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Create incredible candidate experiences that communicate your brand, mission, and values with recruitment marketing solutions.
Learn moreCommunicate effectively and efficiently with the candidates that can drive your business forward.
Learn moreSelect the right candidates to drive your business forward and simplify how you build winning, diverse teams.
Learn moreHelp your best internal talent connect to better opportunities and see new potential across your entire organization.
Learn moreCommunicate collectively with large groups of candidates and effectively tackle surges in hiring capacity.
Learn moreAccess tools that help your team create a more inclusive culture and propel your DEI program forward.
Learn moreRebound and respond to the new normal of retail with hiring systems that are agile enough to help you forge ahead.
Learn moreAccelerate the hiring of key talent to deliver point of care and support services that meet and exceed your promise of patient satisfaction.
Learn moreAttract and engage candidates with technical competencies, accelerate hiring for much-needed skills, and advance expertise within your valued workforce.
Learn moreSimplify how you recruit finance, insurance, and banking candidates with a unified platform built to match top talent with hard-to-fill roles.
Learn moreYour business strategy depends on your people strategy. Keep both in lockstep with the iCIMS Talent Cloud.
Learn moreBuild an engaging, high-converting talent pipeline that moves your business forward.
Learn moreDeliver the innovation your talent team needs, along with the global scale and security you demand.
Learn moreDeliver tailored technology experiences that delight users and power your talent transformation with the iCIMS Talent Cloud.
Learn moreThe #1 ATS in market share, our cloud-based recruiting software is built for both commercial and large, global employers.
Learn more Talk to salesAttract the best talent for your business with powerful, on-brand career websites that excite candidates and drive engagement.
Learn more Talk to salesCombine behavior-based marketing automation with AI insights to build talent pipelines, engage candidates with multi-channel marketing campaigns, and automatically surface the right talent for the job.
Learn more Talk to salesEmpower candidates with automated self-service, qualification screening, and interview scheduling through an AI-enabled digital assistant.
Learn more Talk to salesSimplify employee onboarding with automated processes that maximize engagement and accelerate productivity.
Learn more Talk to salesCompliment your sourcing and engagement efforts with award-winning lead scoring and advanced campaign personalization.
Learn more Talk to salesImprove employee experience, retention, and reduce internal talent mobility friction with the iCIMS Opportunity Marketplace.
Learn more Talk to salesVerify skills with game-changing levels of automation and simplicity to improve the quality of hire at scale.
Learn more Talk to salesModernize, streamline, and accelerate your communication with candidates and employees.
Learn more Talk to salesTransform the talent experience by showcasing your authentic employer brand through employee-generated video testimonials.
Learn more Talk to salesSimplify recruiting, dynamically engage talent, and reduce hiring bias with job matching and recruiting chatbot technology.
Learn more Talk to salesGet exclusive intel on industry and market trends along with expert one-on-one advice.
Learn more Talk to salesThe #1 ATS in market share, our cloud-based recruiting software is built for both commercial and large, global employers.
Learn more Talk to salesAttract the best talent for your business with powerful, on-brand career websites that excite candidates and drive engagement.
Learn more Talk to salesCombine behavior-based marketing automation with AI insights to build talent pipelines, engage candidates with multi-channel marketing campaigns, and automatically surface the right talent for the job.
Learn more Talk to salesEmpower candidates with automated self-service, qualification screening, and interview scheduling through an AI-enabled digital assistant.
Learn more Talk to salesSimplify employee onboarding with automated processes that maximize engagement and accelerate productivity.
Learn more Talk to salesCompliment your sourcing and engagement efforts with award-winning lead scoring and advanced campaign personalization.
Learn more Talk to salesImprove employee experience, retention, and reduce internal talent mobility friction with the iCIMS Opportunity Marketplace.
Learn more Talk to salesVerify skills with game-changing levels of automation and simplicity to improve the quality of hire at scale.
Learn more Talk to salesModernize, streamline, and accelerate your communication with candidates and employees.
Learn more Talk to salesTransform the talent experience by showcasing your authentic employer brand through employee-generated video testimonials.
Learn more Talk to salesSimplify recruiting, dynamically engage talent, and reduce hiring bias with job matching and recruiting chatbot technology.
Learn more Talk to salesGet exclusive intel on industry and market trends along with expert one-on-one advice.
Learn more Talk to salesHow a beloved restaurant hires 40,000+ annually with a great candidate experience.
Learn moreThousands strong, our global community of talent professionals includes creatives, innovators, visionaries, and experts.
Learn moreTogether we’re creating the world’s largest ecosystem of integrated recruiting technologies.
Learn morePartner with our global professional services team to develop a winning strategy, build your team and manage change.
Learn moreExplore our network of more than 300 certified, trusted third-party service and advisory partners.
Learn moreUncover unique market insights, explore best practices and gain access to talent experts across out library of content.
Get resourcesExpert guidance about recruitment solutions, changes in the industry, and the future of talent.
Learn moreStay up to date with the latest terminology and verbiage in the HR software ecosystem.
Learn moreEmployers everywhere improve hiring efficiently and save money using iCIMS. Estimate the potential business value you can achieve.
Learn moreDive into the Class of 2023 Report highlighting this cohort’s expectations and where employers are willing — and able — to meet them.
Watch nowPartner with iCIMS to build the right strategies, processes, and experience to build a winning workforce.
Learn moreExpert guidance about recruitment solutions, changes in the industry, and the future of talent.
