6 Hiring Email Templates You Should Steal Right Now

The average person spends more than 11 hours a week on their work email. Emails to your team. Emails to your vendors. Emails to your customers. All while your unread tally climbs with each mysterious chime sound. It’s all necessary, and yet … it feels like your time could be better spent doing something else, right?

The good news is that it’s easy to streamline one of the most email-heavy aspects of growing your business: The outreach required for sourcing and hiring top talent for open roles. Once you release a job advertisement, the application notifications will come flooding in, especially once you share that job posting on your website and social channels with hiring banners, as well as in online groups—the digital equivalent of using a megaphone to spread the word.

From coordinating interviews for a job vacancy to sending out offer letters, we’ve got you covered with a set of email templates that you can easily tailor for each stage of the job hiring process. Simply copy and paste these easily editable free templates below into your email or applicant tracking system, and fill in the blanks. They are timesavers!

1. Initial interview invitation email template

Why this email works

It’s brief but friendly, reflecting the initial quick chat you’re setting up. The best candidates are probably being considering for more than one job application, and are hearing back from other companies, so they’ll appreciate a short note that helps them move quickly through the job-recruitment process. First impressions matter on both sides when it comes to talent acquisition.

Pro tips

• Try to personalize your email. Even though your candidate applied for the job opportunity, they may not necessarily be 100 percent sold on it (or your company) yet. Let them know why you’re excited about them so they’re more inclined to see if it’s a good fit and improves the candidate experience.
• Propose three times up front. Three is usually a safe bet for scheduling interviews, because it gives the recipient enough options to minimize the pesky back-and-forth that tends to draw out the job interview process. (Did you know it takes 23.8 days on average?)
• Use an email scheduling tool. Try using a tool like Mixmax or Calendly with a call-to-action (CTA) to easily allow candidates to book time on your calendar—and will then also send them interview confirmation emails.

2. Candidate rejection email template

Why this email works

First off, you’re letting them know you’re going in another direction, which is a nice change. Many businesses ignore the first-time applicants that aren’t moving forward, leaving them in a fog about what to do next.

While your applicant may be disappointed, they’ll likely appreciate the interview feedback and may be more likely to think favorably of you in the future. (This’ll come in handy if they applied through an employee referral program, end up being a perfect fit for a new opportunity, have a mutual connection with you, or can refer one of their potential candidates to your company for another open job.)

Pro tips

• Tell your candidate if it was a hard decision. If it was a difficult choice, take a few seconds to let your job seeker know. Looking for employment can be long and discouraging—according to Jobvite, 59 people apply for each open position on average, and only 12 percent get an interview. A few reassuring words can really make a difference to someone.
• Highlight the positives. If you chose to interview someone, chances are they impressed you. Let them know what you think they’re great at! Someone can be a fantastic candidate without being the right fit for your company or a specific role.
• Give them feedback if you think it will help them ace the next interview. A brief explanation of why you decided not to move forward can help them make peace with the decision and ease the sting of rejection. It’s a good idea to connect your candidate feedback directly to the job description. What would give them a better shot at interviewing for a role like that in the future? Bringing to your candidate’s attention that knowing a certain program or having a specific experience on their resume would be helpful, etc. Just remember that sometimes explaining why you decided not to move forward can open up even more questions, so only include those details for candidates who would benefit from the feedback.
• Keep the connection. Think they may be a fit for a future role? Add them on LinkedIn or file their resume away for easy access.

3. Reference check email template

Why this email works

It’s short and to the point. Your great candidate probably already asked their references whether they’d be willing to vouch for them, so there’s no point in writing an essay when reaching out.

Pro tips

• Prep your questions ahead of time. They’re doing you a favor, so don’t waste their time by just winging the conversation. Unsure of what to ask during the reference check? Steal this script.
• Don’t forget to add in time zones and call length while suggesting time slots. This will help prevent scheduling mishaps as you run through your candidate’s list of references.

4. Offer email template

Why this email works

It shows that you’re excited about the candidate and seriously want them to join the team. While your official offer letter should include information like who they’ll be reporting to, compensation, benefits, etc., you don’t need to clutter your offer email with these details.

Spell out all the terms of the new job in a separate printable document, and have them sign a copy or use an e-signature tool like DocuSign or HelloSign.

Pro tips

• Use a human resource (HR) service that puts together the job offer email for you. When pricing options, you may question if it’s worth the cost, but HR services with employee self-onboarding can make it easier for your new hire to digitally sign documents like W-4s, direct deposit authorizations, and employee handbooks—instead of dealing with printing and storing physical copies.
• Go beyond the offer email and letter. A good rule of thumb is to have someone on your team deliver the news over the phone before firing off the email. Ask your team to explain why they’re so stoked about the candidate over the phone or in person.
• Woo your candidate while you’re waiting for a decision. Don’t be so quick to order business cards—a job offer doesn’t always result in a new teammate. Roughly one in 10 people who are offered a job turn it down. To help seal the deal, show your candidate you’re into them by encouraging the team to send personal welcome emails and signing a card explaining why they want your candidate to join. For the candidates you really want, consider investing in a welcome basket with company swag, tasty treats, or an interest they mentioned during the interview process. Whatever you do, make it meaningful and use it as an opportunity to show off your team’s unique personality—and show that you were listening.

5. Welcome email to new employee template

Why this email works

It reiterates that you’re excited for them to start and answers most of the questions they’d have before their first day.

Pro tips

• Make sure your new teammate feels pumped—and knows what to expect. Sprinkle in details about how the first day will go, along with what they should bring to put their mind at ease. If you have the budget, take them out for lunch on their start date—it’s a great way for them to get comfortable with the people they’ll be working with.
• Don’t forget to get everything ready on your end before they start. Sixty-nine percent of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they go through a thorough onboarding process.

6. Introduction email to staff template

Why this email works:

Sharing a hiring announcement helps your team learn about your new hire before they start and gives them material to talk about as they greet them on the first day. You’ll want to first inform your team and/or company before posting the news on a website landing page or on your social media accounts.

Pro tip:

Before sending the announcement email, ask your new employee to answer a few questions for more information you can include in the email. These icebreakers will help the team find more ways to connect with your new hire.

Here are some questions hiring managers can ask:

• What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you? The strangest? The coolest?
• What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars right now?
• What is one thing you wish people knew about you that they probably don’t?
• What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned lately?
• What’s something you do that’s weird and not commonly done?
• What’s your biggest pet peeve?
• Tell us two truths and a lie.

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Hiring takes time, and time is money for every full-time job opening. That’s why you want to make sure each email exchange doesn’t turn into a huge time suck—while still giving it the attention it deserves. While these templates will ensure you have your bases covered, we encourage you to make them your own and add the charm that makes your company unique. The offer email and the hiring announcement, in particular, are perfect opportunities to add your brand touches by using fonts, typography, or graphic design elements, if you prefer.