don’t send condescending, over-the-top rejection letters

by Alison Green on January 27, 2016

A reader writes:

I’ve been applying to a few jobs here and there and I recently received this rejection letter:

Hi,

OK, it’s that email you didn’t want to get, no beating around the bush, we are afraid that we won’t be taking your application to the next stage. We know rejection is tough and in the next few minutes you may well go through three stages of emotion:

Disbelief: We know you may think that the role would have been perfect for you; however it is likely that we had a number of applications which demonstrated a better match when they applied.

Frustration: It can be annoying to be passed up for a job you really wanted, however channel that emotion into reviewing your application so when you next apply for something you increase your chances of getting further. Did you know a CV tailored to a specific application is four times more likely to get an interview than using a generic CV?

Indifference: The good old “I didn’t want it anyway” – Let’s be honest, we cannot shortlist everyone for a role. When it comes down to it only one person can get a job so please don’t be disheartened.

While I am really grateful to them for letting me know, I thought this was weirdly over the top and it has seriously put me off applying to this company again. It seems to me to be rather I don’t know…condescending? But I wanted to get your opinion, since perhaps it’s just because I am still in the disbelief stage.

Yeah, it’s totally condescending. You don’t need them to manage your emotions for you, which is how this reads.

And it’s a bit much to assume that everyone they reject will be devastated or needs advice on what to do differently next time.

It’s nice to want to send out kind rejections that will minimize bad feelings! But rather than patronizing people like this, they could just explain that they got applications from more highly qualified people than they could interview, that they’re grateful for your interest and the time you put into applying, and that they’re sorry they won’t get the chance to talk further with you.

Also, so many comma splices! That is perhaps the most upsetting part.

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  1. Dawn*

    Oh my god that’s hilariously out of touch . “Yeah we just had so many fantastic applicants, sorry you weren’t one of them! Your resume probably could have been so much better than it was. Really, only one person can get a job and for this one, welp it wasn’t you.”

    Was this for a start-up? I feel like this would absolutely have been sent by a company whose job descriptions include words like “Rockstar” and “Work hard play hard” and “Many hats” and “Equity stake.” Bonus points if they had a foosball and/or ping pong table in the breakroom and free snacks.

    2. Chriama*

      Exactly my thoughts. Some “bro-grammer” who thinks he’s being innovative! and “helpful”. This may not be indicative of the entire company but if it’s small enough you may have to work with this guy at some point and I imagine that he’ll continue to be a condescending pain in the rear.

      1. azvlr*

        Is this the Bullshit Bingo game you speak of?

        For the uninitiated, you generate bingo cards with the latest buzzwords you anticipate you’ll hear in a meeting. Check off every word you hear and the first player, I mean employee, who get a line across, down or diagonally shouts, “Bingo!”

        Never actually played, except in my own head during boring meetings.

        1. Adam*

          I’ve never tried, but there was a time period where I was all “I swear to God that if I hear the words ‘organic’ and ‘process’ in the same sentence one more time….”

          1. Bibliovore*

            I swear in my last job, I was going to puke if I heard “low hanging fruit” one more time.

          3. Lee Ann*

            “as we go forward”. Used 8 times in one meeting by the CEO. Forward? We’re heading for a cliff!

          7. KH*

            Where I work, these some that drive me nuts:

            “Deep dive”
            “Interlock”
            “Sync” (any time there is a meeting between different teams)
            “Limited restructuring” (= layoffs)

            1. ThatAspie*

              Not quite the same, because it isn’t work, but I knew a man who would always lecture me about “shu-GRRR!” He was a family friend, and I was ~8. Seriously, he’d actually say it like that. Not just “sugar”, but “shu-GRRR!” As in, “The reason the mosquitoes bite you is because you eat shu-GRRR!” Or, “Yeah, of course you like (grapes, bread, milk, peanut butter, whatever)! It’s coated in shu-GRRR!” The way he saw it, everything I put in my mouth was full of “shu-GRRR!”, and, therefore, bad.

        3. Connie-Lynne*

          We did this 20 years ago while observing an NSF grant renewal meeting for our group (broadcast to the entire group via closed circuit).

    5. Random Lurker*

      I received a very similar “it’s not us, it’s you” rejection letter about 3 years ago from a Fortune 500. This behavior isn’t limited to startups.

      1. Chalky*

        Hey, OP here,
        You’re completely right. This was for quite a big company actually and for a pretty standard role. I have no idea why they really thought I needed to be consoled so much.

        2. Formica Dinette*

          Interesting. I had totally pegged this for the sort of place that regularly puts “rock star” in job titles and descriptions. Anyway, it sounds like you may have dodged a bullet. :)

        3. Liz L.*

          Chalky,

          If I owned/ran a company, I would hire you, and them send that company a letter informing them they lost out on a fantastic, competent, productive employee, etc. :)

          Thank you for sharing that!

      2. The_artist_formerly_known_as_Anon-2*

        I once walked out of an interview (lured under false pretenses of higher pay and better hours) — and said – ”
        I think we’d better terminate this, because, frankly, you’re not going to be offering anything I’d consider accepting and I don’t want to waste any more of your time. Thanks, though (extended hand)”

        This was computer company from hell (it’s no longer around and had a reputation for being a zoo) – they still sent a nasty rejection letter.

