Reject, delete or block

This article walks you through the three ways to manage a candidate you no longer want in your pipeline: rejecting an application, deleting a candidate, and blocking a candidate.

JOIN gives you three different ways to deal with a candidate, and they're not interchangeable:

• Reject an application when a candidate isn't right for a specific job. Their data stays in JOIN, and they can still apply to other roles.
• Delete a candidate to permanently erase all of their data, applications, emails, scorecards, and documents, from your account.
• Block a candidate to stop them from being able to apply to your company again, without telling them. Use this for misconduct, fraud, or spam, not as a substitute for rejecting or deleting.

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Rejecting candidate(s)

Rejecting candidates is a key part of the hiring process. It helps you maintain an organised pipeline, ensures transparency with applicants, and enables your team to focus on the most promising candidates. While it's not always an easy step, JOIN gives you the tools to handle it professionally and efficiently — whether you're rejecting a single candidate or managing bulk rejections.

Reject from the 'Candidates' tab

You can reject candidates from the Candidates tab by:

1. Go to the Candidates > Active sub-tab in the sidebar
2. Find the candidate using scroll, filters, or search

   • Use search by clicking the button at the top right
   • Or press Command + F (Mac) or Ctrl + F (Windows) to search
3. Select the checkbox next to the candidate(s)
4. Click Reject from the bottom toolbar

If a candidate has multiple applications, rejecting them from the Candidates tab rejects all of their active applications at once. Any application already in the Hired stage is left untouched, and this is called out before you send the rejection. If you only want to reject one specific application, do it from that job's pipeline or from the candidate's profile instead (see below).

After rejecting a candidate, you can still view their application(s).

To view all rejected candidates across your jobs:

• Go to the Candidates > All sub-tab. All aggregates active, rejected, hired, and Talent Pool candidates together. Talent Pool candidates are saved for future roles.
• To isolate just rejected candidates here, use Hiring state filter and select Rejected

Reject from a job

To reject a candidate directly from a job's pipeline:

1. Go to the Jobs > Active tab and select a job
2. This will open the Applications sub-tab
3. Locate the candidate manually or use the search bar in the top-right corner
4. Choose your preferred view:

   • Card view (default): Each application is shown as a card. Locate the candidate's application and click the Reject icon that appears on top-right when you hover on the card
   • Table view: Click the settings icon to switch to Table and find the candidate. Locate the candidate's application and click the Reject icon that appears on right-end of the row when you hover
5. You can also select multiple applications to reject using the checkboxes next to each of them and click Reject from the toolbar at the bottom of your screen

Use the filters to narrow your candidate list or directly search (Command + F or Ctrl + F) for the candidate you're looking to reject.

Rejecting a candidate from a specific job's pipeline only affects that application. It does not affect any of the candidate's other applications, even if they're rejected in bulk from this view.

After rejecting a candidate, you can still view their application. Use the Active or Rejected toggle at the top to switch between active and rejected applications in your hiring pipeline.

• If you're in cards view, you'll see the candidate card placed in the stage where they were rejected (e.g. Phone Screening, Interview)
• If you're in table view, the Stages column indicates the stage they were in when rejected

This makes it easy to understand where in the process the candidate exited.

Applications automatically rejected by your screening criteria appear in the Applied state. This includes candidates who do not meet a Knockout question's conditions.

Reject from candidate profile

You can also reject a candidate directly from their candidate profile:

1. Click a candidate's name to open their profile
2. In the right-most panel, find the job listing that you want to reject the candidate for
3. Click the Reject icon next to the job and confirm the rejection

For candidates that have applications for multiple jobs, rejecting from the candidate profile is job-specific and does not affect their status on other applications.

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Review and customise rejection

When rejecting a candidate, JOIN provides flexibility in how the rejection is communicated. You can either use a pre-set email template, write a custom message, or decide to not notify the candidate.

1. Reject with an email

When you select one or more candidates and click Reject from the toolbar at the bottom of the screen (in card, table, or the Candidates tab):

• Use the dropdown menu to select an email template from your saved rejection templates
• Hover over the template name to preview its content
• Choose a sender address from the available options
• Click Send & reject to notify the candidate(s)

Alternatively, select Reject without notification if you don't want to send an email

You cannot edit the email content when using this method. All selected candidates will receive the same message based on the chosen template.

