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Rejecting candidates

This article explains how and where to reject candidates in JOIN, the different email options available and how to undo a rejection if needed. Available on desktop only.

Rejecting candidates helps keep your applications organised. It also improves transparency with candidates and helps your team focus on the most relevant profiles. JOIN lets you manage this cleanly, for one candidate or several at once.

Rejecting applications

You can reject candidates from Applications:

  1. Go to Applications > Active in the sidebar

  2. Find the candidate by scrolling, using Filters or search

  3. Check the box next to one or more candidates

  4. Click Reject in the toolbar at the bottom

You can also use the Actions column on the right to reject a candidate directly.

After rejection, you can still view the application. To see all rejected candidates across all your Jobs, go to Applications > Rejected.

Rejecting from a Job's pipeline

You can also reject candidates directly from a Job's pipeline:

  1. Go to Jobs > Active, then select a Job

  2. Open the Applications sub-tab

  3. Find the candidate manually or via the search at the top right

  4. Choose your view:

    • Cards view: find the candidate's card and click the Reject icon. You can also select several candidates and click Reject in the toolbar at the bottom.

    • Table view: switch to Table, find the candidate, go to the Actions column and click the Reject icon. You can also select one or more candidates and click Reject in the toolbar at the bottom.

After rejection, use the Active / Rejected toggle at the top to switch between active and rejected applications in the pipeline.

Rejecting from the candidate profile

  1. Click the candidate's name to open their profile

  2. In the navigation panel on the right, find the relevant Job

  3. Click the Reject icon next to the Job, then confirm

If a candidate has applied to several Jobs, the rejection is specific to that Job. Other applications are not affected.

Reviewing and customising the rejection

1. Reject with a template

When you select one or more candidates and click Reject from the toolbar:

  • Select a template from your saved rejection email templates

  • Hover over the template name to preview its content

  • Choose a sender address

  • Click Send and reject, or choose Reject without notification

You cannot edit the email content with this method. All selected candidates receive the same message.

2. Reject with a custom message

When you click Reject for a specific candidate:

  • The rejection email window opens at the bottom right

  • You can edit the Subject and the message content

  • Use Templates if you want to start from a saved template

  • Choose when to send the message: Send and reject, Send later, or a custom date and time

  • You can also choose Reject without notification

3. Rejecting without notifying the candidate

To change a candidate's status without sending an email, select Reject without notification. We recommend informing candidates as soon as possible.

Rejection emails are sent immediately after clicking Send and reject. Automatic rejections from Knockout questions are handled separately and sent the following morning.

Bulk rejection

To reject several candidates at once:

  1. Check the boxes next to the candidates

  2. Click Reject in the toolbar at the bottom

  3. Choose a template, or select Reject without notification

  4. Click Send and reject

You cannot customise emails individually in bulk mode. The same template or method applies to all selected candidates.

Undoing a rejection

If you rejected a candidate by mistake, use Undo rejection. The candidate then returns to the stage they were at before the rejection.

You can undo a rejection from several views:

  • Cards view: click the Undo rejection icon on the candidate's card.

  • Table view: go to Applications > Rejected, find the candidate, then click the arrow icon in the Actions column

  • Confirmation notification: right after the rejection, a message appears at the bottom of the screen. Click Undo changes to reverse it

No email or notification is sent when you undo a rejection. The candidate simply returns to their last pipeline stage.

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