    6. irritable vowel*

      Ha — the first thing I thought of was the post from someone recently about how to discourage their boss from using “rockstar” in the job ad. This rejection letter is definitely from someone who thinks that way!

    8. Patrick G*

      I used to work for a startup that meets all of that criteria and this rejection letter totally reads like something they would send out.

    9. The Bimmer Guy*

      If I had a dime for every time I saw the word “Coding Ninja” on a job ad. Like, what *is* that?

      3. Cactus*

        Very overeager out-of-touch condescending crap from hiring managers who think that people in techy roles are all basically teenage weeaboos with pirate/cowboy/ninja fantasies who need to be talked down to and filled with ridiculous fantasies in order to be convinced to work a real job instead of playing video games all day?
        (I have a pretty low opinion of people who write ads like this.)

      4. kc89*

        I don’t see it all that often but sometimes people use “ninja” just to mean someone is really good at something, like I said not often but I’ve seen it used basically for anything

        “he’s a dish washing ninja” “she’s a ninja at picking out gifts for people”

    10. Bailey Quarters*

      That letter would make me joyously happy that I wouldn’t be working with such tools. Ouch.

    12. Liz L.*

      Dawn!!! Hahaha!! Right on the head!!

      I was thinking the same thing! I absolutely detest that start-up, overused buzzword crap!

      One day, I might just show up to an interview, dressed as a ninja, wearing an obscene tower of ‘many hats’…all put together whilst playing air guitar as any hard core rock star would do!

      The game tables… Um. Isn’t it called WORK? To add to my annoyance of this, not everyone is able to play, due to their role with the company. (See: Administrative employee).

      That rejection letter deserves a rejection itself! They should have a teacher red pen the hell out of it, and send it to the clueless recruiter or HR robot.

      Thank you for giving me a good laugh! :)

  2. Snarkus Aurelius*

    I love how there are only three emotion options, but the OP exhibited the most appropriate response that wasn’t listed: an eye roll.

    Oh and a tailored CV is more likely to get an interview? I had no idea! What’s next? Do I need to dress for the job I want and not the job I have?

    Stop the presses people!

    1. Rit*

      It made me roll my eyes so hard, I feel I should be allowed to bill the letter writer for the Advil I’ll need to get rid of this headache.

    2. Former Diet Coke Addict*

      The last bullet doesn’t even make sense! “Indifference” doesn’t really mean that you didn’t want it anyway, and the bit about “welp only one person can get the job!” is unrelated. I don’t even understand what their intentions are with this email!

      2. Snarkus Aurelius*

        Plus indifference to rejections is healthy! You don’t want to invest so much in one job that a rejection letter will crush you or you get “disheartened.” I’d think the bulk of today’s workforce gets that.

        After reading this letter, I’m confident that I sincerely wouldn’t want any job this employer would offer.

        1. MashaKasha*

          Seriously!! Why would anyone get disheartened after being rejected by one of the many places they’ve applied to, that they don’t really know that well yet. And, obviously, right after submitting their application, too (the letter does not mention any interviews).

          If I’d had several rounds of interviews, maybe had to take days off or fly to another state for that, and then got rejected, I’d be kind of bummed probably. But then, my experience shows that when a place tells you you’re not a good fit, it’s true – in the sense that “you wouldn’t want to work there”.

      3. Koko*

        In tone it’s a type of marketing communication that’s become hip in the digital space, where you sort of drop the professional-speak and talk to people in an informal, slightly silly way that humanizes you and helps the reader connect with you.

        Photo of a goat eating a server with “Oh, dear, this is embarrassing…” when your website is down? Appropriate.

        Making light of a rejection letter? Not appropriate.

    5. Three Thousand*

      Not just more likely, but four times more likely. We know that because of how data-driven we are.

  3. 2 Cents*

    RE: the comma splices. Sometimes I want to apply to places just so I can be like “Well, you had a misspelling in the job description, and since I’m a proofreader, I can fix that for you.”

    2. Improv for Cats*

      I would have been sorely tempted to send it back with edits. I wouldn’t actually do it, but I’d be sorely tempted.

    3. Former Computer Professional*

      I got my current job by informing a website that they were repeatedly using the “[noun] and I/me” syntax incorrectly.

      They thanked me and said they welcomed any further corrections. After confirming they really meant it I sent in another 50.

      I was hired a month later. :)

      1. Sunshine*

        I can’t believe how many people get that wrong (The “I vs. Me”). I mean, really people. Get it together.

        And “should/could/would of” instead of “have”. Makes me feel stabby.

        1. Samantha*

          The worst is “I’s.” As in, “This is Joe and I’s favorite restaurant.” “I’s” is not a thing!

          1. Lily Rowan*

            WHY IS THAT NOT AN IMMEDIATE TIP OFF THAT YOU ARE USING THE WRONG ONE???

            Um, I guess that’s a hot button for me!

          2. Billy Mumphrey*

            No, the absolute worst is the incredible number of people who say things like “Myself and him went to the movies.” Just scratch out my eyeballs now!!!!!!!!!!!

              1. KarenT*

                One of my friends always says that and I can’t help but respond, “Did yourself have a good time.?” I’m a jerk though.

            2. Former Computer Professional*

              YESSS! Thank you. The currently use of “myself” instead of “me” or “I” is driving me bonkers.

