How To Respond To A Rejectiontips And A Template
As you respond to a job rejection remember to always:
- Say thank you: Hosting a candidate for an interview takes time, effort, and a surprising amount of coordination. You may not have landed the job, but that doesnt mean the interviewers didnt try to be courteous hosts throughout the processso you need to be courteous in response. Thank whoever emailed you for the chance to interview, learn more about the company, and meet the team. Did anything stand out to you in particular as a positive memory? Mention it. Just a sentence or two will do.
- Keep the door open: Reiterate your interest in the company and their work. You can even ask that the team keep you in mind for future similar opportunities. Former Muse editor Sarah McCord did and it ultimately led to a job offer.
- Respond promptly: As with all thank you notes, youll want to send it quickly. Its OK to be bummed out about not getting the job, but dont let it hold you back for long!
With that, heres an easy-to-follow template to help you along:
Hello ,
Thanks for letting me know about your decision.
While Ill admit that Im disappointed I wont be able to work as part of the team, it truly was great to meet you and learn more about the great work that youre doing.
Im excited to keep following as the team , and Ill keep an especially close eye on .
Thanks once again for the opportunity, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. Im wishing you and all the best moving forward.
Best wishes,
Hi Tasha!
Daniel
How To Decline A Job Interview: A Guide With Examples
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
There could come a time when you receive an interview invitation from a company that isn’t the right fit for you. The best way to approach a situation like this is to respectfully decline the opportunity by informing the recruitment manager about this. Knowing how to draft a polite email can help you easily decline an interview and continue looking for a position that better matches your expectations. In this article, we show some ways to decline an interview, explain why you might decide to turn down an interview invitation and share examples of emails that you can use as inspiration.
Why You Should Respond To A Job Rejection
I know, its tempting to slink off into a dark corner and pretend the whole thing never happened. Getting the old, Thanks, but no thanks, is humbling enough, without having to swallow your pride, paste on a smile, and write something friendly and professional in return. But its important that you do indeed respond.
For starters, its a great way to demonstrate your professionalism and establish the grounds for a continued relationship. Plusin some circumstancesyou can even open the door for future opportunities. Dont throw away all the effort youve put into this company by ghosting now.
Alright, you get it. But now comes the hard part: actually drafting the email.
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Who Exactly Is An Internal Candidate
Before we start discussing the best approach to communicate rejection to internal candidates, lets take a minute to understand who exactly internal candidates are.
An internal candidate is basically a job seeker who applies for an open position within the organization they are already working for.
The open position could be in another office, another department, or another branch, but provided that the open position is within the same organization where a candidate is already employed, then they are an internal candidate.
For instance, lets assume that one of the guys in the marketing department has been undertaking an IT course and therefore applies for an open position in the IT department.
Such a person is an internal candidate.
Similarly, if someone from the accounting department wants to try their hand at marketing and therefore applies for an open position in the marketing department, they are considered an internal candidate.
Its good to note, however, that an internal candidate does not only refer to someone who is only interested in switching to a different department.
Sometimes, an employee might be interested in taking up greater responsibilities within the company.
For instance, if an employee has been working as a procurement assistant with the organization, and then an opening comes up for a senior procurement executive within the same company, such an employee might decide to apply for this position.
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Why You Should Respond To A Job Rejection Email
Once you know how to respond to a rejection email, writing a job rejection response email is a good way to maintain a positive relationship with a company and keep the lines of communication open. The follow-up email is an important opportunity to show that you appreciate them considering you for the job and to seek potential feedback.
Plan To Reschedule If Needed
If you cant attend the interview due to unforeseen circumstances, you can still attempt to reschedule. Call or email with the times you are available for an interview, apologize for the inconvenience and reassure the interviewer that youre still interested in the position. It can be helpful to offer your reason for rescheduling so they understand the circumstances. If youre a strong candidate, the hiring manager may be willing to work with you to find another time to interview.
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The Call Might Go Something Like This
Hiring Manager:
Candidate: Yes, Id love to get your thoughts.
