How to Tell Someone They Didn’t Get The Job (Tips and Scripts)

As a hiring manager or boss, telling someone they didn’t get the job can be a difficult part of your role.  

Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news or the dream crusher. Not to mention, if you fail to let people know they didn’t get the job or do it unskillfully, it could harm your company’s reputation. 

And yet, hiring someone inherently means saying no to many other people.

You can incorporate a few tips to give this news in a way that can encourage the applicant and have them respect your company.

This article will provide tactics and templates to help you offer the difficult news.

11 Crucial Tips For How To Tell Someone They Didn’t Get the Job

60% of job seekers^{1https://www.careerarc.com/in-the-news/survey-connects-poor-candidate-experience-to-limits-in-future-job-applications/} report having a poor experience in their application process, and  72% have shared their poor experiences on Glassdoor, social media, or with colleagues. 

There are some stakes to handling rejections gracefully—it is an often neglected but important expression of your brand, identity, and reputation. 

Keep in mind these tips when crafting your communication.

Don’t delay the news

Send the rejection message as soon as the decision is made.

Remember that candidates are eagerly waiting for an update. This respects their time and emotional investment and helps them move forward promptly with their job search. 

Be mindful of time zones and working hours to ensure the message is received conveniently.

Pick the suitable medium (email vs. phone call)

For most situations, email is a practical choice as it allows candidates to process the news privately and at their own pace. 

There are situations in which you might consider a phone call, such as:

• Final stage candidates: Candidates who have invested significantly in the interview process, especially those who reached the final stages, may benefit from a personal phone call to communicate the decision and provide feedback.
• Sensitive or complex feedback: When the rejection involves sensitive or complex feedback that is best conveyed through a conversation, a phone call can facilitate a more constructive and empathetic dialogue.
• Positive relationship building: If the candidate has a strong potential for future roles or you’d like to keep in touch, a phone call can help build a positive and lasting relationship.

Acknowledge their efforts

Recognize the time, effort, and enthusiasm they put into applying. 

Express your appreciation for the candidate’s interest in the position. Acknowledging their dedication goes a long way in respecting the applicant and maintaining a positive impression of your company, regardless of the outcome.

Be clear and concise

Candidates appreciate transparency and straightforwardness. 

Get to the decision within the first few sentences—whether it’s a polite “we’ve selected another candidate” or a “we regret to inform you.” 

The military uses a communication tool called Bottom Line Upfront^{2https://www.animalz.co/blog/bottom-line-up-front/} (BLUF) as the most transparent and effective way to get the point across. Take inspiration from the model, and put your bottom line as soon as possible.

After clearly stating your decision, follow with a brief, courteous explanation if desired and thank them for their interest. Avoid lengthy explanations that could confuse or overwhelm candidates.

For the applicant, facing rejection is hard enough; don’t make it worse by making them sift through words to find it.

Offer feedback

Provide baseline feedback and ask if they’d like more detailed feedback.

This tip applies more and more the further along the interview process a candidate gets. Giving feedback if they still need an interview isn’t necessary, but it could still be appreciated if there is something to share.

Once a candidate has interviewed with you, it’s helpful to know why they didn’t get the job. Both so they can have closure and learn what to work on.

Actionable feedback on areas where candidates can improve can benefit their professional growth. 

Focus on their skills, qualifications, and how they can further develop their candidacy rather than dwelling on personal shortcomings. 

Some people may want specific feedback that they can implement. But others won’t. So you can ask if they’d like more detailed feedback, and if they do, be as helpful as possible.

Look at this as an opportunity to assist them in their career journey.

Show empathy and respect

Acknowledge the candidate’s efforts and emphasize that the decision did not reflect their worth as a professional. 

Before delivering the news, it can also be helpful to preface it with a sentiment like “This is a challenging message to send.” This conveys that you don’t want to deliver the bad news and also gives them a chance to brace for it.

Throughout the rejection message, maintain an empathetic and respectful tone. Use polite language, avoid harsh or harmful terms, and assure them that their application was taken seriously. 

You might even include a line like, “I know receiving this kind of news can be difficult.”

This compassionate approach can soften their disappointment and rejection and leave a positive impression.

Offer a positive frame

Frame the rejection message in a positive light. 