              That and the use of “anyways.” ANYWAYS IS NOT A WORD.

                2. Fact & Fiction*

                  My lovely husband says “in thaw” as in unthawing frozen meat. The writer/editor in me dies a little every time. I also have to call him out on it. :P

                4. Cactus*

                  Re: Fact & Fiction, ran out of nesting:
                  I always like being overly literal when faced with shit like this. So if I was asked to “unthaw” something, I would ask, “do you want me to freeze it [again]?” Because I’m petty that way.

            3. Chalky*

              My partner always says we instead of I as in “we went to the movies with a friend.” But I ask him who the we is and it’s just him.

              1. Ellie H.*

                This is how you say it in Russian – it would literally translate to “We with Sasha went to the movies” when you mean 2 people, you and Sasha, went to the movies together. I find it kind of sweet, like being preemptively inclusive.

              2. Jessilein*

                Whenever anyone used the royal ‘we’, my dad would say, “Do you have a mouse in your pocket?” Try that on your partner next time!

            4. Tammy*

              I got an email at work on Friday that contained essentially the following sentence: “Fergus Smith is the new Director of Teapot Partnerships, and myself, Abigail Abingdon, am the new Teapot Partnership Specialist.” Gahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

            5. Windchime*

              People do that at work all the time. “If you have a question, please see Joe or myself.” I think they think it’s what smart people say.

          2. bkanon*

            I’d give that one a regional pass. They’re two different emotional states in my area. If I’m bored by something, it doesn’t interest me to the point of putting me to sleep. If I’m bored OF something, I may enjoy doing it, but I’ve been engaged in that activity for some time and am ready for something else. Frex, I’m bored by golf on TV and never watch it voluntarily, but I’ve watched three hours of ski jumping so I’m temporarily bored of it.

            1. Turtle Candle*

              You know, I had never spelled it out that way, but that’s how I use them too! (Western Washington state.) “I’m bored by TV” means something different to me than “I’m bored of TV,” and the former is a much more pervasive/permanent state. The former means that I don’t like TV at all; the latter might just mean “I’ve been doing nothing but binge watching Law and Order all weekend and I’m ready for something else.”

            2. Ellie H.*

              I say bored of as default . . . I just think it makes sense! My ex used to tease me all the time about my tendency to generalize all prepositions to “of.”
              I’m interested to see “bored by” given as the alternate version though bc to me the perhaps more “correct” version is of course “bored with.” Bored BY sounds very active (it bored me, transitively) while “bored with” is an adjectival phrase

      2. MsChandandlerBong*

        Man, I wish that would have worked when I wrote in to a dental office about the error appearing on every page of their site (in the header, which was in about 30-point font, no less).

        1. Former Computer Professional*

          I’d sent in corrections before and since. This site was the unicorn. Nobody else has ever answered.

          Oh, and I must mention a certain website dedicated to “consumer problems.” Their comment policy strictly forbids making comments about grammar, and can (and will) get you banned from the site.

          They recommend that you email the different authors. The newer ones may fix the problem (but never answer your email). The older, more established authors just ignore you, leaving their glaring mistakes there for time eternal.

      3. Winter is Coming*

        My personal pet peeve is the incorrect use of the word “myself.” Makes me want to wring some necks.
        “If you need assistance, please see myself or Ned Stark.” -_-

        1. Former Computer Professional*

          “My friend and myself went to the store.”

          Well, we’re full of ourselves, aren’t we?

          1. ReadItWithSpanishAccent*

            My problem is with “I” and “me”. The answer to “who is leading this project?” is “Katy and I” or “Katy and me”?
            Oh yeah, and in/on (there is no in/on difference in Spanish). For me things are, and will always be, in the table.

            1. Drama Llama's Mama*

              The trick I learned on I/Me is to drop the other subject and see which makes more sense. So for your example, my thought process would be: Who is leading this project? I am leading this project. Katy and I are leading this project. An example from the other side: Who are the flowers for? The flowers are for (Katy and) me.

              I can’t help with the in/on thing though. That makes me think of the George Carlin bit, “F@*! getting ON the plane, I’m getting IN the plane!”

    4. Ad Astra*

      I often have the same urge. Alison, thank you for pointing out the comma splices. “However” and “but” aren’t always interchangeable!

        1. Former Computer Professional*

          Oh, dear baby Jeebus.

          One of the things that drives me further insane is paragraphs where people don’t just use commas where periods should be, but then use semicolons where commas should be!

          What the ever-loving [censored]!

          1. Sarah*

            Aggghhh, yes. I saw this today in an email: “Please remember that your property will need to have proof of vaccinations; or the vaccine declination form; for all associates by the end of the first quarter.” There don’t even need to be commas in that sentence, strictly speaking! The semicolons are just overkill.

        2. Sunshine*

          And the over use of ellipses. Ugh. It’s a habit I’m guilty of, but I have one colleague… who uses them… in the place… of any other… punctuation. Makes me feel like either he’s being censored or I read it… really… slowly in my mind. Maddening.

          1. Former Computer Professional*

            The new one is using them in place of a pause, at the beginning of the sentence.

            As in:

            Billy-Bob: “I need two teapots by 9 am. Drop everything else you’re working on.”

            Me: “…OK.”

