Getting turned down for a job never feels good. After investing 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 your position 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 and polite. 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.
For instance, you could mention that you found the interview process well-structured and engaging. You could highlight your appreciation for the team's dedication to excellence and how it resonated with you. Additionally, you could express how the technical assessment allowed you to showcase your problem-solving abilities.
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 aspects you admire about their organization, products, or 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 expressing your interest in the company, you can also indicate your willingness to be considered for 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, be sure 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 Responding to a Job Rejection Email
Here are some templates you can refer to for replying to a job rejection email. You can edit them and use them according to your needs.
Template 1:
Here's another template where you can mention the project name you learned during the interview and hope to work on.
Template 2:
If you’re looking for a short and easy-to-follow template, here’s one you can consider.
Template 3:
Furthermore, you can explore the free templates available on Template.net, to easily download and edit in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
Respond to Your Job Rejection Email Gracefully
By following the tips and using the provided templates, you can respond to a job rejection email professionally and use it as an opportunity to strengthen your position.
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.