About half of job seekers^{3https://www.joblist.com/trends/almost-half-of-job-seekers-lost-confidence-from-receiving-rejection-letters} start to lose confidence after their fifth rejection. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell people they didn’t get the job, but it might inspire you to frame your decision in a way that leaves them with a sense of encouragement. 

You might share something about the candidate you admire and let them know it will take them far. 

Or you could let them know that they were in the top X% of applicants. 

Or simply that you loved their energy and feel like they’d be an excellent contributor to any team they’re on.

You’ll want to be careful with this tip because if you try too hard to make this sound like good news or are too over-the-top, you might come off as condescending or insensitive. 

Here’s a snippet from a job rejection email I received several years ago.

While we appreciate your energy and interest and have enjoyed getting to know you, this position is not the perfect fit for the unique combination of talent and experience you bring to the table. 

We believe wholeheartedly that there is a phenomenal position out there for every person, and we refuse to hold you back from the opportunity of a lifetime.

While the frame they provided has potential, their wording was over the top, making it seem like they were doing me a favor by rejecting my application. 

A better wording for that perspective might be: 

I know emails like this can be tough to receive, but there is a position out there that is the perfect fit for you, maybe even better than this one.

Here’s a snippet from another past email I received after a final round interview:

Unfortunately, we decided not to proceed at this point

Since sharing and helping people is what we love to do, we decided to share something with you. Below, you will find a link to a super inspiring TED talk, which shows that rejections shouldn’t be taken as failures but as opportunities to learn and grow.

TED talk:

Again, it could be helpful to frame rejection as an opportunity for growth, but how it’s done here felt heavy-handed. Partly because I thought they were shoving the YouTube video at me instead of offering it.

If you wanted to take that angle, a better wording could be: 

This is probably not the most awesome message to receive. Not getting a job you want is tough—it’s happened to me dozens of times in my career. One thing that’s served me is to view these situations as an opportunity to build resilience. I figured I’d share that in case it’s helpful, and if it’s not, please throw it out.

How you frame a perspective is a potent tool of influence. If you’re curious to learn more about the laws of influence, you might enjoy this free goodie:

Leave the door open (when appropriate)

Please encourage them to watch your organization’s job postings and welcome their future applications. But only if you mean it. Otherwise, you’re just getting their hopes up.

80% of job seekers^{1https://www.careerarc.com/in-the-news/survey-connects-poor-candidate-experience-to-limits-in-future-job-applications/} say they wouldn’t apply for another job at a company that didn’t notify them of their application status. And if a job seeker is notified of their application status, they are 3.5 times more likely to reapply to that company. 

Be sincere in your intent, and if you genuinely see potential in the candidate, this can be a valuable step in building a talent pool and creating a positive image for your brand.

Write in first-person singular to make it more personal

If someone has made it past the interview round, and the interviewer is also sending the rejection email, use “I” instead of “we” in your communication. 

This personalizes the message and emphasizes that you, as an individual, genuinely appreciate the candidate’s efforts and empathize with their situation. It creates more of a one-on-one connection and shows that you’re invested in providing a considerate and respectful response.

“We” will come off as more generic.

Write from an emotionally neutral perspective

Avoid being overly apologetic or defensive in your communication. 

Delivering rejections can be emotionally challenging for you as well. When crafting your email, feeling empathy, fear, sadness, or disappointment is okay. 

But it’s best to process these emotions independently and keep the email professional. You don’t want the candidate to feel they must hold space for your feelings.

Be prompt with follow-up responses

Respond promptly and professionally if you receive a follow-up request, even if the candidate expresses frustration or disappointment. 

Do so if you can provide additional information, feedback, or clarification. 

Your rejection communication continues after your first email. Post-rejection interactions also contribute to your organization’s reputation, so maintain a helpful and respectful attitude.

Sample Rejection Scripts

Below are some templates for different stages of the interview process. Use them as inspiration or tweak them to meet your needs.

1. Standard rejection after initial screening:

Typically, candidates in this scenario have had limited interaction with the company. You may have only seen their resume, so the message should be brief and polite without going into extensive detail.

Dear [Candidate’s Name],

I appreciate your interest in the [Position Name] role at [Company Name]. After careful consideration, we regret choosing to move forward with other candidates. We appreciate your application and wish you the best in your job search.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]

[Company Name]

2. Rejection after interview (phone or in-person):

Candidates have invested more time and effort in interviews, so the message should acknowledge their effort and provide more feedback if available.

