Rejecting a candidate: how do you write a good rejection email?

Put the decision first. A candidate who has to read two paragraphs about your company's growth before reaching the word "unfortunately" feels strung along. After the decision comes one or two sentences on why, kept to the role: the experience or skills that tipped the balance. Then a thank you, and only if you mean it, an invitation to apply again.

If you hire in English in the Netherlands, keep the tone plain. Many candidates read your email in their second or third language, and polite British phrasing such as "we regret to inform you that on this occasion" is harder to read than a direct sentence. Here is an example for a candidate who was not invited to interview.

Subject: your application for QA engineer

Dear Tom, thank you for applying for the QA engineer role. We have decided not to invite you for an interview. For this position we were looking for hands-on experience with test automation in a CI pipeline, and other candidates showed more of that.

We will keep your details until four weeks after this procedure ends and then delete them. If you would like us to keep your CV for a year in case a suitable role comes up, just reply to this email. Thank you again for your interest, and good luck with your search.

Timing matters as much as wording. Send the rejection as soon as you have made the decision, not when the vacancy is finally filled weeks later. How to keep follow-up fast, even with a large number of applications, is described on our page on screening and candidate follow-up.

Someone who came in for an interview has invested time and often some nerves in your vacancy. A template email is too thin at this stage. Call if you can. If you email, show that you remember the conversation: refer to something you discussed, and say honestly where the difference lay with the person you chose.

Offer feedback rather than pushing it. One line is enough: "If you would like to hear why we chose someone else, feel free to call me." Keep that feedback about the job, such as experience, skills or availability, never about the person.

For a runner-up, ask whether you may contact them about a future opening. That is the moment they are most open to it. How to keep such a group of people warm without it turning into a forgotten spreadsheet is the subject of our article on building a talent pool.

Never give a reason linked to the person instead of the role: age, health, origin, religion or family plans. The Dutch Data Protection Authority states, for example, that an employer may not reject someone because she is pregnant or wants to become pregnant. Even a well-meant line such as "we were looking for someone who fits our young team" can be read that way.

Do not write "we will keep your CV on file" unless the candidate agreed to it. Without consent, the customary limit in the Netherlands is about four weeks, and a candidate who later finds out the CV is still there has a reason to complain.

Avoid promises you will not keep. "We will definitely contact you about future roles" sounds kind, but if nothing follows, that is what the candidate remembers. And skip "we received an overwhelming number of applications": the reader hears that their letter sat at the bottom of a pile.

If good candidates drop out before you even get to the rejection, because the process is slow or asks too much, the problem lies earlier in the procedure. That is what our page on candidates who drop out is about.

Do you have to give a reason for rejecting a candidate?

A short reason makes a rejection easier to accept and stops the candidate from filling in a reason of their own. Keep it to the role: which experience or skill made the difference. A full explanation does not belong in the email. Offer to explain by phone instead, so you can respond to what the person actually wants to know.

How long can you keep a rejected candidate's CV in the Netherlands?

According to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, it is customary to delete the data no later than four weeks after the application procedure ends. If the candidate consents, for instance because a suitable role may open up later, a maximum of one year is reasonable. Record that consent so you can show later that you had it.

Can you automate candidate rejections?

For the first screening round, yes, as long as the email stays personal and goes out quickly. Many employers send rejections from their applicant tracking system or application form, with a few set texts per role. How to set up that flow from application to decision is explained on our page on application funnels. After an interview, a personal email or a call remains the standard.

SocialFind wrote this article using the guidance of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, checked on 4 November 2026. We recruit for employers with a structural need for staff and also handle candidate follow-up for them, rejections included; more on our page about recruitment process outsourcing. To get articles like this by email, sign up for our newsletter.