Giving Feedback to Rejected Candidates: What to Say and What to Avoid

Candidates who give you hours of their time deserve more than a template. Give brief, factual, job-related feedback to those you interviewed, tie it to the criteria on your scorecard and avoid comparisons with other candidates, personal impressions and anything about protected characteristics. Send it within a few days of the decision, keep a consistent policy and record what you said. For candidates who only applied, a clear, kind rejection is enough. Good feedback helps people, protects your reputation and costs little when you already have the written evidence from a structured process. Poor or careless feedback creates risk, so wording matters.

Feedback is easiest to give when the decision was made on evidence in the first place.

Who gets what

See candidate rejection email templates for wording at each stage.

What to include

1. Thanks for their time and interest.
2. The decision, stated clearly and early.
3. One or two reasons tied to the job criteria.
4. One thing they did well, if true.
5. An invitation to apply again, if appropriate.

Example: "Thank you for interviewing for the operations coordinator role and for the time you gave. We've decided to go ahead with another candidate. The deciding factor was experience managing supplier schedules at larger volumes; your examples were strong on process improvement and communication. We'd welcome an application for future roles that fit your background."

Base it on evidence

Use the notes from your scorecard. Refer to the requirement and what was shown: "The role needs experience with multi-site scheduling, and your examples focused on a single site." Avoid vague comments such as "not a culture fit", "lacked energy" or "we found someone better". Those are hard to act on and hard to defend. See interview scorecard template and interview debrief meetings for how to record reasons.

What to avoid

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Ask your legal adviser how much detail is appropriate in your jurisdiction.

Delivering it

For finalists, a short phone call from the hiring manager is best, followed by an email. For others, a brief email. Be warm and direct. If the candidate asks follow-up questions, answer within what you can support, and do not enter a debate about the decision. If they ask for more detail than you can provide, say so politely.

Candidate requests for their data

Candidates may ask for the notes and scores about them. In some places, they have a right of access to their personal data, which can include interview notes. Write notes you would be comfortable to share. See candidate subject access requests and GDPR and recruitment data.

If automated tools were used

If an automated tool contributed to the decision, be ready to explain, in plain terms, what it looked at, and that a person reviewed the outcome. Some places require notice or explanation. See candidate AI disclosure and AI hiring compliance. In Resume World, scores point to evidence in the resume, which makes it easier to explain a decision to a candidate who asks.

Volume and fairness

You cannot give detailed feedback to every applicant. Set a policy by stage, apply it consistently and make sure that the rule does not systematically favour one group. Offer a short, standard line for all, such as: "If you would like feedback on your application, reply and we'll share what we can." See candidate experience.

Keep the door open

If the candidate was strong, say so, and keep their details with permission for future roles. See candidate sourcing and candidate data retention. Candidates who are treated well often apply again, refer others and speak well of you. From the candidate's side, see reapply after a rejection.