[ In short ]
- Give every candidate a date for your next update, and write by that date even if there is no news.
- After each interview: thank them within a day and say what happens next and when.
- While you decide, a two-line weekly update keeps strong candidates from accepting elsewhere.
- Reject with care: be clear, be prompt, give one specific positive and offer brief feedback.
- Silence is common: one survey of 2,500 workers in the US, UK and Germany found 61% had been ghosted after an interview.
01How to follow up with candidates
Tell candidates when they will hear from you next, then write by that date, even if the only news is that there is no news yet. Thank them within a day of each interview, send a short weekly update while you decide, and close every process with a clear, kind answer.
For a small company, every candidate is also a potential customer, referrer or future hire. They will talk about how you treated them. And in a tight market, the strong candidate who heard nothing for two weeks has usually accepted another offer by the time you write.
02Why candidate follow-up matters
Being ignored after an interview is common. The Greenhouse 2024 State of Job Hunting report, a survey of 2,500 workers in the US, UK and Germany, found that 61% of job seekers had been ghosted after a job interview, 9 percentage points more than in April 2024. Candidates from historically underrepresented groups reported it more often (66%, against 59% of white candidates).
Most of that silence is not a decision. It is a busy founder or hiring manager who meant to write and did not. The fix is a habit, not a policy: a date for every candidate, and a short email when the date arrives.
The rule of thumb: no candidate should ever have to write to ask where they stand.
03What to send at each stage
| Stage | Send | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application received | Confirmation and what happens next | Within 1–2 working days |
| Not moving forward after screening | A short, kind no | Within a week of applying |
| Interview scheduled | Time, people, format, what to prepare | As soon as it is booked |
| After each interview | Thanks and the date of your next update | Same or next working day |
| While you decide | A two-line update | Weekly, or on the date you promised |
| Offer | A call first, then the written offer | As soon as you decide |
| Rejection after interviews | A clear no with care and an offer of feedback | Within a few days of deciding |
For gaps in other kinds of threads, see how long to wait before following up.
04Candidate follow-up email templates
Application received
Subject Your application for [Role] at [Company]
Hi [Name], Thanks for applying for [Role]. We review every application ourselves and will get back to you by [date], whatever the outcome. If you have questions in the meantime, reply to this email. [Your name], [title]
After an interview
Subject Re: [Role] interview
Hi [Name], Thanks for talking with [interviewers] today. We enjoyed hearing about [something specific they said]. Next step: [what happens and who decides]. You will hear from me by [date]. [Your name]
Keeping a candidate warm while you decide
Subject Re: [Role] interview
Hi [Name], A quick update so you are not left wondering: we are finishing the last interviews this week and expect to decide by [date]. You are still very much in the process. If anything changes on your side, such as another offer, tell me and I will see what we can do on timing. [Your name]
Subject Re: [Role] interview
Hi [Name], I promised you an answer by [date], and I am late: [honest one-line reason, e.g. "one of the decision-makers is away until Monday"]. You will have it by [new date]. Sorry for the wait. [Your name]
Before an offer
Subject Re: [Role]: next step
Hi [Name], Good news, and I would like to share it properly. Do you have 15 minutes for a call [today/tomorrow]? Some times that work for me: [time], [time]. [Your name]
05How to reject a candidate with care
A rejection is still a follow-up, and the one candidates remember most. A good one is prompt, clear in the first lines, specific about one strength, and short. It never pretends the role was cancelled if it was not, and never promises to "keep the CV on file" unless you will.
- Say the decision early in the email, not after three paragraphs of thanks.
- Give one honest, specific positive.
- Give a reason only if it is true, kind and useful; "we chose someone with more experience in X" is fine.
- Offer brief feedback, and only if you will actually give it.
- For candidates who reached the final rounds, consider a short call instead of, or before, the email.
Subject Re: [Role] interview
Hi [Name], Thank you for the time and thought you put into the process. We have decided to offer the role to another candidate, whose experience with [area] is closer to what we need right now. This was a close decision. [One specific strength] stood out to everyone you met. If feedback would be useful, reply and I will send you a few lines. And if a role like [related role] opens up, I would like to let you know. [Your name]
Subject Your application for [Role] at [Company]
Hi [Name], Thanks for applying for [Role]. We have decided not to move forward with your application, as we are looking for more experience in [area] for this position. Thank you for your interest in [Company], and good luck with your search. [Your name]
06Candidate emails and privacy in the EU
Candidate emails carry personal data: CVs, salary expectations, interview notes. Under the GDPR, keep them only as long as you need them for the process, tell candidates how long you keep their data, and ask for consent before keeping a CV for future roles. Do not forward CVs to people outside the hiring team.
Where your mail is stored matters for this. A provider hosted in the EU keeps the data in the same legal framework as your hiring process; see GDPR-compliant email hosting in the EU.
07Keeping track of every candidate
An applicant tracking system helps once you hire regularly. For a small team hiring once or twice a year, the process lives in email, and that is exactly where candidates get forgotten.
Skein notices the candidate who has been waiting on you for days and drafts the reply with your interview slots and, by default, asks you before sending. Try it on sample mail in the demo. More templates for other situations are in follow-up email templates.
Questions
- How long should a candidate wait to hear back after an interview?
- Ideally no more than a week without an update. Tell them a date for your decision at the end of the interview, and if you cannot meet it, write before the date with a new one.
- Should you send a rejection email after an interview?
- Yes, always. A clear, kind rejection sent within a few days of deciding is the minimum candidates expect, and it protects your reputation with everyone they talk to.
- What should a rejection email to a candidate say?
- That you have decided not to move forward, early in the email; one specific positive; a short, true reason if helpful; and an offer of brief feedback if you will give it. Keep it short and personal.
- How do you keep candidates engaged during a long hiring process?
- Give them a date for each next step, send a short update at least weekly, tell them who they will meet and why, and be honest about delays. Ask them to tell you if they receive another offer.
See Skein follow up for you
Business email on your own domain with an agent that follows up on every conversation. Hosted in the EU. Try the demo with sample mail, nothing to install.
[ Sources ]
Facts about other products were checked on 5 Oct 2026; prices and plans change.