REJECT: All that time…for what?

Not all job applications are the same. Sure there are some common systems used by many companies. I’m pretty sure there is a whole series of comments directed at those things, but that’s another story for another day. When you ask a candidate to spend 15-30 minutes jumping through all of the hoops you put in place for your applications, don’t they deserve better? Oh, and this company also required another ~30 minute personality audit. Despite all of the roadblocks, the interview did not go as well as hoped, also another story for another day.

So this was the response. Talk about anti-climatic.

Dear {Redacted],

You recently submitted an application for the [Redacted] position with [Redacted]. We regret to inform you that at present we do not have a fit between your qualifications and this opening. You may have expressed interest in other positions within [Redacted]. This notification is specific to the requisition listed above.  

You may return to our website at [Redacted] to find out what’s new and to search for additional job opportunities.  

We wish you success in your career search. Thank you for your interest in [Redacted].

Sincerely, 
US Recruiting

REJECT: Not quite

It is curious when a candidate is qualified for the role based on the requirements and the resume/skill of the applicant. These type of responses imply the candidate was not qualified. Perhaps there is an opportunity provide a reply that is more consistent with their skill and experience.

Dear [redacted],

Thank you for your interest in the position of [redacted job role]. After careful review of your qualifications in relation to the position, we will not be moving forward with your application for this position.

Although you were not selected, we wish you great success in your job search and encourage you to continue to visit [website] to keep your candidate profile updated, especially as you gain new skills and experience. Please continue to explore and apply for new job openings that fit your qualifications and interests.

Thank you again for your time and interest in furthering your career with [redacted].

[redacted] Human Resources  

Recruiting Team

Replies to this message are undeliverable and will not reach the Human Resource Department. Please do not reply.

REJECT: You’re not quite what we’re after

The life of a technical recruiter is tough. There is a constant struggle between what the hiring team says they want and what they actually need. Add to that the company culture, team politics, location demands, salary/rate expectations, and things can get difficult to manage quickly. Further, many of the internal recruiters are listening for key words and phrases and are not able to understand the motivations behind the questions, let alone the answers from candidates.

Thank you again for taking the time to connect with me about the [redacted] role here at [redacted].

While the team was impressed with your background and experience, at this time they’ve decided to move forward with other candidates.

Even though this isn’t the outcome we were hoping for, I’ll keep your profile in mind for future roles that open as the team continues to grow. Likewise, if you see any roles you’re interested in, please feel free to reach out.

I wish you all the best in your job search.

REJECT: A little formality

I’m always struck by the formality of some companies in their update to job hunters. No doubt this job received over 100 applications, but when you get these responses it really feels like your just a number. The lack of any meaningful feedback and wicked fast reply after submission implies that the bots blocked this one pretty quick or an internal candidate was already in the queue.

Hello [redacted],
Thank you for your interest in our firm. [redacted] has considered you for the [redacted] position, Job #****, based on reviewing your resume.

Although interested in your experience, we will not be moving forward with you for this position at this time. (Please note that this is a status update only for this specific position that we considered you for by reviewing your resume. You may be in consideration for other opportunities. If so, please disregard this message and continue to work with your respective recruiter.) 

Your resume will remain in our database and our recruiters will be in touch with you in the future should they identify positions that may fit your background. 

Thanks again for considering opportunities here at KPMG. Please continue to visit us at:[website redacted]

Thank you,
[redacted] Recruiting

REJECT: Why the ALL CAPS?

So many comments on this one. Let’s start at the top. The name was interred in all caps despite the rest of the email using camel case. First sentence, if you appreciated applicants time, why was the application so painful to work with? The reason is they use Workday which should give them an easy to integrate solution, but applications for the user are not so great.

Really though, they imply that they reviewed the application, but it seems like they set a timer for the response to go back to the candidate. Given the high volume of applications they are likely getting at this time it would be virtually impossible for a human to have reviewed the details.

The candidate interest in this company may be genuine, but the closing two paragraphs suggest that there is still hope for the candidate, if only the right mesh between company and candidate exists. But definitely rings of “don’t call us, we’ll call you” in the approach.

Hi [REDACTED],
We appreciate the time you have invested in applying for our [redacted insanely long job title] opening. 