              2. Cactus*

                Yeah, that’s how I’d write it if I were typing up a transcript of a conversation between me and my most irritating co-worker and sending it to my husband. Not if I were sending an actual e-mail at work!

          2. Red*

            Wow, that actually hurt my internal voice a little bit to read that. I can’t stand all those… ellipses.

            Almost worse than that is when people use not enough, or too many full stops.

            “Have a great day..” (Not sure if it’s a typo?)

            “Have a great day…………………” (Or, what?)

          3. Ann Cognito*

            This is something that drives me crazy too! I had a colleague who did it… all the time… Everyone she sent emails to commented on it and we wondered if she realized how slow it made her seem.

    5. EmilyG*

      It’s so fingernails on a blackboard to me. There’s a fashion blog that I like but find almost impossible to read because literally every other sentence contains one or more comma splices. I just scroll through and look at the pictures. AAAGGGGHHHGHH.

    7. Tara*

      I’ve been applying to jobs and have yet to find ONE job listing where there wasn’t at least one spelling mistake. Once I actually got confused, because they wanted proficiency in “Microsoft Suit” and I was like… Hmmm… Never even heard of that program before, maybe this one won’t work for me. It’s only later it donned on me that they likely meant “Microsoft Suite” referring to Excel, Word, etc.

      1. Former Academic*

        I hope you take this in good humor and understand why I couldn’t let this go by… It’s “it dawned on me” not “it donned on me”

        1. Aunt Vixen*

          As long as we’re on the subject, I’ve been seeing a lot of “weary” where I’m 90% sure the writer means “wary.” Not that it’s not also possible to be bone tired of the things people are saying they’re “weary” of, but in the context it is almost always more likely that they mean they are cautious as a result of previous experience. The confusion almost certainly comes from the fact that the verb “wear” is pronounced the same as the first syllable of “wary,” of course, but my god, it’s not “wear-y,” and it’s making me very sad.

    9. Jo*

      I saw a job listing the other day that that required a “bilingual” potential candidate who spoke English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. I was tempted to apply and explain that this is why they need me.

    1. MashaKasha*

      Yeah, I don’t even know what that place is or what it’s called, and I don’t want it now, either!

    2. alter_ego*

      Yeah, they seem to think people are faking an “I don’t want this job now, anyway” response as a way to save face, rather than as a response to this totally over the top rejection.

    2. WYLW*

      Not every company needs to be “publicly shamed”; in fact, most don’t. Sometimes it’s okay to deal with things privately.

      1. Anna*

        This is a Fortune 500 company. Calling them out isn’t really a big deal. But thank you for protecting its feelings…?

  10. Allison*

    Ugh. No one likes to feel like they’re being “handled” emotionally.

    Rejection letters are important. You NEED to tell people that they’re out of the running. But you can be brief, to the point, and respectful. “We decided not to move forward with your candidacy, but we wish you luck in your search” is totally fine.

    1. NotherName*

      Also, if you feel the need to give advice, give helpful advice about why this particular candidate was not right for this particular role.

      I guess this advice was useful in that the OP now knows she wouldn’t want to work there if it were the last place on earth.

  11. Xarcady*

    I’d be sitting there thinking, “But I *did* tailor my resume for your job, so you should have looked at it and interviewed me and hired ME!” “Cause if that’s all I need to do to get a job, I should have been hired months ago.

    Someone must have thought this was a good idea. Someone who hasn’t been unemployed and job-hunting in a long, long time.

    1. Red*

      I completely agree with that statement. When I read it, it seemed to come across as “there there little child, you’ll get a job some day, if only you become a better person”.

    2. Liza*

      Xarcady: Or somebody who has been seeing a lot of applications. It has surprised me how few do customize their resumes, or write a cover letter at all. There are so many people I want to send a link to AAM!

  13. newlyhr*

    Unfortunately, I think this kind of correspondence is the trend of the future as the workforce changes. I wonder if there is any difference between how job seekers under 25 to 30 years old read this message versus job seekers older than that.

        1. Ask a Manager* Post author

          Right, I’m not saying this is the only one around, but I don’t think it’s a trend, relative to the vast, vast majority of companies that send very standard rejections (if they send them at all).

        2. neverjaunty*

          That’s a New York Times trend (“it happened to me and my besties once or twice! I have a column for tomorrow!”), not an actual trend.

          3. pope suburban*

            Exactly. More generally, I am getting very tired of being an “easy target,” because I feel that it is holding me back substantially when it comes to being considered for positions, or getting advice on what I am doing wrong/what I should start doing in my job search. This seemingly-popular notion that I *must* expect participation trophies, and want my parents to be accommodated in my workplace, and have to be entertained by what amounts to jangling keys, is just…it’s old, and it’s false. Granted that I work for an extremely dysfunctional company, but I am the biggest stickler for measured, professional behavior in my office (I think because I have a background in law, which is more formal than this small construction business), and by everyone’s accounts, I am very levelheaded. Getting constantly bombarded with horrible, often very self-serving stereotypes about what kind of worker I am (bad, childish, bad, entitled, bad) is not only irritating, but it’s discouraging; if this is how many people in senior positions think of me, how will I ever be able to make the strides I so desperately want? This is the kind of thing that has farther-reaching consequences than one might immediately think a puff piece would.

