[tab name=’Guidelines’]

Guidelines : Otherwise Unsuitable

Nonselection of Applicants: Otherwise Unsuitable

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

• Open with a neutral or positive statement, thanking the applicant for his or her interest in your company.
• Thank you for the opportunity to review your résumé.
• Your application with Wellesey has been routed through various technical departments for consideration by members of our staff. We appreciate your giving us the time to review your experience with our requirements in mind.
• Thank you for completing our job application forms.
• We appreciate your forwarding your résumé to us for consideration.
• We are always pleased to hear from those who have heard favorable reports about our company and seek employment here.
• Thank you for your interest in working for Bellview Clinic.
• We are always flattered to receive résumés.
• Focus on the hiring decision you’ve made, avoiding statements about why the reader was not selected. If you have not selected another candidate, simply state the requirements that you have for the position.
• For this position, we have selected a candidate who has the prerequisite six years’ experience with our Model 388T computers.
• After careful review of all the résumés we received, we have chosen a candidate who brings exactly the kind of experience and academic credentials we feel this job demands.
• We have completed our review of the résumés and have chosen to interview several candidates who have firsthand design experience in their work history.
• The candidate we selected has had the management experience we deem to be essential in this demanding position.
• With the opportunity to review so many résumés, our choice has been difficult. Nevertheless, we are pleased to say we have hired a candidate with the in-depth academic background we were hoping to find.
• With such an overwhelming response to our ad, we have taken far too long to review the résumés of the qualified people interested in this position. After much work, we are pleased to say we have selected an individual whose career achievements in the sales industry have been outstanding.
• After a lengthy process of reviewing résumés and interviewing applicants, we have narrowed our consideration to two and will be making a final decision about them within the next few days.
• We have now filled the position you referred to in your letter. The individual who accepted the position has the difficult-to-find experience on the equipment we have here at Fairview.
• We’ve now made our selection for the position. The candidate we chose has the in-depth experience, the travel flexibility, and the disposition we think this job entails.
• We will be reviewing the résumés we received within the next two weeks and plan to schedule interviews with those applicants who have a master’s degree and the prerequisite experience for this position. Should we want to talk with you further, you will receive a call within the next few weeks.
• We are continually re-assessing our needs for mailing-list brokers and will certainly keep your past relationship with our company in mind as we hire additional help.
• At this time, we have selected candidates for the positions that were advertised and offers are being made to those candidates. Unfortunately, we had many more qualified candidates than positions.
• It’s always so difficult to choose from a field of highly motivated applicants who can contribute to the growth of our organization. However, we have finally narrowed our choice among several individuals, to whom we will be making offers shortly.
• Wish the applicant well in his or her job search.
• Please accept our wish for your success in the industry.
• Good luck in your future endeavors.
• We wish you success in finding an interesting and challenging position in your field.
• We hope you have no difficulty at all in finding a position that interests you.
• We want you to know you have our best wishes for success with your career plans.
• (Note: See phrasing in previous categories.)

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[tab name=’Example 1′]

Example 1: Sample applicant rejection letters

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Willis:

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider you for our training position. The résumé and curriculum samples you left with us were especially helpful in our interviewing process.

We have been very deliberate in our selection and have taken longer to fill the vacancy than we originally anticipated. After careful thought, however, we have chosen someone who had the specific combination of background, experience, and disposition we thought essential for the position. Such decisions are always difficult but rewarding, both to the individual and to us.

With your permission, we would like to keep your résumé on file for one year. Occasionally, unanticipated vacancies occur, and we want to consider you for any such openings.

Your experience is certainly valuable, and we wish you success in finding a position that suits your needs and expectations. Thank you again for your interest in Baker Consolidated.

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 2′]

Example 2: Applicant rejection letters

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Skip:

I want to thank you for coming by our offices and interviewing with us last week. I enjoyed visiting with you and discussing job opportunities that might be available.

While you certainly have accumulated fine qualifications, we have decided we do not currently have a position appropriate to your interests.

Please stay in touch and let us know what you decide to pursue.

Regards,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 3′]

Example 3: Candidate rejection letters

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Melinda:

I want to thank you for taking time to interview for the plant manager position.

We have interviewed all candidates, and have chosen someone who does have six years of experience in the financial areas we discussed. These financial responsibilities are of utmost importance in this critical branch office, and we simply had to let that part of the job overshadow the rest for a time.

We appreciate your interest in our company and wish you every success for a rewarding future.

Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 4′]

Example 4: Rejection letters to applicants

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. Brigham:

Thank you for your recent application. You were one of several exceptionally qualified candidates. The caliber of each of the applicants, yourself included, made our decision difficult.

We regret to inform you we did not select you for the position. We chose a candidate who has several years experience in corporate law, an area we hope to branch into in the near future.

We feel confident that you will soon be employed.

Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 5′]

Example 5: Example of regret letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Marina:

I want to thank you for the time you have spent interviewing with various members of management, touring our facilities, and going through our testing procedures. You have come through this process with the highest of marks—we were especially impressed with your professionalism. At this time, however, we have decided upon a candidate who has had experience with shipping and receiving logistics.

We are currently looking for candidates to fill several positions similar to the one you had applied for, and have enclosed a listing of them. We would welcome the opportunity to consider you for one of these openings.

Yours Truly,
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[end_tabset]