Candidate chase emails you can copy
Five plain emails: for the candidate who’s stopped replying, the January starter whose paperwork isn’t in, and the person you need to tell the role has gone. There are dates to get it done before Christmas, too. They’re free. There’s nothing to sign up for. Copy them, change them, put your name on them.
The emails
Curly brackets are yours to fill in. They’re short on purpose, so a candidate can answer from their phone.
Email 1. The first nudge, when they’ve stopped replying
Subject: {Role} at {company}: still interested?
Hi {first name}, I haven’t heard back since we spoke on {day} about the {role} role at {company}. Is it still of interest? One word is fine: yes, no, or not now. Thanks, {your name}Email 2. The second try, with a way out
Subject: Quick one on the {role} role
Hi {first name}, I need to give {company} an answer by {day}, so I’m checking again. If it’s a no, that’s fine, and it won’t stop me calling you about the next one. If something’s changed, like a counter-offer or your notice period, tell me and we’ll see what can be done. Thanks, {your name}Email 3. The last one, and then you stop
Subject: Closing this off: {role} at {company}
Hi {first name}, I haven’t heard back, so I’ll take you off the {role} role and won’t chase you about it again. If I’ve got that wrong, reply by {day} and I’ll put you back in. If you’d rather I didn’t contact you about other roles, say so and I’ll stop. Thanks, {your name}Email 4. For a January starter, before the break
Subject: Before you start on {date}: what I still need
Hi {first name}, You start at {company} on {date}. We’re closed from {day} to {day}, so I’d like this sorted before then. Could you send me these by {date}? - {Signed terms} - {Contact details for your referees} - {Anything else you need from them} For your right to work check, {who} needs to see your original document, or your share code if you have one. {Say how and when.} If something’s going to be a problem, tell me now and we’ll work it out. Thanks, {your name}Email 5. When the role’s gone, so nobody’s left wondering
Subject: {Role} at {company}: where it ended up
Hi {first name}, {Company} has {gone with someone else / put the role on hold}, so this one won’t go any further. {Any feedback you’re free to pass on.} Thanks for your time on it. If you’d like me to keep you in mind for similar roles, tell me what you’d want next. Thanks, {your name}
Before the Christmas break
The bank holidays are GOV.UK’s for England and Wales: Fri 25 December, Mon 28 December and Fri 1 January. The send dates are only our suggestion, so move them to fit the days you’re closed.
| Day | What to send |
|---|---|
| Mon 30 November 2026 | Send email 4 to everyone starting in January. |
| Thu 10 December 2026 | Send email 1 to anyone quiet on a live role. |
| Tue 15 December 2026 | Send email 2 to whoever still hasn’t replied. |
| Fri 18 December 2026 | Send email 3 to whoever still hasn’t replied, email 4 again to any starter with something missing, and email 5 to anyone whose role has gone. |
| Mon 4 January 2027 | Back in. Send email 1 to anyone who went quiet over the break. |
Right to work, before a January start
A closed office doesn’t move this. GOV.UK’s words:
You must check that a job applicant is allowed to work for you in the UK before you employ them.
That duty sits with whoever employs them, so agree who’s doing the check before the break: you or your client.
GOV.UK also says “You must not discriminate against anyone because of where they’re from.” So email 4 goes to every starter, not only the ones you’re unsure about.
Why email 5 is here
Going quiet runs both ways. A Pertemps article, about a year old when we read it in November 2026, says more than half of jobseekers in its survey singled out communication being suddenly dropped over a role, with no explanation, as their top recruitment gripe. The candidate you don’t tell about this role is the one you’ll want to ring about the next.
Before you use them
We aren’t lawyers and this isn’t legal advice. We wrote these on 6 November 2026, so check them against GOV.UK and your own terms.
We have no reply rate for these emails. If one of them works or falls flat, we’d like to know: info@chancelry.com.
If you’d rather nobody had to send them
Chasing is the sort of job Chancelry can set up for an agency, in its own email and systems. You don’t need that to use anything on this page.