4 sample emails to keep candidates warm as toast

You’ve written the perfect job description, published your job application and you’ve invited candidates to interviews. ✅

But you’ve hit a snag in the process in the form of a pesky hiring delay. Though not ideal, it happens to the best of hiring managers. The right way to remedy this is by regularly communicating with your candidates and potential new teammates clearly and promptly.

Use any of these sample emails to help keep your candidates warm, engaged and informed throughout your hiring process. Customize them to suit your brand and style, and you’ll be well on your way to an A+ candidate experience — despite the delays!

📣 Recruiting email templates that help you improve the candidate experience

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Sample #1: Keep candidates warm if the position has been put on hold

Use this email template when a position has been put on hold, from a couple of weeks to a few months. Whatever it may be, be sure to provide the candidate with a rough timeline of when you hope to start hiring again. You don’t want to leave the candidate in the dark — especially if they’re in talks with other companies (they may be close to getting another job offer) or if they need a new job ASAP. Honesty and clarity will do wonders for the candidate and for your reputation as an employer.

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Sample #2: Delay in hiring process email template

If you need to delay the hiring process for an open role, this is the email template you can turn to. Sharing what you can while you sort things out internally, you’ll want to inform candidates that they'll have to wait a bit longer before you can proceed with the hiring process.

📣 Need to tell a candidate you’ve received their job application? Use this applicant acknowledgement email template to communicate like a pro

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Sample #3: Keep candidates warm after the second or third interview round

Use this email template to let your strongest candidates know you need a bit more time to make the final decision. The goal is to keep them informed and reassure them of your interest in their candidacy — because the last thing you want to do is leave them in the dark when they’ve already invested so much time in your company's job interview process!

<div class="inpage-callout-container"><p class="inpage-banner-text">Pro Tip 🔥: Even if you’re not a professional or full-time recruiter, there’s no reason why your hiring can’t be professional. You can quickly and easily schedule these emails with good hiring software. Keep all replies in one place (perfect for collaborative hiring) and move candidates to the next stage of your hiring process.</div></p>

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Sample #4: Keep candidates warm if you need a few more days

If you only need just a few more days to work out the final details of the job offer (or potentially the candidate rejection letter), communicate this with your candidates. Side note: If you’ve previously been in touch with the candidate via phone, it’s a nice personal touch to give them a call with this information. It shows you care about keeping them in the loop throughout this hiring process. You can also communicate this via email using this email template.

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Sending thoughtful candidate emails

When it comes to emailing job candidates, especially emails intended to keep them engaged and interested in the job opportunity, there are a few things you should remember. Always be sure to:

• Thank them again for their patience: Regardless of how long the candidate has to wait, you want them to know their patience is appreciated!
• Take time to answer any questions they might have: Getting (or not getting) a job is a big deal and they deserve to get the full picture of what’s going on with the opportunity and potential offer.
• Provide a decision timeline, if possible: If you can, let candidates know when they can expect to hear from you. If a candidate is further along the hiring process with another company, they’ll want to know if they should speed things up or slow it down to accommodate your timeline.

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