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DOWNLOAD: Say 'no thanks' the right way with this sample rejection letter

http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-10878-730078.html

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Personally, I find the above download to be grammatically incorrect and would never send it.

A sample of ours from the UK:

Dear xxx,



Further to your recent interview for the above position with , I regret to inform you that we will not be proceeding further with your application on this occasion.

The calibre of all applicants was extremely high, particularly those who were shortlisted for interview, and we were faced with some very difficult decisions.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in and to wish you every success in the future.

Yours sincerely


xxx


Short, to the point, and polite.

I would probably change some of the language and wording in the letter, but it's good to just hear back from a company. In this day in age most companies do not even take the time to let you know that you should continue on in your job search.

The anxiousness of not knowing is always hard. Having a sense of closure is always good in any situation.

Yes, I agree that any polite reply is nice. I was shocked recently when, having turned down a company's low salary offer via email, the recruiter who got me the interview never acknowledged my rejection. Then she called back about another position and seemed to have forgotten that she had arranged an interview for me the previous month.

I just got a rejection letter that ran very close to this one. "Your background is good, but the other candidates were also highly qualified...". I do appreciate a prompt, polite letter, but nowadays it seems that is considered optional. I consider no reply just bad form.

What really took the sting out of the last rejection letter was the suggestion that I would be suitable for a different position. This was followed up with an email soliciting my re-application. Can't beat that, eh? I guess they really were impressed with my qualifications.

Now the question is, how do I write back and tell them I'm not interested at this time without implying that I am not interested in working there later. Having interviewed there, I decided I preferred where I am working now, but things have a way of changing and, who knows, maybe next year I will be back out there looking.

I always wished that companies would send notices. Some do, and it does make a difference.

Often though, 5-6 months after an interview with a company, I will receive an phone call saying that they want me to re-interview. But by then I am already employed.

The last thing you want to do is give a candidate false hope.


Dear mr x

Thank you for applying to [company name] for the position of [position]. Unfortunately, we have selected another candidate. Thank you for your interest in [company name]. We will keep your resume on file should another position become available.


Don't mince words.

How many companies really keep resumes on file from their
rejected candidates? I'm guessing not many.

Sure, if it's one of those occasions where you had two great
applicants and could only hire one, but you are trying to find
a job for both.

Otherwise I think the file is more like the trash.

A pretty standard thing alright, very PC. Wouldn't it be much more fun to alter the letter slightly and instead of receiving the letter, potential job hunters should send it to employers that have failed to respond!

It will clearly date me, but it was common courtesy to write a thank you note (yes, on paper) to -each- of the people with whom you interviewed at a company. Omitting thank you notes and rejection letters may have "optimized" the hiring process. Is what we have the result we wanted?

The example letter cites "family" issues as a reason for rejection. How did an interviewer come to know that the interviewee has a family? Was the candidate asked if they were married? Was the candidate asked how many children they have?

Tread carefully with issues like this.