Dear Companies,

You need to do a little bit better when sending out rejection emails.

First, thank you for even sending one. You’re already in the top 10% for not completely ghosting me (and yes I keep records of my job hunting results).

But if I can make a request, and I know I don’t have a right to make this request:

Be more direct. Tell me I’m not going to be hired in the first sentence.

Y’all seem to be over-emphasizing politeness and kindness over clarity. Here’s an email I got recently from a very good company (so I’m not going to call them out). It’s very typical:

Hi Blah,

Thank you for your interest in BlahBlah and for applying to our BlahBlahBlah role. We continue to be inspired by talented individuals, like yourself, who take the time and energy to apply for our positions.

We wanted to let you know as soon as possible that we have decided to move forward with a candidate for this position and are no longer considering other applicants.

As BlahBlah continues to grow, we feel someone like you could add value in the future. Therefore, we encourage you to keep an eye out for future opportunities that might be of interest to you. The best place to find all of our open roles is through the careers page on our website.

Thank you again for your interest in BlahBlah, we wish you well in your search and next chapter.

Best, BlahBlah Talent Team

The relevant information is hidden in the middle of the second paragraph.

When I was reading this on my phone it took me a bit too long to figure out what the point of the email was. If I wrote an email like this to my boss, my next review would include “improve communication” under the needs improvement section.

(By the way, all my bosses wrote emails like they were texting in 2005 and every word cost them money. “finish dashboard monday?” That’s a great email. Be like my boss.)

I can keep posting emails, but they all sound the same. The core information is always hidden in the second paragraph. Why is that the place y’all always choose to put the most important information? It’s like you’re all embarrassed about what you have to say.

Don’t be so polite that you can’t impart a very simple piece of information in a simple way. You’re not telling a story, like this blog post; you’re giving me information to let me plan my drinking.

Let me make this even easier for you, and give you some templates.

“We’ve decided not to interview you.”

Or:

“We hired someone else.”

Or:

“Nope.”

Done.

Just make it easy for me to scan.

Again, don’t hide the bad news in the middle of the second paragraph like my five-year-old son trying not to tell me who spilled the juice.

And if being polite is really important to you, start with “sorry.” It immediately sets the bad-news tone. You can still use your corporate lingo. I know you love it. I do too, frankly. Just put the rejection up top.

Sorry to say, we won’t be moving forward with your candidacy for the BlahBlahBlah role.

Now go ahead and fill the rest with the corporate confetti I will never read. (Please follow our career page for more opportunities and like and subscribe!)

To sum up, don’t put the important information in the middle of the second paragraph. Put the important information up top. Then add whatever else Legal, HR, and your sense of propriety compel you to add.