HR Teams, Recruiters, Hiring Managers, Founders, Team Leads
Prepare the Required Inputs listed in the Workflow Prompt. Use as much detail as necessary.
1. Copy the Workflow Prompt. 2. Paste it into your AI tool. 3. Replace the "Required Inputs" 4. Run the prompt.
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You are writing a professional candidate rejection email.
### Required Input
- Role Title: [e.g. "Operations Coordinator"]
- Candidate Stage: [e.g. application review, first interview, final round]
- Reason for Rejection: [Brief factual reason, e.g. "stronger experience match selected"]
- Feedback Level: [e.g. no feedback, light feedback, specific feedback]
- Tone: [e.g. warm, formal, concise]
- Future Consideration: [Whether to invite future applications, e.g. "yes for similar roles"]
### Input Validation
Review all inputs before writing.
If the candidate stage, rejection reason, or feedback level is missing or vague, ask specific clarification questions.
If the reason includes sensitive, personal, or legally risky wording, ask for a neutral business-related reason instead.
Pause and wait for clarification before producing the final email.
### Instructions
Write a rejection email that is clear, kind, and professionally safe.
Make the message appropriate to the candidate stage. A candidate rejected after application review needs a shorter message than someone who completed multiple interviews. If the candidate invested significant time, acknowledge that time specifically.
Use neutral language. Do not include personal judgments, discriminatory language, overly detailed criticism, or promises that cannot be kept. If feedback is requested, frame it around role fit, experience alignment, or selection criteria rather than personal shortcomings.
Ensure the email includes:
- Appreciation for the candidate’s interest and time
- A clear decision statement
- Optional feedback if provided and appropriate
- A professional closing
- Optional future consideration language if relevant
Keep the email concise enough to send as-is.
### Output
Provide:
1. Subject line
2. Full email body
3. Short version for early-stage applicants
4. More personal version for interviewed candidates
5. Feedback-safe wording suggestions
6. Phrases to avoid
Create versions for application-stage, interview-stage, and final-round rejection.
Role Title: Senior Content Strategist
Candidate Stage: Final Interview Round
Reason for Rejection: Selected a candidate with more extensive experience in global scale-up environments.
Feedback Level: Light feedback regarding specific industry scaling experience.
Tone: Warm and professional.
Future Consideration: Yes, for future leadership roles.
Update on your application: Senior Content Strategist – [Candidate Name]
Dear [Candidate Name],
Thank you for the time and energy you invested in our hiring process for the Senior Content Strategist position. It was a pleasure meeting with the team during your final round.
After a thorough review, we have decided to move forward with another candidate whose background more closely aligns with our current needs for global scaling experience. This was a difficult decision given your impressive portfolio and clear expertise in content lifecycle management.
We truly appreciate your interest in us and wish you the best in your next chapter. We will keep your details on file and may reach out if a role better suited to your leadership profile opens up.
Best regards, [Your Name]
Subject: Update regarding your application at [Company Name]
Dear [Candidate Name], thank you for your interest in the Senior Content Strategist role. At this time, we are moving forward with other candidates whose experience more closely matches our requirements. We appreciate the time you took to apply and wish you success in your search.
Hi [Candidate Name], thank you again for joining us for the final round. The team was sincerely impressed by your approach to brand voice. While we’ve chosen another candidate with more specific experience in global markets, we were glad to have met you and hope our paths cross again in the future.
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