How to write a candidate rejection email with AI

The brief to copy

A worked example

Illustration: a made-up business. Ridgeway Freight, a 30-person logistics company, hired a customer success manager from 42 applicants. Six were interviewed. The head of customer success, Ana, ran the brief twice. After an application, for the 36 who weren't interviewed:

After interviews, for Dana, who met Ana and the operations lead:

Ridgeway has no other customer success role planned, so neither email invites the candidate to apply again. When Dana asked for the point, HR approved one: renewal planning was the role's deciding criterion, and her case exercise ended at the account review. The AI wrote it as one sentence marked [check: HR], and Ana sent it after HR had read it.

What stays with you

1. Agree the feedback policy with HR before the first email.
2. Paste the name, role and stage, not the CV or interview notes, and use the company's account.
3. Read every reason sentence; the [check: HR] mark comes off only after HR has read it.
4. Phone the finalists first, then send the email as the record.
5. Keep the email with the hiring record. In the US, EEOC regulations require employers to keep personnel and employment records for one year.

Next step: save the brief

Rejections come in batches, so the brief is worth keeping where you'll find it. ChatGPT prompts for HR, saved so you don't paste shows where to keep it, along with your other HR prompts.

Questions

Can I use ChatGPT to write candidate rejection emails?

Yes, for the draft. Give it the candidate's first name, the role, the stage they reached and any feedback HR approved, and ask for the decision in the first two sentences. You read it and send it yourself. Leave the CV and interview notes out of the chat; the name, role and stage are enough.

Should a rejection email give a reason?

Only if your company's policy allows it, and then one job-related point tied to the role's stated criteria, checked by HR before it goes. Never anything about a protected characteristic: the EEOC lists race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability and genetic information. Vague words like "culture fit" or "overqualified" read as bias, so leave them out.

How soon should you send a rejection email?

Soon, and always: SHRM's article puts it as "even a generic response is better than no response". The rejection-email skill's default is within five working days of the decision, before the team hears the role is filled. Someone who reached the final round gets a short call first, and the email as the written record.