Hiring Manager: Well first of all, I have to say, you have a fantastic background and everyone loved meeting with you. However, we noticed you were unable to provide specific examples about winning clients through your own lead generation efforts. Because were a growing software firm, were really looking for people whove acquired new Enterprise business through their own efforts.
Eventually, well have a strong SDR team, but were still a few years away from that. We really need people who are comfortable being their own SDR. There may be a better fit for you with us in the future as we grow and add more sales support resources.
Candidate: I dont remember being asked much about where my new clients came from. In fact, I dont really remember that coming up at all. Ive opened a lot of doors in my sales career.
Thanks anyway for sharing the feedback. I enjoyed meeting with everyone too. Let me know if things change.
Youre Declining Butyou Want To Refer Someone Else
Hi ,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview for the role at . While intrigues me because , Im not looking to make any career moves at this time.
However, my colleague might be of interest. I highly recommend them from my previous experience and think they could be a great addition to the team.
Best of luckand I hope this isnt the last time our paths will cross!
Thanks,
You can also swap out that second paragraph with a couple of other options. For example, if youd like to buy some time so you can give your colleague a heads up and/or see if the recruiter or hiring manager wants to take you up on a referral, you might say:
However, Id be more than happy to recommend a colleague if youre open to referrals.
Or if youd rather leave it to your colleague to decide if theyre interested and want to reach out, you could say:
However, I may know somebody who is looking. Let me reach out and forward your email and theyll get in touch if theyre interested.
You never know when you might be able to turn your no into someone elses yes.
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Mention The Name And Position Of Applicant
Mentioning the name of the applicant will show that the Email was made specifically for the candidate, unlike an automated Email. Mentioning the position that the candidate was rejected for is essential as well.
For example:
Dear Jack RobertsonWe regret to inform you that you are not applicable for the job as an assistant manager
Examples Of Honest Interview Feedback
When writing your personalized feedback, be careful about the language you use, for example:
You’re not a good fit for this position.
You have strong technical skills, but you need more experience with X program to thrive in this role.
This position is above your level of experience.
To achieve your future career goals, we feel you would benefit from a role with more opportunities for training. Right now, we don’t have the resources to provide that support.
We don’t think you will gel with the rest of the team.
You have admirable career ambitions, but these could make it difficult for you to stay motivated in this position for a long time.
You couldn’t provide examples of when you’d managed a stressful situation.
We were impressed with your ability to share your past achievements however, we were missing concrete examples. We recommend reflecting on how you can demonstrate your skills using specific examples.
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How To Send A Rejection Letter After An Interview
What should you include in a job rejection letter? Check out these helpful tips and use our rejection letter sample to create your own template.
Once youve selected the top candidates you want to move on to the next phase of the hiring process, theres another important step you need to take: sending a rejection letter to the applicants who were not selected.
An interview rejection letter is a customary form of communication that informs job candidates theyre not moving forward in the hiring process. Rejection letters after interviews are generally sent within a two-week period, and they typically consist of one to two paragraphs that are concise and to the point. If a candidate is highly skilled but not the best fit for the role youre currently filling, a rejection letter is also an excellent opportunity to let them know youre impressed with their background and would like them to apply in the future.
Read on to learn more about the process of sending rejection letters.
Give An Honest Feedback On Why They Were Not Hired
It would be helpful for candidates to know the reasons behind their rejection. Let them know if they lack the technical knowledge needed, so that they have a chance to improve on their deficiencies.
Giving them a generic rejection email is very impersonal and may even put candidates off from applying to your company ever again.
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Template For Declining An Interview
Here’s an email template that you can customize and use for yourself:
Dear ,
Thank you for considering me for the position of and for the invitation to interview for the role. However, my circumstances have changed and I would like to withdraw my application.
I truly appreciate the time you took reviewing my application for the role and I wish you the best in your search for a candidate.
