Decide the policy before the interview
A rejection message is easier to send when the team has already agreed on its purpose. Decide whether you give feedback to every candidate, only to candidates who reach a certain stage, or only when the candidate asks. Name the person who writes the message and the person who checks it.
Write the answers in a short internal note: who writes, what you include, what you leave out and how long you keep the request. A recruiter who has to invent the policy for each rejection may write a long message or nothing at all.
Use the criteria the candidate saw
Feedback lands when it refers to the questions and criteria the candidate answered against. If the interview asked for a planning example, say what the answer did and did not show about planning. Avoid a general verdict such as not a fit without a reason the candidate can understand.
Take one observation from the answer and one suggestion for the next conversation. Keep the suggestion concrete: name the part of the answer that could include an example, a result or a trade-off. Do not invent a missing skill that the interview did not test.
Leave out scores and comparisons
A score belongs to the internal review. Sending it without the rubric turns the conversation into a debate about a number. Comparing the candidate with an unnamed person who did get the role creates questions you cannot answer.
Leave out comments about manner, accent, confidence or character. Those are not part of the criteria and they are hard to defend. If the role needs a specific communication format, describe the format and the task, not the person.
Keep the message short and clear
Use a structure the candidate can read in a glance. Thank them for the time, state the decision, give the reason tied to the criteria, offer one suggestion and close with a practical next step. If you keep applications for future roles, say so. If you do not, say that too.
A template helps, but the middle section must be written for that candidate. A message that only swaps the name reads as a form letter and leaves the candidate without a reason.
Handle requests with care
A candidate can ask for the notes or the recording. Know what your process for keeping records allows and who answers the request. Do not forward internal discussion threads or comments from reviewers. Share only what the policy covers, and explain the route for a formal request when one exists.
If the candidate disagrees, acknowledge the message and explain the decision once. You do not have to relitigate the interview in a long exchange. Offer the formal route if there is one, then close the conversation.
Review the feedback you send
Read a sample of sent messages at a fixed moment in the process. Check whether the reason refers to a criterion, whether the wording is neutral and whether the next step is clear. Ask a recruiter which messages took time and why. Use those answers to adjust the template and the internal note.
Feedback is part of the process, not an extra favour. A clear policy, a criterion-based reason and a short message give the candidate something to work with, and they give your team a routine it can repeat.