Rejection Letter (Internal Employee) Template

Essentially, writing a good internal rejection letter is hard. However, providing a clear and concise rejection to a candidate is much more important than just not providing any communications as to the status of the job candidate’s application.  Importantly, this level of professionalism and transparency will build a good rapport with the candidate in the future.  In addition, it gives you, as a hiring manager, a way to reflect on your own organization’s needs.

How do you reject an internal Candidate?

• To begin with, thank the applicant for applying for the position.
• Next, do not beat around the bush and let the candidate know that you have decided to move on with another person for the position. You could provide some constructive criticism here or let the candidate know why he/she was not chosen for the particular role.
• Let the person know of other openings that might be a good fit for them.
• Dealing with rejection is tough. Try and soften the blow by commending the candidates’ strengths that you believe will help them in the future.
• Lastly, thank them for their time and effort.

Key Points to Include in an Internal Rejection Letter

• Be gracious. Always make sure that you thank the applicant for the time that they’ve taken to apply or even to go through the interview process
• State the news.  Typically, this can be simple and straightforward.  Importantly, there is no reason to apologize. Essentially, things don’t always work out and it’s no one’s fault.
• State the reason (optional). Generally, you may decide to provide reasons for the rejection. However, this is optional.  Although, if you do decide to provide a reason, make sure to use neutral and professional language.  Note that most localities have equal opportunity and employment laws. Subsequently, you do not want to run afoul of those laws
• Keep the door open (optional). Oftentimes, it’s not necessarily a qualification issue.  Genuinely, it could just be that there is no fit.  Additionally, if you’re a big enough company, there may be other areas that will fit better for the candidate.

Conclusion on Internal Rejection Letter

Communicating with job candidates in a professional tone is important for any business setting.  Keep formal rejection letters short and simple.  But be gracious about the person’s time and effort.

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