How to Respond to a Job Rejection Email (With Templates)

Getting turned down for a job never feels good. After having invested a lot of time and effort in preparing for the role, it can be tough to accept rejection. However, the good news is that with the right mindset, you can turn this negative experience into a wonderful career opportunity.

In this article, we’ll guide you on how to respond to a job rejection email professionally and strengthen yourself as a job candidate.

1. Start With a Formal Greeting

While responding to any email, always start on a positive note. A formal greeting, for example, “Greetings” or “Hope you’re doing well”, will surely make you come across as courteous. Without a formal greeting, you may appear abrupt.

You can also use a greeting that specifies the time of the day, for example, “Good morning” or “Good evening”. However, if the employer is located in other parts of the world, it’s best to go with other greetings. Regardless of the greeting you use, ensure to keep it short and concise and refrain from overdoing it.

2. Show Your Gratitude

Although ghosting candidates is rather common after interviews nowadays, your interviewers have made an effort to respond to your job application. Express your gratitude for informing you about the decision. Next, you can thank them for their time and consideration of the role. Keep it short to one or two lines.

Further, after you express your gratitude, you can also briefly mention your disappointment in not getting the role. This will let the email recipient know about your sincerity and genuine interest in the job opportunity.

3. Express Your Views on the Interview Process

Next, you can write your views about the interview process and how well it went in a sentence. A few positive things you noticed during the interview process would be great to mention. You can also thank them for the opportunity to meet the team and whoever was involved in the interview process.

4. Show Your Interest in the Company

As you progress in the email, let your employer know about your interest in the company. You can talk about the facts you admire about their organization or their products and services. Moreover, you can mention a few things you like about their work culture as well.

This will let the hiring manager know that you’re still interested in the opportunity and genuinely wish you had gotten the role. You can express your interest in two to three lines.

5. Share Your Willingness for Upcoming Roles

By showing interest in the company, you can move forward and express your interest in future roles. By doing this, you will let the employer know you are not looking for other opportunities, and they can consider you for new positions soon.

Moreover, rather than searching for a job candidate from scratch, it would be easy for employers to select from already interested candidates. So, sharing your interest in the company and upcoming roles puts you ahead in the pool of candidates.

6. Ask Them for Feedback

Next, you might want to know the reason for your job rejection. Towards the end of the email, you can ask them to provide feedback so that it helps you while applying for other job roles and interview processes. While asking for feedback, ensure to make a humble request and not come across as demanding.

7. Send the Email Promptly

Finally, end your response email with a formal sign-off and proofread it accordingly to avoid any errors. Use the best grammar checkers to spot any grammatical mistakes. Although you can unsend emails on Gmail, it’s better to prevent any errors before sending them.

Further, it’s important to send your response as soon as possible after receiving the email. If you take too long to reply, they might think you’re already not interested in the opportunity and have secured another job. So, a quick response demonstrates your professionalism and even reliability if a relevant position is soon available.

Templates for Replying to a Job Rejection Email

Here are some templates you can refer to for responding to a job rejection email. You can edit them and use them according to your needs.

Hi [Employer Name],

Hope you are doing well.

Thank you for letting me know about your hiring decision. Although I feel disappointed for not achieving the position, I remain grateful for the experience during the process and appreciate the opportunity to have interviewed with you and your team.

As I am always looking to improve, I would be interested to know if you can provide any feedback about my performance during the interview process. If you could spare some time to send me feedback, I would appreciate any suggestions you have to offer.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to have the opportunity to interview for future roles with your company.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Here’s another template where you can mention the project name you learned during the interview and hope to work on.

Dear [Employer Name],

Greetings of the day.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate the opportunity to have interviewed for the role [role name] and am disappointed not to be moving forward. Although I won’t be joining your team, it was great to learn about the work [mention a project name] you’re doing and meet the amazing team behind it.

I would appreciate any feedback you can provide about my qualifications and performance during the interview process. I am always looking to improve and would be grateful for any constructive criticism you can offer.

Thanks for your time. It would be a pleasure to interview for future positions at your company.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

If you’re looking for a short and easy-to-follow template, here’s one you can consider.

Hi [Employer Name],

Greetings of the day.

Thank you for your response. I would like to appreciate the opportunity to learn about the great work your team is doing and meet you and your team.

While I feel disappointed with the outcome, I am grateful for the interview experience and hope to have new opportunities with your company in the future. If you could spare some time, I would appreciate feedback on my performance during the interview, as it would help me improve.

Thank you again.

[Your Name]

Respond to Your Job Rejection Email Gracefully

With the above-mentioned tips and templates, you’re sure to respond to a job rejection email professionally and take it as an opportunity to reposition yourself firmly.

While responding to a job rejection email is important, ensure that you keep networking and consistently look out for new opportunities as a job seeker.