MightyRecruiterWhen a candidate is not chosen for a job they’ve applied or interviewed for, they receive a rejection letter to break the news. While writing a candidate rejection letter could never be described as fun, it’s not as painful as it sounds, and that has a lot to do with the fact that candidate rejection letters are all about brevity. You should always be succinct when you write a candidate rejection letter—one to two short paragraphs should suffice.
Truth is, even those who are comfortable in their roles will be glad to learn about a prospect that could move them up the career ladder. So, it’s important to communicate from the get-go that this is a personalized, carefully considered email that holds great value for them.
While the subject line should be original and creative enough to encourage a click, the body of a job proposal email should be concise and tailored to the recipient, with a clear call to action. Don’t overwhelm the candidate with information, but do consider attaching material that you feel would really intrigue them and get them to talk to you – you might want to include a link to a list of awards the company has won or attach a funny video that showcases the vibrant ‘vibe’ at your office, for example.
Example of a Job Proposal Email
Subject: Malcolm, We’re Looking at You as Our Next Creative Director. No, Seriously.
Dear Malcolm Wong,
We know you’re inclined to put emails like this one straight into trash – we’d probably do the same – but like we said, we are 100% serious about having you join our team, so we’re hoping you’ll give us a moment.
The position of Creative Director at our company, Purple Crown, opened a few months ago, and we’ve spent some time fine-tuning our concept of the ideal candidate to fill this role. We aslo think you might be it. We’re especially looking for someone who can reimagine some of the country’s top brands and come up with concepts that shake up the industry. Based on our conversation with our mutual contact, Tony Miller, and what we’ve seen of your work, we believe you’d be a perfect fit.
As a gifted Senior Designer, you’re clearly on your way to greatness. We’re eager to get you there faster. Not only would this job give you a chance to carry weight at one of the United States’ most promising agencies, but you’d benefit from flexible working hours, bonus vacation days, and free lunch daily.
Take a look at our website to learn more about what we do, and then let’s get a meeting on the cards to discuss this prospect further. Does 1pm on Friday suit you? I can send you a link to a video conference if so.
Otherwise, enjoy the video attached – this is the sort of environment you’d be working in if you join us.
I look forward to our talk.
Sincerely,
Liora Goldberg
HR Officer
Purple Crown
{Alternatively insert email signature here}
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By including the candidate’s name and a relevant job title in the subject line, this job proposal email immediately becomes tougher to ignore. It also plays on the general assumption that such emails are spam to emphasize that this particular one is actually, genuinely worth reading.
Note that the email uses an understanding of what this particular candidate’s goals are most likely to be – to achieve “greatness” faster, be promoted to Creative Director, and carry strategic weight – to make the proposal irresistible. This is the power of doing careful research about the person beforehand.
The relaxed, approachable tone of the email also helps to underline that this letter isn’t just a cold mailer, but rather a genuine appeal from one person to another. To make it even clearer that the proposal is legitimate, consider including the company logo and signing off with an official email signature.
Including a link to the company website helps to facilitate the process by making persuasive information readily available to the candidate.
If you don’t hear back after several days, follow up with a phone call – there’s always the chance the email was blocked by spam filters.