When to use this template
Use this template when you've reviewed an application and decided not to advance the candidate to a phone screen. It's the highest-volume rejection most teams will send, so clarity and respect matter more than length.
Candidates applying cold invest real effort — a resume, a cover letter, sometimes a portfolio link. A short, honest response is vastly better than silence. Most applicants don't expect detailed feedback at this stage; they expect closure.
Send within 5–10 business days of the application, once a hiring manager or recruiter has made a decision. Never leave applications sitting in 'reviewed' status for weeks.
Considerations
- Keep it short — 3–4 sentences is plenty at this stage.
- Don't promise feedback you can't deliver. Generic encouragement is better than vague 'feedback available on request'.
- Mention that their information stays in your pipeline only if that's actually true and legally compliant in their jurisdiction.
- Avoid reasons that could be read as discriminatory (age, family status, location).
- Send from a human — a real name and reply-to, not a no-reply address.
The email template
Copy the version below and replace the {{placeholders}} with your specifics — or use the generator to fill everything in at once.
Update on your {{role}} application at {{company}}
Hi {{candidate_name}},
Thank you for applying for the {{role}} role at {{company}}. We received a strong pool of applications and, after careful review, we've decided not to move forward with yours at this time.
We appreciate the time you put into applying and wish you the very best in your search.
Kind regards,
{{your_name}}How to personalize
Replace these placeholders before sending:
- {{candidate_name}}
- {{role}}
- {{company}}
- {{hiring_manager}}
- {{your_name}}
For any rejection that follows a live conversation, add one specific detail from that conversation — a project they mentioned, a question they asked, something they built. One concrete reference turns a form letter into a message the candidate will remember.