            1. Adam*

              Back in 2008 when I wasn’t so long out of school and desperate for any job I got so mad at an article I read that said I needed to “tone down my expectations” as I wouldn’t be getting a corner office with my first gig.

              I very nearly screamed at the computer “Nooooo…REALLY?”

              1. esra*

                Love that eh? We all left school into a scorched earth economy, and got a bunch of articles chastising us for apparently wanting corner offices and six figures. Not, you know, basic entry level work.

            2. I'm a Little Teapot*

              +so much for the “self-serving” observation. Negative stereotypes of younger workers are a victim-blaming device that exploitative employers love – “it’s OK that we require they have years of unpaid internship experience/pay low wages with no benefits/employ abusive managers/whatever, because they’re a bunch of spoiled brats who need to be taught a tough lesson about the real world.”

              1. pope suburban*

                Yes! Exactly this! I’m not denying that I had classmates who maybe thought things were going to be more like a sitcom than is realistic, but even those people were capable of reflecting, reassessing, and working hard. For myself, I was raised being told that the first year or so of your career was going to be scut work, because that is how you learn and how you prove that you’re responsible enough for more complex tasks. I have no problem with that, and I don’t see myself ever becoming the kind of person who won’t make their own copy of a paper, or run a sponge over the kitchen counter. The part that sticks in my craw is the part where I am expected to do just those things, in perpetuity, for wages that are very nearly unlivable, under the “direction” of people who think nothing of disparaging me or holding the threat of easy replacement over my head so I will continue to accept blame for their mistakes. Like, yeah, I’m willing to work hard to move up, but so far, it’s been a lot of miserable work for jack squat, because of this exploitative game that working post-2008 has turned into.

          4. TootsNYC*

            oh yes–the NYTimes trend!

            Three incredibly rich co-ops on the Upper East Side require your pet to meet the board, and suddenly “co-ops are increasingly demanding that your pet be scrutinized…”

        3. Anna*

          Yeah, but what if you and the OP got it from the same company? Not a trend, just a weird coincidence.

    2. Kristine*

      I fall in the 25-30 age range and I think this email is completely ridiculous. If someone actually needs their hand held in order to deal with a job application rejection, we’ve got a greater problem.

      1. Felicia*

        I also am in the 25-30 age range and I also think this email is completely ridiculous. I can’t imagine anyone thinking otherwise. I’ve also never seen or heard of such a thing before, and doubt it’s a trend.

        1. Ad Astra*

          All this, plus companies have been hiring (and rejecting) people between 25 and 30 for centuries. It’s not like young people are only now entering the workforce and subsequently changing the way we handle rejections.

          1. ashleyh*

            preach. As a 25-30 year old, I’ve always been mystified by the “young people entering our workforce OMG HOW DO WE DEAL?!?!” reactions (in my first couple years after college I went to three separate seminars where this was a topic AND it came up in an interview). Um, did you all manage to make it to a perfectly responsible age of 32 before you had a job? Is this a new phenomenon where recent college graduates are looking for jobs? Please explain.

            2. Honeybee*

              But we’re so DIFFERENT. We’re digital natives! We grew up with our smartphones glued to our hands (even though they didn’t really come out for consumer use until 2007) and our faces in the Twitter and the Facebook (even though they didn’t become even close to what they are until we were in or done with college) and used to instant gratification for everything (seriously…what?)

              1. Tau*

                Haha, this. “But you grew up with mobile phones and Facebook and instant connectivity!” Uh, no… I… didn’t? If you’re older than me, shouldn’t you remember better than me what the 90s were like?

    3. Ife*

      I am 26. I am disgusted and mortified by this email response. It reads like it was written by some immature friends I had in college — but at the time, they were 20 and not in charge of anything important!

    4. Kelly L.*

      I bet a lot of the people going o.O in these comments are 25-30! I’m an old, at 38, but I know a lot of regulars are younger.

      1. Jinx*

        I’m 23, and my response to the letter was “wut?”. Rejection letters don’t need to read like a fitness app. Honestly, it freaks me out when companies try to be edgy to connect with younger people. Talk to me like an adult!

        1. OfficePrincess*

          Yes this is very “How do you do, fellow kids”. Sorry, but no. This does not appeal to the younger crowd you the way you think it does.

          1. alter_ego*

            I bet the guy who wrote this sits in his chair backwards so that he can have a “jam sesh” when he’s giving feedback to his interns and young hires.

            1. Artemesia*

              And drinks caffeine water before he goes into a ‘brainstorming session with his team.’ Always want a magic marker when I come across that ad in bus stops.

          2. OriginalEmma*

            I feel like this letter would only be acceptable if it was delivered and read aloud to OP personally by Steve Buscemi.

        3. Wutwhat?*

          Ok Jinx .. but you’re going to have to stop saying “wut” instead of “what”.. seriously, it’s only one more letter. L.O.L

        4. Cactus*

          THANK you. I’m 27, I don’t need this kind of condescending crap OR to be courted as a rockstar/ninja/whatever. Just use plain English and basic descriptions and be professional.

      3. Afiendishthingy*

        Yeah, I’m 31 so I guess I no longer qualify as a youngster, but I think even a year ago I would have wanted to vomit reading that rejection.

