Candidate rejection generator

Every candidate who applies forms an opinion of your company, and most of them will not get the job. A clear, kind and timely rejection protects your employer brand, keeps good runners-up open to future roles and reduces the number of follow-up emails your team has to answer. This generator drafts rejection emails tailored to the stage the candidate reached.

How to use it

1. Choose the stage: application screening, phone screen, technical interview, final round or after an assessment.
2. Enter the candidate's name, the role and your company name.
3. Choose options such as including feedback or inviting them to future openings.
4. Review, personalise and send.

What a good rejection includes

• A thank-you that reflects the effort they made. A candidate who completed a take-home task deserves more than a one-liner.
• A clear decision in the first lines. Vague wording creates false hope.
• Optional, specific feedback for later-stage candidates, kept factual and job-related.
• Next steps, such as keeping their profile on file, if you mean it.

Example opening for a final-round candidate

Hi Priya, thank you for the time you invested in our interview process for the Senior Backend Engineer role, including the system design session. After careful consideration we have decided to move forward with another candidate whose experience more closely matches our current needs.

Good practice

• Reply within a few days of the decision; silence is the most damaging response.
• Phone final-round candidates where possible, then follow up in writing.
• Avoid statements about age, family, health or other protected characteristics, and keep feedback tied to the job requirements.