Rejection Letter to a Job Applicant
Rejection letters are generally unpleasant to write and to receive. But this does not mean that one cannot strive to make the letter more pleasant for the job applicant to read.
It is very important to learn how to write a rejection letter to a job applicant. The job applicant should have a positive view of the company and the writer of the rejection letter.
Before writing a rejection letter, it would be good to imagine yourself in their situation. If you were to receive the letter, how would you feel? Being able to feel empathy may help you to write a better rejection letter.
Below are some general guidelines. Learning how to write a good rejection letter to a job applicant may involve gaining knowledge of some general guidelines.
1. Be Sincere
Write the letter as if you called the person on the phone, and you were providing the bad news in a sincere manner. People may respect others who are sincere.
2. Be Specific
If a more qualified candidate was hired, it may be good to explain why the candidate was hired. A decision may seem better if it is clearly justified. Many job applicants may view a form letter with empty words negatively.
3. Express Empathy
People may wish to feel understood. Moreover, they may wish that others feel what they feel. Thus, it is very important to express empathy. You could state that you have been in the situation that they are in, and you know how it feels to receive a rejection letter. You could mention that it is an unpleasant task to write a rejection letter, and that you can imagine how the applicant feels when he or she receives a rejection letter.
4. Express Gratitude
It would be a good idea to thank the job applicants for the time and effort in applying for the job. Moreover, you can thank them for an interest in working at the company.
5. Be Respectful
It would be good to make sure that you are not sounding condescending. Moreover, because some people may not wish to be addressed by their first name, you could address them by "Mr.," "Ms.," or "Dr." If the person has a doctoral degree, then the proper way to address them is using "Dr." It is disrespectful to address someone by "Ms." or "Mr." if they have a doctoral degree.