2. Reject with a custom email

When you click the Reject button for a specific candidate from their profile:

• The rejection email window opens in the lower-right corner
• You can fully edit the subject and message content
• Use the Templates button if you'd like to start from a pre-saved template
• Choose how and when to send the message:

  • Send immediately using Send & reject
  • Schedule it using the Send later option (e.g. tomorrow morning, in 3 hours)
  • Set a custom date and time if needed
• Alternatively, choose Reject without notification if you don't want to send an email

Editing the message here only affects this specific email being sent to a candidate. Your saved templates remain unchanged.

To learn more about how to customise, edit, or add new rejection templates, read more here.

You can change the sender address while sending the rejection email. By default, your recruiter email is used (e.g. [e-mail]). You can also select [e-mail], but replies to this address will not be monitored.

3. Reject without notifying the candidate

To change a candidate's status without sending them an email, select Reject without notification.

We recommend informing candidates about their status whenever possible. Use this option only if you have already notified them through other means.

Rejection emails are sent immediately after clicking Send & reject. Automated rejections (e.g. from knockout questions) are processed separately and sent next morning.

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Bulk rejection

To reject multiple candidates at once:

1. Tick the checkboxes next to the candidates
2. Click Reject in the bottom toolbar
3. Choose an email template for rejection communication and click Send & reject, or select Reject without notification if you do not wish to send a rejection email to the candidates

You can't customise emails individually in bulk mode. The chosen rejection template or rejection method applies to all selected candidates.

Bulk rejecting from the Candidates tab rejects every active application for each selected candidate. Any application already in the Hired stage is skipped automatically. Bulk rejecting from within a specific job only affects that job's application.

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Undoing rejection

If you've rejected a candidate by mistake, you can easily reverse the action using the Undo rejection button . This returns the candidate to the stage they were on in your hiring pipeline before being rejected.

You can undo a rejection from the following views:

• Candidate profile: Open the candidate's profile. In the right-most panel, find the rejected application and click Undo rejection icon.
• Card view: Within the Applications tab of a job, switch to the Rejected view using the toggle. Hover over the candidate card and click Undo rejection.
• Table view: Within the Applications tab of a job, switch to the Rejected view using the toggle. Hover over the candidate row and click Undo rejection.
• Confirmation toast: Immediately after rejecting a candidate, a confirmation message appears at the bottom of the screen. Click Undo changes to reverse the action quickly.

No email or notification is sent when you undo a rejection. The candidate is simply moved back to the stage they were last in within your hiring pipeline.

Undo rejection isn't available for applications that were auto-rejected because the candidate is blocked. See Blocking a candidate below.

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Deleting candidate(s)

Deleting a candidate is permanent. Unlike rejecting, it doesn't just close out one application, it erases the candidate's entire profile: all of their applications, emails, scorecards, and documents. There's no undo.

Deleting a candidate cannot be reversed. If you only want to decline them for one job while keeping their data, reject the application instead, see Rejecting candidates above.

Delete from a candidate's profile

1. Open the candidate's profile
2. Click More in the top-right corner
3. Select Delete candidate
4. Tick I confirm I want to permanently delete this candidate
5. Click Delete candidate to confirm

Delete from the 'Candidates' tab

You can also delete one or more candidates in bulk:

1. Go to the Candidates tab
2. Select the checkbox next to the candidate(s) you want to delete
3. Click ... in the bottom toolbar
4. Select Delete candidates
5. Tick the confirmation checkbox and click Delete candidate to confirm

If the candidate you're deleting is blocked, the confirmation dialog is slightly different, and the block itself is not removed. See Deleting a blocked candidate below.

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Blocking a candidate

For candidates who've shown misconduct, fraudulent behaviour, or spam, rejecting or deleting them once isn't always enough, they can simply apply again. Blocking a candidate stops this permanently, without letting them know they've been blocked.

Only System Admins can block or unblock candidates, and it's only possible from a candidate's profile. If you don't see the Block candidate option, you don't have this permission.

Blocking a candidate:

• Removes them from your talent pool, if they were added to it
• Automatically rejects any of their open applications, using your default rejection email template, the next working day, and does the same for any future application from the same email address, without a "new application" notification, so the candidate is never told they've been blocked
• Cancels any interviews scheduled with them
• Stops their messages from reaching your inbox on JOIN, and disables Reply and Forward on any existing message thread with them (they can still send messages, you just won't see them or be able to respond)
• Makes their candidate profile read-only, you can still delete the profile, unblock them, and add notes or tags, but every other action is disabled

Block a candidate

1. Open the candidate's profile
2. Click ...More in the top-right corner
3. Select Block candidate
4. Choose a Reason: Candidate misconduct, Fraudulent behavior, Spam, or Other
5. If you choose Other, add further details. This is optional for every other reason.
6. Click Block candidate to confirm

Any details you add are only visible internally, to your team. The candidate never sees a reason, or learns that they've been blocked.