Sincerely,
How To Respond To A Job Rejection Email
When you receive a job rejection email, take time to think about how you acted in the interview and draft an email thats professional, courteous, and polite. Follow these steps to effectively respond to a job rejection:
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Be Prompt And Dont Wait Around
No one likes to waste time, so the moment you know a candidate isnt the right fit, tell them. Dont wait around and keep them in the dark.
Try and see it from their perspective. Candidates could be turning down job offers or holding off on applying for other jobs, simply because theyre waiting for your response. Whether youre worried about hurting their feelings or you genuinely liked them and are choosing to wait, its always best to just get it out of the way.
Build A Talent Pool For Future Roles
Creating a positive rapport with applicants can help build a talent pool that fits future opportunities. Staying in touch with great potential employees can help you reduce recruitment costs, avoid understaffing, and reduce the time spent screening a new cohort of applicants for the next open role.
Keep communication open by connecting on LinkedIn, inviting potential employees to events, and sharing company news.
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Reasons To Decline A Job Interview
We know that it might seem wrong for you to turn down an interview, especially when youre still looking for a job. However, there are still a number of reasons that are acceptable, which may cause you to reject an interview. These reasons include:
- Discovering that your goals and values arent aligned/compatible with the companys vision and mission upon doing more research about the job position or the company.
- Some major changes in your personal life, such as relocating, made it hard for you to work in that company.
- Youve gotten offers from another company that provides much better benefits and/or greater work-life balance.
- You were overqualified or underqualified for the job, and youve been offered a job that best suits your talent and skills.
- The company is going through a financial crisis, and taking the job there seems too risky.
- Youve lost interest in the company and its work ethics, as theyve constantly delayed or rescheduled your interview session.
- Youve decided to stay in your current position.
- Theyve changed their initial work schedule, making you unavailable to work during the timeframe required by the job.
Reply To Rejection Email Sample 2
Subject: Sales Manager Dear ,Thank you for informing me of your decision for the Sales Manager position at . I appreciate the time you spent considering me for this role. I am glad you found a good fit for the role, though I am disappointed to miss out on working with such a great team.During the interview process, I was glad to learn that values professional development and investing in their employees. As a lifelong learner looking to commit to a company for the long term, I will look out for future opportunities at . Please dont hesitate to contact me if there are any suitable roles for my skillset.I hope our paths cross again in the future. In the meantime, I plan to send you an invitation to connect on LinkedIn so that I can stay up to date on any upcoming roles.Sincerely,
This example strikes the same professional, courteous tone and uses a similar set of key elements. First the writer thanks the interviewers for their time. Next, they wrote about specific aspects of the company culture that they valued and how they would be a good fit for the company. They also ask to be contacted about future openings.Conclusion
Finally, the writer of the email mentions that they plan to send an invitation to connect on LinkedIn as a way to stay in contact. This is especially important if you sat through several rounds of interviews and made a good personal connection with the recruiting manager.
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Let Them Know Youll Keep Their Resume On File
When writing your job rejection email, let the candidate know you can keep their resume on file. This shows that you value their work and may consider them for future opportunities. Perhaps this candidate may not be the best fit for the specific role you are currently hiring for, but in the future, they might be a great choice.
Reply To Rejection Email Sample 1
Subject: Product manager hiring decisionDear ,Thank you for informing me of your hiring decision.While I am disappointed I was not selected for the position, I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with you and learn about your company.I am excited to keep following your work, and I would appreciate it if you could keep me in mind for future positions at your organization. If you have time, I would also be interested in hearing any feedback you have about my interview. This would be valuable as I continue on my job search.Again, thank you for your time and for considering me for the position. I wish you and the best of luck.Sincerely,
In this email, the candidate has covered all the core elements of a response to job rejection. First, the candidate thanked the interviewer. Second, the candidate asked if they can be kept in mind for future positions. Finally, the candidate has sought feedback. This is optional, but its a good way to learn more about why you were not chosen for a job.
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The follow-up email should be no more than a few sentences long to maximize the chances of the hiring manager reading your email.
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