Dear [Candidate’s Name],

We are grateful for your interest in the [Position Name] role at [Company Name]. After careful consideration and your recent interview, I regret to inform you that we have decided not to proceed with your application.

I appreciate the time and effort you invested in the interview process, and after our conversation, I genuinely believe you have a lot to offer. You were one of many strong candidates, but unfortunately, your experience didn’t align with what we sought. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you want further interview feedback or have any questions. I know emails like this can be tricky to receive, but I wish you the best of luck in your future career endeavors.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]

[Company Name]

3. Rejection following multiple interviews or assessments

Candidates have undergone an extended evaluation process, so the message should acknowledge their commitment and provide more detailed feedback if available.

Dear [Candidate’s Name],

I want to acknowledge your dedication and effort throughout the interview process for the [Position Name] role at [Company Name].

I understand this news may be disappointing—we have decided to move forward with another candidate.

I was genuinely impressed with your professionalism and [mention attributes here] from our interview. I do not doubt that you will achieve remarkable things in your career. 

We moved forward with a few candidates with a broader skillset for this position. Please know that not progressing in this interview process doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be a great fit for [Company Name] in the future. I encourage you to apply if you encounter future openings that interest you. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like more detailed feedback. I wish you the best in your future career endeavors.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]

[Company Name]

4. Final stage rejection

These candidates have reached the advanced stages, so the message should acknowledge their strong candidacy and offer future consideration if appropriate.

Dear [Candidate Name],

Thank you for all your effort and dedication to completing this interview process for the [Job Title] role at [Company Name]. It’s been a long journey!

This is difficult news—we have chosen to move forward with another candidate.

I loved your energy, and you are a very skilled professional. I have no doubt you’ll continue to do impressive things in your career. And not moving forward with this interview doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be a good fit for [Company Name] in the future—if new job openings you’re interested in coming up, please go for it!

In this case, we moved forward with an applicant with broader industry knowledge. But please know that you were in the top Y% of XXX applicants.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or want more detailed feedback. 

It means a lot that you put your energy into working at [Company Name] and speaking on behalf of the whole crew you interviewed with: we all wish you the best in your future career adventures. 

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]

[Company Name]

5. Rejection of internship or entry-level positions

These roles often involve candidates early in their careers, so the message should be encouraging and offer suggestions for growth.

Dear [Candidate’s Name],

I appreciate your interest in the [Position Name] internship/entry-level role at [Company Name]. We appreciate your effort in applying, though we decided to interview other candidates for this position.

We know messages like this can be hard to receive, but we hope you’ll continue to put yourself out there, gain experience, and build skills because we know you have huge potential. 

Don’t hesitate to reapply for future opportunities with us.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]

[Company Name]

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Tell Someone They Didn’t Get The Job

Takeaways on How to Tell Someone They Didn’t Get The Job

When sending out emails to let people know they didn’t get the job, remember these tips below:

• Take your time with the news: Send the rejection message promptly after deciding, respecting candidates’ time and emotional investment.
• Pick the right medium: Consider the most suitable communication method for the situation, such as email, for most cases, a phone call for final stage candidates, sensitive feedback, or positive relationship building.
• Acknowledge their efforts: Recognize candidates’ dedication and express appreciation for their interest in the position.
• Be clear and concise: Ensure transparency by delivering the decision clearly within the first few sentences, followed by a brief, courteous explanation if desired.
• Offer feedback: If available, provide constructive feedback to candidates, focusing on skills, qualifications, and their growth potential.
• Show empathy and respect: Acknowledge candidates’ efforts, maintain an empathetic and respectful tone, and avoid negative terms.
• Offer a positive frame: Skillfully frame the rejection message positively, leaving candidates with a sense of empowerment and admiration.
• Leave the door open (when appropriate): Encourage candidates to consider future opportunities with your organization sincerely, keeping a solid employer brand as a company that values talent.
• Write in first person if you interviewed them. “We” language can come off as generic.
• Write from an emotionally neutral perspective: Keep the email professional, even if delivering rejections can be emotionally challenging.
• Handling follow-up questions or requests: Respond promptly and professionally to candidate follow-up requests, providing additional information, feedback, or clarification as needed to maintain a positive reputation for your organization.

Best of luck with your communications! You got this 💪

If you have more interviews to conduct in your hiring process, you might appreciate this guide that breaks down the best questions to ask as an interviewer.