Learn moreDeliver the innovation your talent team needs, along with the global scale and security you demand.
Learn moreView press releases, media coverage, and the latest hiring data. See what analysts are saying about iCIMS.
Learn moreiCIMS is the Talent Cloud company that empowers organizations to attract, engage, hire, and advance the talent that builds a winning workforce.
Learn moreGet to know the award-winning leadership team shaping the future of the recruiting software industry.
Learn moreWe believe the future of work isn't something that "happens" to you. It's something you create. We actively create the future of work with our customers every day.
Learn moreiCIMS is committed to being a responsible and ethical corporate citizen, which is why Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives are strategic imperatives.
Learn moreStreamline your tech stack and take advantage of a better user experience and stronger data governance with ADP and the iCIMS Talent Cloud.
Learn moreThe combined power of iCIMS and Infor helps organizations strategically align their business and talent objectives.
Learn moreOur award-winning partnership with Microsoft is grounded in a shared desire to transform the workplace and the hiring team experience.
Learn moreOur partnership with Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG) supports the entire talent lifecycle by bringing frictionless recruiting solutions to UKG Pro Onboarding.
Learn moreLet’s get in touch. Reach out to learn more about iCIMS products and services.
Learn moreKey Points:
For every successful candidate, you hire to fill a position, at least a few candidates won’t make the cut. It’s a good idea to follow up with them to let them know they’re no longer considered for the position. Otherwise, these candidates may feel like they’re left in limbo and may develop a poor opinion of your organization over time. In fact, 56% of applicants who are screened out never receive a rejection email or letter.
Responding to unsuccessful job applicants via email, whether it’s a rejection to a resume submission or follow-up after an interview, is a significant part of the candidate relationship management process. Following up with a rejection email serves several purposes for you and your organization:
So, what does a positive rejection letter to an unsuccessful candidate look like? Below, we dive into the importance of rejection letters at each stage, as well as a few tips and customizable recruitment email templates to help you provide a better candidate experience, protect your brand image, and grow your talent pipeline.
While any rejection letter carries an air of negativity, sending one to an applicant is a decent gesture. It lets them know not to get their hopes up for the role and keep going with their job search. Otherwise, they may continue to hold out hope for an interview that will never come – hope that may eventually turn to resentment towards your brand.
However, you have a chance to earn goodwill towards your organization when you let candidates know that you’ll keep them in mind for other roles that may be a better fit for them. According to a Workplace Trends study, 80% of job seekers say they wouldn’t consider future relevant job openings at a company that didn’t follow up about their application – yet they would be three and a half times more likely to re-apply to a company if they were notified of the rejection.
Beyond that, sending a rejection letter that reads like it was written by a real person, rather than just a form letter, can help soften the blow and let the candidate know you value the time they spent researching and applying to your organization.
Hello [Candidate Name],
Thank you for expressing interest in [Company] and the [Job Title] position you applied for. While we were impressed with your qualifications, unfortunately, we’ve decided to move forward with other applicants whose skills and experience better meet our needs at this time.
We sincerely appreciate your interest in [Company] and hope that you’ll stay in touch. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we have another open role that interests you.
To stay up to date on current job openings and ensure you’re included in our search for future great candidates, we encourage you to join our talent community and connect with us here: <Link to Talent
Pipeline Nurture Page>.
Best wishes,
<Sender Name>
Here are some tips for writing a rejection email following a resume submission or application:
A rejection after an interview requires a delicate touch. Remember, the candidate took time to meet with you and spent time researching your organization. A connection was developed on some level, so a personalized rejection letter is a must when you decide to move on from a candidate.
All the same reasons for sending an application rejection email also apply here, but an interview rejection can also serve a few additional purposes. First, it allows you to give the candidate feedback on their interview; this is a critical component of the interview process that many candidates crave. They’re most likely applying for many jobs simultaneously and want as much feedback as they can get to make themselves desirable candidates. At the same time, you can continue your relationship with “silver medalist” candidates – those candidates that were very strong but were either missing a couple of key requirements or would be better suited to a different position. Instead of a “goodbye,” the rejection letter becomes a tool to keep the conversation going.
Hello [Candidate Name],
Thank you for taking the time to speak to me regarding our [Job Title] position. While I was impressed with your qualifications and experience, especially [information you learned in the interview], we’ve unfortunately decided to move forward with other applicants whose skills and experience better meet our needs at this time.
We sincerely appreciate your interest in [Company] and hope that you’ll stay in touch. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we have another open role that interests you.
To stay up to date on current job openings and ensure you’re included in our search for future great candidates, we encourage you to join our talent community and connect with us here: <Link to Talent Pipeline Nurture Page>.
Regards,
[Sender Name]
Who or how a candidate interviews doesn’t matter; treat rejections from phone interviews, in-person interviews, and live or pre-recorded video interviews with the same level of care. Here are some tips for writing a rejection email following a phone screen or other interview:
iCIMS Candidate Relationship Management software gives recruiters the tools to regularly communicate through email campaigns with prospective candidates and silver-medalist candidates who weren’t right for a specific role. Recruiters can then use reporting technology to track how they apply to jobs or register for networking events. You can also track important email metrics like open- and click-through rates to help improve the impact of future recruitment campaigns.
Ready to learn more about engaging silver medalist candidates and building diverse talent pools that help you source faster? Check out The definitive guide to building your talent pools.
Reviewed for accuracy on March 26, 2021, by Alex Oliver.