      1. Ad Astra*

        I do occasionally meet people who kind of need some hand-holding in these situations, but it doesn’t make sense for the company to be the one doing it. It pretty much guarantees that anyone who might be a strong candidate for a different position down the road will opt not to apply with this company. The people who may be soothed by it are immature and not fully aware of professional norms, so making a good impression with them is not really a benefit.

    7. Allison*

      I’m 26 and I would NOT want to receive a message like that. Nor have I. Any time someone feels they have to manage my feelings when they give me bad news, I feel extremely insulted. I’m not a little girl, I don’t want to be spoken to like one, yet for some reason, some older adults think they need to talk to me like I’m 6. I’m 26, I can handle rejection just fine, and even if I couldn’t, that would be my problem and not something others should have to help me deal with, especially people I barely know.

    8. Zillah*

      I’m 27, and I rolled my eyes so hard my migraine from two days ago came back.

      Not really. But still. This is so absurd.

    9. Gandalf the Nude*

      I’d call this more of a fad than a trend.

      And add me to the list of 25-30 year olds who would be relieved to be rejected by these loons.

    10. Lucy Honeychurch*

      I’m 22 and think this is ridiculous. I feel like young people are often especially sensitive to condescension.

      2. Doriana Gray*

        Yup. Because it happens to us so often (e.g. the 50-something coworker who kept calling me “kiddo” even though my position was higher than hers, grrr).

        1. Liz L.*

          I’m not 50 yet, but I’m sorry that happens to you. :(

          It shows your coworker cannot deal with having someone younger than she is, on a higher position.

          Perhaps you can smile sweetly at her, and tell her she reminds you of your favorite Great Aunt. ;)

    11. S.I. Newhouse*

      This particular letter isn’t a trend — this is one company being completely absurd.

      If there’s a disturbing trend as far as correspondence, it’s receiving no correspondence at all following an interview. Even if you’ve had two or three interviews. That’s just disrespectful, and it seems to be normal now.

  14. Shannon*

    That’s cocky. They’re assuming I want their job so badly that I’d go through that range of emotions. Sorry. I just want a job that’s a good fit. If you don’t think the job is a good fit for me, that by default makes it a bad fit. Some people are capable of handling their emotions like adults.

  15. Fleur*

    For those KOTOR fans out there, try reading the letter in HK-47’s voice.

    “Indifference: I never wanted to work for these meatbags anyway.”

    “Condescension: Have you considered improving your resume to avoid rejection in the future?”

    3. November*

      Derisive statement: Oh, yes, Master. Dressing for the job you want is really the only reliable means by which that job may be obtained.

  16. Retail Lifer*

    In my infinite maturity, my first reponse would have been to reply back with “DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” I probably wouldn’t have, but it would have been tempting.

    1. JMegan*

      I think I’d go with something like “No, YOU’RE sad that I didn’t get the job!”

      A version of “I’m rubber, you’re glue.” The classics never get old.

        1. Adam*

          Same. No matter how mature I grow over time, I think I will always have a weakness for “Your mom” jokes.

          1. Random Lurker*

            I made a “your mom” joke at a coworker last year after we were trading “you suck” “no YOU suck” jabs. He went to HR. Suddenly, they aren’t so funny anymore.

          2. Al Lo*

            My husband and I make “your mom” jokes all the time — which makes it even funnier when it’s about your mother-in-law.

            1. Felicia*

              My two sisters and I make your mom jokes all the time…which is funnier because we all have the same mom.

          3. Three Thousand*

            I like them best when they’re not actually insults. “I ran into some traffic on the way home.” “YOUR MOM ran into some traffic on the way home.”

          4. Honeybee*

            If you’ve ever watched Regular Show, I’m a fan of Muscle Man’s brand of your mom jokes: “You know who else likes sauerkraut on hotdogs? MY MOM!”

            And yes, he always says “my mom” and not “your mom.” The two main characters have tried, and failed, to explain to him how it doesn’t work.

      2. Dorothy Mantooth*

        In addition to “your mom” jokes, I’m a big fan of “that’s what SHE said” to ridiculous statements.

  17. Bookworm*

    Aw, this one actually makes me feel kind of sorry for them. Clearly someone thought about this rejection e-mail….perhaps put too much thought into it. I get the sense they want to represent themselves as different, fun and empathetic. Instead they sound kind of unprofessional and presumptuous.

    Still, it makes me wonder if there isn’t a slightly naive managing team behind that e-mail that started out with the goal of hoping to take the sting out of the rejection process.

    1. Stranger than fiction*

      I was wondering this too, like if it’s some clumsy attempt at being hip and helpful? But yeah it’s horrible and i also wonder if they’re trying to evoke a lot of response? Because it’s kind of hard not to when you get something so ridiculous. Maybe during their fusbol game at beer thirty they laugh and talk about the replies to this crap.

  18. Roscoe*

    I’ve gotten one like this. While I didn’t see it as condescending, I see how it can be that way. It was probably auto generated. So first, I’d be happy to have gotten anything. Also, I prefer this just to “Thanks but no thanks”, or other one line sentences people tend to send out. I guess the problem is there will be no rejection method that everyone likes. They at least tried, it just didn’t land with some people.

    1. NotherName*

      I think part of the problem is to me it sounds like a young, very male voice (I’m not saying it is, but that is the feeling I get). As a woman, it really puts my back up, as it reads like the “helpful” advice women are often subjected to by people who really either don’t know what they’re talking about or just assume that grown women are emotionally/intellectually children.