Once blocked, a banner appears at the top of the candidate's profile, showing who blocked them, when, and why. If further details were added, a More information link opens the full entry in the activity log.

If you try to manually add or import a candidate whose email address is already blocked, JOIN warns you before you continue. You can either cancel, or unblock the candidate to proceed with adding them.

Unblocking a candidate

Unblocking a candidate restores full access to their profile.

This will stop the automatic rejections and you can resume all activity like sending or receiving emails, scheduling interviews etc. as usual.

To unblock a candidate:

1. Open the candidate's profile
2. Click More and select Unblock candidate, or use the Unblock candidate link on the blocked banner
3. Click Unblock candidate to confirm

Unblocking a candidate:

• Stops future applications from being automatically rejected, they'll appear in your pipeline as normal
• Resumes forwarding of their messages to your inbox
• Removes the read-only restriction from their profile

Deleting a blocked candidate

Deleting a blocked candidate's profile does not lift the block, and neither does the candidate revoking their consent for you to hold their data. The block is tied to their email address, not their profile, so it stays in place even after their data is gone. If they apply again later, JOIN creates a new profile for them, already blocked, so a block can't be undone by deleting the profile or revoking consent.

You can delete a blocked candidate's profile the same way as any other candidate, see Deleting a candidate above. The confirmation dialog includes a reminder that the block remains in place afterwards.

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FAQs

What's the difference between rejecting, deleting, and blocking a candidate?

Rejecting closes out one application while keeping the candidate's data and letting them apply elsewhere. Deleting permanently erases all of their data with no way back. Blocking stops them from ever applying to your company again, silently, without deleting anything.

Does a blocked candidate know they've been blocked?

No. Blocking is silent. Their applications are rejected automatically using your standard rejection template, and their messages simply don't reach you. They're never shown a block notice or told why they can't hear back.

What happens if a blocked candidate applies again?

Their new application is automatically rejected the next working day, the same as before. If their previous profile had been deleted, JOIN creates a new one for them, already in a blocked state.

Can I see why a candidate was blocked?

Yes. The blocked banner on their profile shows who blocked them and why, and the full entry, including any further details, is recorded in the candidate's activity log.

Can I undo an automatic rejection from a blocked candidate?

No. Undo rejection isn't available for applications that were auto-rejected because the candidate is blocked.

Can I still message a blocked candidate?

You can't select a blocked candidate in the recipient list for messages or interviews, and Reply/Forward are disabled on any existing thread with them. If you need to contact them, unblock them first.

What happens if I try to add or import a candidate who's already blocked?

JOIN shows you a warning before the candidate is added, explaining that their email address is blocked. You can cancel, or unblock them to proceed.

Does revoking a candidate's consent lift their block?

No. A block stays in place even if the candidate revokes their consent for you to hold their data. If they apply again later, their new profile is created already blocked.

Can I delete a candidate instead of blocking them?

You can, but it won't stop them reapplying, deleting just erases their current data. If you want to prevent someone from ever getting back into your pipeline, block them instead, or block and then delete.

Can I reject one application without rejecting the candidate everywhere?

Yes. Reject the candidate from that job's pipeline or from their profile. Their other applications stay active. Rejecting from the Candidates tab rejects all of their active applications.

Can I undo a rejection?

Yes. Use Undo rejection from the candidate profile, a job's rejected view, or the confirmation toast. JOIN restores the application to its previous pipeline stage. No email is sent.

Can I customise each rejection email during a bulk rejection?

No. Bulk rejection sends the same selected template to every chosen candidate. To personalise an email, reject that candidate from their profile.

Can I reject a candidate without sending an email?

Yes. Select Reject without notification in the rejection dialog. Use this only when the candidate has already been informed through another channel.

Who can block or unblock a candidate?

Only System Admins can block or unblock candidates. These actions are available from the candidate profile.

Can I recover a deleted candidate?

No. Deletion permanently removes the candidate's profile, applications, emails, scorecards, and documents. Reject the application when you need to keep their data.