Many firms don’t bother sending rejection letters to job seekers who haven’t been asked in for an interview. Employers justify that because they have never had interaction with the candidate, they do not need to respond to the application. You’re completely wrong. If an applicant does not hear anything, he or she may believe that their application is still being considered, or worse, that it has been lost in the ether.

This is cruel and insensitive, and your candidates deserve better. At the very least, write a personalized form letter informing the candidate that you have received their application. The second objective of a rejection letter is to inform the candidate that they will not be invited to an interview with your company. This is both courteous and professional.

Your rejection letter should be clear and concise, and it should inform an application of their position.