When to use this template
Use this when a role has firm location requirements — on-site, specific timezone, or a regional legal entity — and the candidate's location doesn't fit. This is most common in hybrid and on-site roles, and for remote roles in countries where you don't have a legal hiring entity.
Send early. A 'sorry, wrong timezone' rejection at round four is frustrating for a candidate who disclosed their location in their first email.
Be straightforward about the constraint: 'this role needs X hours of overlap with [timezone]' or 'this role is based in [city]' removes ambiguity. Don't hint around it.
Considerations
- Check your job description reflects the constraint explicitly before the next candidate sees it.
- Avoid language that sounds like 'we don't hire in your country' — frame around the role.
- If you have other roles with different location requirements, offer them.
- Don't ask candidates to relocate without being upfront about the cost, timing, and visa reality.
The email template
Copy the version below and replace the {{placeholders}} with your specifics — or use the generator to fill everything in at once.
Your application for {{role}} at {{company}}
Hi {{candidate_name}},
Thanks for your interest in the {{role}} role at {{company}}. Unfortunately, this role has a firm location requirement — [IN-OFFICE IN CITY / OVERLAP WITH TIMEZONE / REGIONAL LEGAL ENTITY] — that we're not able to flex on right now.
We appreciate the time you put into applying, and if you're open to it, I'd invite you to check our other open roles where the location requirements are different.
All the best,
{{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.