We have carefully reviewed your application and experience, and after careful consideration, we have decided to proceed with another candidate at this time. 

We hope you will continue to check back on our careers site for future opportunities. Thank you again for your interest in [redacted] and for allowing us to get to know you and your accomplishments a little better. 

We wish you the best of luck with your job search and your professional endeavors. 

Sincerely, 
[redacted] Talent Acquisition Team 

To stay connected with [redacted] news, updates and the latest opportunities, be sure to follow us:
[among the list, Google+ of all things]

REJECT: Uh, thanks, but…yeah

At least they are impressed by the accomplishments to date. The mutual interest bit is particularly touching since they clearly had the applicants interest in mind. This is a bit more formal than most and probably fitting given the intended audience.

Thank you for your recent application – and for expressing an interest in career opportunities with [redacted].

We have carefully reviewed your experience and are impressed by your accomplishments to date. However, your particular blend of skills and experience do not match our current hiring needs for this role. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have concluded that it is not in our mutual interest to progress further.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback on your background and skills at this stage.

Once again, we appreciate your interest in [redacted] and wish you every success in your career endeavors.

REJECT: When email isn’t good enough

Don’t you love attachments? Who doesn’t, right? Especially when you get a reply for a job application. First you get this:

Dear _______,

You have got mail from the REDACTED – please read attached message.

Yours sincerely,

REDACTED recruitment team

Then you get the following in the attachment. It just had to be a rejection letter in a PDF. It’s easy to dream that they would be so impressed by the application they would simply offer the job on the spot, but alas dreams are crushed.

Thank you again for your interest in the position of REDACTED.

We regret to inform you that after careful consideration of your application, we will no longer pursue your candidacy for this position.

This decision will not affect the outcome of your other applications which you may have for other positions.

Your resume will be retained in our database for future consideration. As a reminder, please visit our website regularly to view new positions.

The REDACTED would like to thank you and hope you still consider us as a potential employer as you explore new career opportunities.

REJECT: Wishful Thinking

You gotta love that they were really wishing positive thoughts for this submission. But nothing helps soothe the pain like following the company on their social media accounts. I mean, who wouldn’t love to see other jobs they wish they might dream about and yet consistently fall short.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to review your resume and credentials for the REDACTED position.

We wish we had better news for you, but after carefully reviewing your resume, we have decided to pursue other candidates whose backgrounds are better aligned with the requirements of this role.

We understand that looking for a new position is stressful and time consuming, so we appreciate the effort you spent submitting your application.
Although we will not be moving forward at this time, we’d like to stay in touch. Please connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

We’re continually hiring and our needs change over time, so please keep your information up to date. We may reach out should your experience better fit one of our future opportunities.

Thank you for your interest in _________!

It is a nice closing thought that they might consider reaching out in the future if there is a better match, but does this really happen?

REJECT: So about that sales job…

This one comes via a tipster.

“The Account Executive position at ____ is a sales position. Managing the client relationship is part of the role and I do think you would be great at that. However, you clearly stated during our interview that you did not excel at sales, that you are a people pleaser and have a hard time saying ‘no.’ Unfortunately, this position definitely demands the ability to say no and stick to your guns.”

Slightly harsh, no??

Slightly harsh? Yeah, probably, but you have to give them a little credit practicing what they preach. However, I’ve learned that people that excel at sales positions are comfortable with hearing “No” more often than “Yes”. On the bright side they did give a clear reason why you were not selected. So there’s that.

But wait, there’s more to the story…

The position was advertised as purely customer relationship/management. In the interview [they] even stated that people in this role take over the clients AFTER the sales team qualifies them as a lead and sells them a product. The role, to me, was explained as purely client management, and I never said in the interview “I do not excel at sales…”

Well, I guess they had their mind made up during the interview. This clearly isn’t the best place for our friend to work. Happy hunting!

REJECT: Wait, how is this from?

You have to love when you get the random email from some company and they fail to include anything other than a cryptic reference to their company name. Certainly takes the sting out of getting rejected if you don’t know who is doing the rejecting.

We have received your application for the position of . After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that you have not been selected for this position.

We will retain your candidate file in our database and we also invite you to visit the Career Section on our Web site regularly.

We thank you for your interest in and wish you all the best in your career search.