I'm in the final stage of hiring a new employee to work in our office, and there were 2 candidates that have different but useful skills for the position. I've done 2 rounds of interviewing with each of them, and I've decided who I'm going to hire, but the hardest part is letting the other person know that I'm not hiring them for the job. I've done some research online about the most appropriate way to inform this person, but the consensus is very split.

Specifically, I'm wondering if a phone call or email is the better method of communication? The way I see it:

Phone Call Pros and Cons:

+ More Personal
+ More Direct
+ Can answer any questions they may have
- Awkward for both parties
- May initially get their hopes up to see that I'm calling, only to have their hopes dashed
- If they don't answer, should I leave a message? Call back?

Email Pros and Cons:

+ Less awkward for both parties
+ Less likely to get hopes up
+ Still gives option for candidate to reach out for feedback if they would like.
+ Avoids any difficult, emotion-filled conversations with a person I hardly know.
- Far less personal
- Not direct. Email may sit in their inbox for days before they notice it.

As I mentioned, the online consensus is rather mixed on this. What do you guys think, if you were in the position of the candidate, would you want a call informing you of the rejection or would you rather have an email? And if you were in my position, what would you do?