      By the way, Women of the Senate, way to show up to work in the snowstorm! Of course, this just shows how women just know they have to meet higher expectations than men to get the same respect…

      1. Artemesia*

        I think you are on to something here. I absolutely read it in smarmy bro voice — it felt like a big dose of mansplaining and condescension. So maybe that is why so many people have the visceral reaction to it.

        1. Chriama*

          “Visceral reaction” is the perfect way to describe it. It wasn’t just annoying, it was patronizing. Annoying gets an eye roll, patronizing gets my hackles up.

      2. Murphy*

        Yes! I couldn’t figure out why this letter made me want to rage-punch something so much, but this is why. It sounds like that patronizing older co-worker who wants to give me some career advice. And then tell me to smile.

        1. OhNo*

          Even worse: a patronizing younger/same age coworker, whose job is at the same level and rate of pay as you.

          Seriously, the tone of this doesn’t even strike me as older/wiser person giving out (unnecessary and unwanted) advice, it sounds like someone who is late to the party asking if you’ve heard about these new things called balloons when there’s bunches of them everywhere in the room.

    2. S.I. Newhouse*

      I didn’t read man or woman out of this letter. I just read obnoxious — which knows no gender, honestly. Definitely not a company I’d ever want to work for. Snark is great in some instances, but it’s not appropriate for job seekers.

  19. Anonymouss*

    I found it kind of funny actually.

    It feels like the rejection letter you’d get from something like Grubhub or or tumblr or something.
    I read it very much like those 404 error pages you get on some sites that are clearly meant to at least amuse you while you’re having trouble.

    It just reflects a different kind of company culture. and if I knew it came from a company like one of those 2 above, it wouldn’t be surprising at all for me.

    1. Roscoe*

      I agree. This job definitely has a culture that they promote. If you are really put off by this, you probably wouldn’t fit in well there anyway. And thats fine. Every company isn’t for everyone. As I said, I found it entertaining

    2. Kelly L.*

      To me, it’s kind of not goofy enough to be funny? Like…to be funny it should be further over the top. This just comes off as condescending IMO.

          3. Chriama*

            “The failure mode of clever is asshole”. Can we get stickers of this made to hand out to random people we encounter. This is brilliant.

            1. AnonEMoose*

              I’ve thought about having badge ribbons printed to hand out at the science fiction convention I help fun…but then I thought I’d probably have a little too much fun with them.

      2. Former Diet Coke Addict*

        Yeah, exactly. It doesn’t even read like funny was the intention, it reads like it was intended to actually be helpful! I mean, it gives sincere advice about tailoring the CV! That’s not comedy, and the light tone isn’t enough to tip it over into funny.

        1. Anonymous Poster*

          That’s what I thought, too: they think they’re being helpful. How many times have people written in to this blog with, “I was told there were more qualified candidates. What does that mean?” And I frequent a FB page of job hunters and they’re always trying to dissect the professional rejection to find the hidden meaning. I know there is no hidden meaning, but some people actually believe this. I see this type of letter addressing that type of job hunter.

          Still wrong. Just my opinion on their motivation. Still wrong.

      3. Rusty Shackelford*

        Yeah. Like they’re trying to be Woot and really, really not hitting it. This would be awesome if they’d only made it actually funny, but it fell flat.

    4. Ad Astra*

      I got a rejection from Groupon once. It read: We wanted to let you know that we’re moving ahead in our search for candidates who we feel are a closer match to what we need. Though we’re aware these messages are never welcome, we hope that you (as we would ourselves) appreciate knowing your status.

      You can be a company that uses fun, casual copywriting without being condescending in your HR messaging.

    5. The Cosmic Avenger*

      I agree, I would have taken it as it was (probably) intended, as a way to soften the blow with humor. I didn’t think it was all that funny, but it was cute. And smarmy, maybe, but I’ve learned to gloss over that as a lot of my friends like to overdo the smarm factor on purpose for comic effect. Maybe that’s a coping mechanism for socially awkward people, but if you know your audience (or more to the point, you know that your audience knows you), it can work.

      I’m also not saying this rejection letter was a good idea, since most people seem to dislike it, but I wouldn’t have thought to take offense.

    6. Alienor*

      Yeah, I think they were aiming for something funny and sympathetic – kind of a “we’re on the same level and get you” thing – but missed the mark. It reminded me a lot of the current popular writing style on some blogs and websites.

  20. Jerzy*

    This makes me think of those women who, as soon as they get engaged/married/pregnant, look at their childless, single friends and say, without any provocation: “Don’t worry, sweetie. There’s someone out there for you, too.”

    Grrrr….

    1. Allison*

      Or, when I’m going through a breakup, someone immediately chimes in with “don’t worry, there’s someone out there for you!” and it’s like, I’m not worried about never finding anyone, I’m sad because breakups are sad! Worst is when people give me unsolicited advice on how to find a man and how to have a successful relationship next time, mere days after the breakup. Let me have my mourning period, damnit!

      1. MashaKasha*

        I’m going through one now (second one in 5 years, following a 20 year marriage) and I have stopped telling my friends (except you guys, because we’re all BFFs here), because I’m getting the same reaction from everyone.

