Candidate Rejection Email After an Interview: 4 Templates and Feedback Examples
Method: product behavior was checked against the live implementation; market and regulatory claims use the linked sources below. Dates change only after claims are re-verified.
A good candidate rejection email after an interview thanks the candidate by name and says no in the first two lines. It names one specific, job-related thing from their interview and says what happens next. Keep it under 150 words and send it once the decision is final. In 2026, Greenhouse found 51% of AI-interviewed candidates never heard back.
Why do so many candidates never hear back?
Because silence takes no effort and a good rejection takes ten minutes, times every candidate you interviewed. In 2026, Greenhouse asked 1,200 US job seekers for its Candidate AI Interview Report. Of those who had finished an AI interview, 28% moved on to the next round, 13% were formally rejected and 51% never heard back.
AI interviews widened the gap. The interview now scales to every applicant, while the follow-up still depends on a recruiter’s spare evening.
Acas, the UK’s workplace advice service, suggests a fix that costs one sentence. At the end of each interview, tell candidates when and how they’ll hear whether they got the job, and what feedback to expect. Say it out loud and you’ve made a promise you now have to keep. That is the point.
moved on to the next round
GREENHOUSE 2026
were formally rejected
GREENHOUSE 2026
never heard back
GREENHOUSE 2026
What should a rejection email after an interview include?
Five parts, in this order, in under 150 words. The decision goes in the first two lines, because a candidate reading a warm-up paragraph is only scanning for the word “unfortunately”. Everything after the decision is for them: one thing they did well, what would have made the difference, and whether the door stays open.
- Their name and the role. “Hi Priya, thank you for interviewing for the Data Analyst role” shows a person sent it.
- The decision, plainly: “We won’t be moving your application forward.”
- One specific strength. Name the answer, not the person: “your walkthrough of the churn dashboard”.
- One job-related area to develop, but only if you can point to it in the interview. A vague critique is worse than none.
- What happens next. Say whether you’ll keep their details and for how long, whether they can apply again, and who answers questions.
Template 1: after a screening or AI interview
Use this for first-round screens, including one-way video and AI interviews, where volume is high. Keep it short, but fill in the strength line. Without it, the email reads like the auto-reply it is.
Subject: Your interview for [Role] at [Company]
Hi [First name],
Thank you for taking the time to interview for the [Role] position. We’ve now reviewed every interview for this role, and we won’t be moving your application forward.
One thing that stood out: [a specific, job-related strength, e.g. “how you explained cleaning the survey data before the analysis”].
[Optional: one development point tied to the job’s criteria.] We’ll keep your details for [period] and would welcome your application for future [team] roles.
Thanks again, [Your name], [Title]
Template 2: after a final-round interview
A final-round candidate gave you hours and probably met your team. Call them first if you can, then send this as the written record. It names the real gap without comparing them to the person you hired. They can’t act on a comparison, and you shouldn’t share another candidate’s file.
Subject: [Role] at [Company]: our decision
Hi [First name],
Thank you for everything you put into the process, including [the case study / the panel with the team]. I wanted you to hear this from me: we’ve offered the role to another candidate.
It was close. The panel was impressed by [a specific strength, with the example]. Where we needed more was [one job-related criterion, e.g. “hands-on experience running paid campaigns above $50k a month”], which this role needs from day one.
If you’re open to it, I’d like to stay in touch about future [role type] openings. I’m also happy to talk the feedback through on a short call. Just reply to this email.
Best, [Your name]
Template 3: when the role closes without a hire
Sometimes nobody gets the job: the budget moves or the role is paused. Say so honestly. If the role is back on your careers page next month, a vague “we went another way” looks like a lie. If nobody met the bar, use Template 1 or 2 instead, and don’t claim the role was paused.
Subject: Update on the [Role] position at [Company]
Hi [First name],
Thank you for interviewing for the [Role] position. I’m writing to let you know that we’ve [paused hiring for this role / decided not to fill it this year], so we won’t be moving forward with any candidates.
This isn’t a judgement on your interview. [Optional: one specific strength.] If the role reopens, we’ll contact you first, and you won’t have to start again from scratch.
Best, [Your name]
Template 4: replying when a candidate asks for feedback
Acas says employers don’t have to explain why they rejected an application, but that feedback can show you’re open in how you make decisions. When someone asks, answer within a few days, or say plainly that you don’t give individual feedback. Either beats silence.
Subject: Re: Feedback on my interview
Hi [First name],
Thanks for asking. It’s a fair question. Here’s what the interviewers noted against the criteria for the role:
What went well: [one or two specific observations from their answers].
What would have strengthened your interview: [one or two job-related points, each tied to a requirement in the job description].
I hope this helps with your next application. Best, [Your name]
Interview feedback examples for unsuccessful candidates
Constructive feedback names what the candidate said or did, ties it to a requirement of the job, and says what would have shown more. Vague feedback such as “not a culture fit” or “lacked energy” gives them nothing to act on. It can also read as a comment on who they are rather than how they interviewed.
