Employment rejection letters are no fun task to perform. You are crushing someone’s dreams and there is no alternative but to deliver the bad news. After all, you cannot hire everyone who submits an application. It is important not to waste your applicant’s time.
Be Direct
Deliver the news in the first sentence or two of the letter, and get it over with. It is easiest to simply start with, “We regret to inform you that…” You may think that if you begin with something nice you will make it easier, but this is not true. In reality, you are getting the applicant’s hopes up, only to crush them in the second to last sentence.
Soften It
Although you cannot change the message which you are giving, you can soften the severity of it. Briefly discuss the number of applicants. You could do so in a manner such as, “We had a large number of applicants, and found someone who we felt was more qualified for this particular job.” Stress the fact that someone else was selected because he or she fit the job better, not because he/she was better or smarter or more talented.
There is no reason to be rude or overly harsh. You should be flattered that so many people showed a desire to work for you. Make the news as easy to bear as you can without making false promises.
Say Thank You
Be sure to thank your applicant. You need not tell him/her how incredibly talented he/she is as this may not be true, or you might not think so. You need not lie, and you need not be cruel either. Thank the applicant for his/her interest in the position, and let he/she know that you appreciate his/her desire to work for you. The applicant’s time and interest is valuable to you and your company even though you have chosen not to hire him/her, so use the employment rejection letter to let the applicant know this.
Possible Opening, No Promises
Whether you think you will have a position opening for this person or not, you can let them know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Tell him/her something general and don’t make promises. Tell him/her that if another opening arises that you think he/she would be suited for, that you will contact him/her.
If this is a person for which you have another position already in mind, you can tell him/her so. Simply explain that you will later contact him/her with the information regarding a possible position opening. Again, make no promises to hire, but allow him or her to apply for the other position, if you feel strongly that he or she would be well suited for it. It would be mean to ask him/her to apply only to send him/her yet another rejection letter.
Add a Final Human Touch
Finally, you should conclude your employment rejection letter with some sentiments of good luck. Keep the letter brief, as you need not ramble. Do not allow yourself to seem cold or uncaring, either. You do not want your company or yourself to be seen as one which hires and fires carelessly, without thought to employees or potential employees.
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