ‘thank you’ and ‘well-done’ parts of the mail. Appreciate their efforts and the fact that they considered your company the best place to contribute their value.

Empathy

Let them know you understand their plight at being rejected, but this does not mean they are not competent or good enough. However, they might just need to work on some of their skills to get better.

Feedbacks

A survey has shown that 86% of job seekers want their hiring managers to revert to them after the whole interview, but only 57% get it. These people are likely to be in an anxious state after their interview. It is expected that they desire to know how they fared.

Highlight their weaknesses and areas they need to pull more of their weights. Notwithstanding, make sure you also accentuate their strengths more and give them the prospects of acquiring greater opportunities as soon as they can harness them.

Also, let them know why they were not chosen for the job. Probable reasons like lack of skill in a certain area might come up. Don’t say things like,

“We found a more qualified candidate for the job.”

Sincere invitation to apply next time

If you feel an applicant has the necessary skills to pull off in another capacity, where there’s a vacancy in the company, inform them of how much you would enjoy having them apply again in the future.

Samples of Rejection Emails

For the Initial Screening Stage (Negative Rejection Email )

This happens when a candidate fails to proceed at the initial stage of the entry process.

Dear David,

Thank you for applying for a job at Soar Eccentric. We appreciate the energy and time you took to apply to our company.

However, we bring to your notice that you will not be proceeding to the next stage of the application.

Although your resume was impressive, with the large number of people who applied for the same position, we had no choice but to do a thorough screening.

We wish you all the best.

Yours Sincerely,

William Petrarch,

Hiring Manager.

Signature

For a Late Screening Stage (Positive rejection email)

A positive rejection email straight away tells the applicant that despite not meeting all the qualifications, he demonstrated other vital skills that would come in handy when he reapplies in the future.

Dear David;

Thank you very much for applying for the role of a digital marketer with Soar Eccentric, and for going all the way to see us personally at our office for a physical interview.

Unfortunately, we won’t be proceeding with your application. This is because we had tons of really solid applications and it was quite a Herculean task to go through them all.

However, we noticed your expertise and skill set, especially your writing prowess, from the cover letter you sent, and think you would do better in our company as a writer/ editor.

Look out for our vacancy posts in a couple of weeks. We hope you’ll apply once more. Best of wishes in all of your endeavors.