Human Resources Sample Letters
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Use a Rejection Letter
Do you need a candidate rejection letter that you can use in your organization to let candidates know that they were not selected for the job? This rejection letter tells your candidate professionally and kindly that another candidate was selected. This is a sample rejection letter for an applicant who is encouraged to apply again. Use this rejection letter to mark your position as an employer of choice. Here is a sample rejection letter.
Rejection Letter
Date
Mr. John Smith
Candidate's Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear John,
Thank you for taking the time to come into Johnson Company to interview with our employee selection team. We enjoyed meeting you and our conversations.
You have not been selected for the position, at this time. We encourage you to apply for positions, for which you qualify, with the Johnson Company in the future. While we anticipate that an individual with your qualifications will soon find employment, we want to emphasize that we would encourage your application in the future.
Sincerely,
Handwritten Signature
Name of Employee
Title of Employee (Example: Mary James, Human Resources Director)
If you are hesitant to send a rejection letter to candidates who were not selected, keep this in mind. The rejection letter is your last opportunity to build a relationship with the candidate that will cause the candidate to think favorably of your company. You don't want to burn bridges with qualified candidates who seem to fit your culture. You know, and candidates know, that only one person is selected.
If you don't send a rejection letter, you create hesitation and uncertainty on the part of the candidate. Your reputation as an employer is affected by this candidate and the people affected by this candidate's opinions about his or her treatment at your hands. Wouldn't you rather that your candidate felt well-treated and honestly considered with the receipt of a professional, kind rejection letter? I would.
Disclaimer – Please Note:
Susan Heathfield makes every effort to offer accurate, common-sense, ethical Human Resources management, employer, and workplace advice both on this website, and linked to from this website, but she is not an attorney, and the content on the site, while authoritative, is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality, and is not to be construed as legal advice.
The site has a world-wide audience and employment laws and regulations vary from state to state and country to country, so the site cannot be definitive on all of them for your workplace. When in doubt, always seek legal counsel or assistance from State, Federal, or International governmental resources, to make certain your legal interpretation and decisions are correct. The information on this site is for guidance, ideas, and assistance only.
Standard Application Acknowledgement Letter
More About Sample Candidate Rejection Letters
- See a standard applicant rejection letter that you use to respond to applicants who are not as qualified as the applicants you decide to interview.
- See another sample, simple rejection letter sample for applicants whom you reject without an interview.
- Here is another sample rejection letter for applicants whom you choose not to invite for an interview.
- Here is a sample rejection letter for a candidate who did not appear to be a good fit for your company culture.
- See another sample rejection letter for use when you’d like the candidate to interview for a different job in your company.
- Here is a sample rejection letter for a candidate you hope applies again in the future: good cultural fit.
- Find another sample rejection letter for an applicant whom you hope reapplies in the future.
- This is a rejection letter for a candidate who was not selected following a first interview.
- Find a sample rejection letter for a candidate who is rejected following an interview.
- Here is a sample rejection letter for a candidate who was not selected following a second interview.
- Find out more about how to write job candidate rejection letters.
Letters for Successful Candidates
What if the candidate you are contacting was successful in his or her application? Following are sample job offer letters to let the candidate know the good news.
Sample Job Offer Letters
- Sample Employment Offer Letter (Standard Early-to-Mid-Career)
- Early Career: Sample Job Offer Letter
- Mid-Career Sample Job Offer Letter
- Executive Sample Job Offer Letter
- Sales Representative Sample Job Offer Letter
- Generic or Standard Sample Job Offer Letter