Before you send any line, ask one question: could the candidate do something differently next time because of it? If not, cut it.
| Area | Vague (avoid) | Specific and job-related (use) |
|---|---|---|
| Technical depth | Vague (avoid)“Your technical skills weren’t strong enough.” | Specific and job-related (use)“Asked how you’d speed up the slow report, you suggested an index but not how you’d check it worked. This role needs that measurement step.” |
| Communication | Vague (avoid)“You weren’t a strong communicator.” | Specific and job-related (use)“Your migration answer jumped between steps. Leading with the outcome, then the steps, would have made your part clearer.” |
| Experience | Vague (avoid)“You didn’t have enough experience.” | Specific and job-related (use)“The role owns budgets above $500k from day one, and your examples were around $50k.” |
| Problem solving | Vague (avoid)“You struggled with the case.” | Specific and job-related (use)“You went straight to a solution. Stating your assumptions first would have shown how you handle the unknowns this role has.” |
| Leadership evidence | Vague (avoid)“We didn’t get a feel for your leadership.” | Specific and job-related (use)“You said you led the launch, but we didn’t hear a decision you made or its result. One example with a number would have answered it.” |
| “Culture fit” | Vague (avoid)“Not the right fit for the team.” | Specific and job-related (use)Leave it out, or name the job behaviour: “The role sends clients a written update every week; your examples were all calls.” |
What should you never put in a rejection email?
Anything that touches a protected characteristic, or could stand in for one. In the US, the EEOC says it is illegal to discriminate against an applicant because of race, color, religion, sex (including transgender status, sexual orientation and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
This section summarises the regulators’ own pages. It isn’t legal advice, so check with employment counsel where you hire.
- Personal traits, even as compliments. Age, accent, appearance, family plans, health, nationality and religion never belong in feedback. A line like “you’d bring fresh young energy” puts age in writing.
- Comparisons with other candidates. The candidate can’t check them, and they invite an argument about someone else’s file.
- Promises you won’t keep. Write “we’ll keep your details on file” only if you will, and say for how long.
- Anything you’d hate to see quoted back. Covered US employers must keep hiring records, application forms included, for one year from when the record was made or the hiring decision, whichever is later. If a discrimination charge is filed, related records must be kept until it is resolved.
- Notes you wouldn’t want the candidate to read. In the UK, people can ask an organisation for copies of their personal information, and organisations usually have one month to respond (ICO). Acas adds that interview notes must be stored securely under data protection rules.
- Undisclosed automation. The ICO says employers need to tell candidates if automated decisions are made about their application. The candidate can contest the decision and ask a real person to take a second look.
How Gaugely sends feedback to every candidate it interviews
We build an AI interviewer, and the Greenhouse numbers describe the step teams skip. So Gaugely writes the notes from the interview itself. When a recruiter completes hiring for a job, every candidate who finished the interview, wasn’t hired and asked for feedback gets a personal note by email. The recruiter sees how many will go out before confirming.
Each note is written from that candidate’s own scorecard: the score for each competency and the reasoning behind it, which quotes their answers. The rules match the advice above. Open with one or two specific strengths, give one or two concrete areas to grow, close briefly, and stay around 120 to 180 words. Only job-related skills from the interview may be used. Age, gender, race, nationality, religion, disability, health, accent, name origin, appearance and “culture fit” are off limits.
Two choices are deliberate. The note is never phrased as the reason for the decision. It is development for roles like this one, and the email says the hiring team made the call. And a person always decides first: nothing is sent until the recruiter completes hiring.
The recruiter can add an optional decision note. It reaches the writer as context, with an instruction to use only the job-related, non-personal parts. Write it as if the candidate might read it anyway.
Candidates choose before the interview whether they want feedback by email, and each one gets it once. Their candidate portal adds a score per competency and a short study plan for their weakest areas. Feedback is on every plan, including Free (12 interviews a month).
Only candidates who finished the interview, weren’t hired and chose to receive feedback are emailed.
Four rejection email templates for after an interview, feedback examples by skill, and US/UK legal lines. 51% of AI-interviewed candidates never hear back.
Questions people ask
Should you tell a candidate why they were rejected?
You don’t have to. Acas says UK employers don’t have to explain their reasons. We’d give observations instead of reasons: one or two job-related points from their own interview that they can act on. Leave out comparisons with the person you hired.
How soon after an interview should you send a rejection email?
As soon as the decision is final. Acas suggests telling candidates at the end of each interview when and how they’ll hear, so set a date you can meet and keep it. A short email on time beats a perfect one three weeks late.
Should you reject final-round candidates by phone or email?
Both, in our view: a short call from the person they met, then an email as the written record. For early-stage screens, an email with one specific line is enough.
Can AI write candidate rejection emails?
Yes, if a person makes the decision and the AI writes from interview evidence only, with personal traits off limits. In the UK, the ICO says candidates must be told about automated decisions, and they can ask a real person to take a second look.
Do I have to give feedback if a candidate asks for it?
Not in the UK: Acas says employers don’t have to give this information. Separately, UK candidates can ask for copies of the personal information you hold about them, and organisations usually have one month to respond.
SOURCES
- Greenhouse — 63% of job seekers have faced an AI interview (May 1, 2026; checked 2026-10-11)
- Acas — Interviewing job applicants (updated June 30, 2026; checked 2026-10-11)
- Acas — If you applied for a job and did not get it (updated Nov 7, 2025; checked 2026-10-11)
- EEOC — Prohibited employment policies/practices (checked 2026-10-11)
- EEOC — Recordkeeping requirements (checked 2026-10-11)
- 29 CFR 1602.14 — Preservation of records (Cornell LII; checked 2026-10-11)
- ICO — Getting copies of your information (checked 2026-10-11)
- ICO — What jobseekers need to know about automated recruitment decisions (Mar 31, 2026; checked 2026-10-11)