Recruiter guide | Updated 5 November 2026 | By Ramy Elbeitam, recruitment operations manager

Email templates for replying to job applicants

Short answer: Send a short acknowledgement within a day, ask for missing documents in one message, confirm interviews with date, time and place, and close every application with a polite rejection or a note that you will keep the CV on file.

Applicants remember the companies that never replied. A short, honest message at each stage costs you a minute with a template and protects your reputation with candidates and clients. Below are six templates you can copy and adjust. Replace anything in square brackets.

Before you send

Use BCC for any message to more than one applicant, or better, send individually. Putting fifty applicants in the To field shares their addresses with each other, which is a privacy breach.
Use the person's name and the role. It takes seconds and shows you read the application.
Keep promises you can keep. Only give a date if you'll meet it.
Keep the reply in the same thread, so the applicant's original message and CV stay together for whoever picks it up next.

1. Acknowledging an application

Subject: Re: [Job code] – application received

Hi [First name],

Thank you for applying for the [Role] position. We have received your application and will review it by [date]. If you are shortlisted, we will contact you by email or phone to arrange the next step.

Kind regards,
[Your name], [Company]

2. Asking for missing information

Hi [First name],

Thank you for your application for [Role]. To continue, could you reply with [your CV in PDF / your expected salary / your earliest start date]? Please keep the subject line as it is so we can match your reply to your application.

Best regards,
[Your name]

3. Inviting to an interview

Subject: Interview for [Role] – [Company]

Hi [First name],

We would like to invite you to an interview for the [Role] position. It will take about [30] minutes [by video call / at our office at address]. Could you let us know which of these times suits you?

• [Day, date, time]
• [Day, date, time]

Please reply by [date]. If none of these work, suggest another time and we will try to accommodate you.

Kind regards,
[Your name]

4. Rejecting after screening

Subject: Your application for [Role]

Hi [First name],

Thank you for your interest in the [Role] position and for the time you spent applying. After reviewing all applications, we will not be moving forward with yours for this role. We received many applications and had to focus on candidates whose experience most closely matched [the main requirement].

We wish you the best in your search.

Kind regards,
[Your name]

5. Rejecting after an interview

Hi [First name],

Thank you for speaking with us about the [Role] position. We enjoyed learning about your experience with [specific point from the interview]. We have decided to offer the role to another candidate whose background fit the client's needs more closely.

If you would like brief feedback, reply to this email and I will be happy to share it.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Only offer feedback if you will actually give it. Keep it about the job requirements, never personal characteristics.

6. Keeping a candidate on file

Hi [First name],

This role has now been filled, but your profile is a good match for the kind of positions we recruit for regularly. With your permission, we would like to keep your CV on file for [12 months] and contact you about similar openings. Please reply "yes" if you are happy for us to do so. If we don't hear from you, we will delete your details by [date].

Kind regards,
[Your name]

Asking first, and stating how long you will keep the CV, is good practice under most privacy laws. Record the answer in your shortlist sheet.

Replying at scale

For high-volume roles, save these as Quick Parts in Outlook or as templates in Gmail (Settings → Advanced → Templates). Group applicants by status in your shortlist so you can work through each group in one sitting.

Where Applicant Packager fits

Applicant Packager is a free Windows app that finds applications in your mailbox and files the CVs by role and applicant. It does not send email for you: replies stay in your own mail program, where they belong. Its exported list of names and email addresses makes it easy to see who still needs an answer.

Download Applicant Packager free