        Me: oh hey i’m now single and I’ve got weekends free and I am also now considering moving to (another area) since now I can
        All of my male friends: Cool! Wanna go out????
        All of my female friends: WHAT! Again? Why are you struggling to find a man?

        This is why, before a breakup, you’ve got to make sure there’s a dog in the house. A dog will never give you any of this sh!t. A dog does not jump to crazy assumptions. I dropped the ball on this one, as well… no dog atm.

        1. KR*

          Cats too! My cat is probably happier when my long-distance boyfriend is away. She gets all my attention and love, there’s more space for her in the bed and I don’t go out of the house nearly as much.

          1. MashaKasha*

            Actually, you’re right! This last one happened a month ago when my son was home on break with his (and his gf’s) two kittens. Those little guys showed me a lot of support!

          1. MashaKasha*

            Thanks! But it’s really for the better in the long term. Things weren’t working in the way that they would’ve gotten terrible down the road. It takes some time to get to know each other well enough that you both get to the point where you can finally tell if it’s good for the long term or not.

        3. Allison*

          “All of my male friends: Cool! Wanna go out????”

          I get this too, although it’s usually the subtle (but painfully transparent) “I’m so sorry . . . so, uh, you wanna get a drink sometime?” message.

          When I get dumped, I tell my closest friends first, because I need someone to talk to. After that, it’s disclosed on an as-needed basis because I don’t need to be flooded by all the pity and half-assed sympathy, and guys trying to white-knight their way into a relationship with me.

          1. MashaKasha*

            Yeah I’m slowly learning. I’ve now divided my male friends into several groups, for future breakups: “tell him right away because he’ll help”, “tell him in a few months”, “do not tell under any circumstances, and lie about you and the ex moving in together and a recent proposal if he asks.” heh heh

        4. Cactus*

          During my last breakup, I told almost no one for nearly a month: just my mom and my therapist. I didn’t trust my co-workers not to be butts about it, I didn’t want weird sympathy crap from anyone, one of my friends had tried to hit on me mere days beforehand so I was feeling cynical about telling anyone who might tell him, etc. My cat and I handled that mourning period alone, together, and it was one of my best ideas.

      2. CM*

        This letter actually reminded me of being broken up with with someone who you weren’t really into, but who is convinced that you’re going to be devastated. “I’m so sorry, but it’s just not going to work out. But you’re a really great girl and you deserve to find someone who really cares about you! I really believe you’re going to find that special someone!” And then they send you a sympathetic text a few hours later, asking if you’re okay.

    2. Sunshine*

      Someone actually said this to me when I found out she was dating the guy I had a thing for. Many, many moons ago, and she and I were friends/coworkers at the time. They hid it from me for a couple weeks, then when I found out, this is the speech she gave me. “You’ll find someone.” Ugh. People are the worst sometimes.

    3. Windchime*

      “You’ll find someone when you least expect it”. Also see: “You’ll find someone when you stop looking!” and “You have to love yourself, first!”

  21. Chriama*

    Hmm, reading this I honestly feel like it was written by someone without much professional work experience. Someone who would tell you to send hiring managers a $2 Starbucks card when mailing your resume to force an interview, and someone who would be impressed by “gimmicks”. Maybe someone who has a blog where they post cheesy articles about “building a personal brand” that include designing business cards with your personal logo on them. Just… weird all around, and seriously out of touch with professional norms.

  22. Not So NewReader*

    I wonder what kind of a letter you’d get if they decide not to give you that raise or promotion?

    Can you picture a letter from these people saying “you’re fired”? omg.

    3. Allison*

      “Can you picture a letter from these people saying “you’re fired”? omg.”

      Have you seen Up in the Air? It’s about a guy who goes around the country firing people, as a third party service for downsizing companies. Part of his schpiel includes things like “we know how hard this must be” and explaining that it’s an opportunity to make a change. Come to think of it, it’s a super condescending speech.

      1. Artemesia*

        I have a brother in law who did this as a consultant and yes he was irritating and smarmy — I’ll bet being fired by him was a real thrill.

        On the other hand my husband dealt with people whose business failures had led to personal bankruptcy often in their 50s or older. He gave a speech kind of like this to these shattered couples who thought the world had ended. He would get them talking about what other dreams they had had for their lives before they chose the business efforts that had failed. I remember him telling me about one guy who decided he had always wanted to live in Kansas City. A few years later my husband got a note from him from Kansas City where he was happy as a clam.

        2. neverjaunty*

          That is lovely. And of course the difference is that your husband was genuinely trying to get people through a difficult time, not just giving them hair pats as he shoved them out the door.

      2. I'm a Little Teapot*

        Ugh. Few things enrage me more than being told a bad thing is actually a good thing. If someone fired me and told me it was an opportunity, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist the urge to tell them “Thanks for insulting me in order to pat yourself on the back.”

  23. Liana*

    “Did you know a CV tailored to a specific application is four times more likely to get an interview than using a generic CV?” BY JOVE, THEY’VE FIGURED IT OUT.

    UGH. We’re all adults here – you don’t need to babysit our emotions. Honestly, someone probably read some half-assed article on The Way Millenials Are and decided that since we’re all apparently needy overachievers, they should write their rejection letters based on that.

  24. Myrin*

    Also, wouldn’t the most common emotional reaction to receiving a rejection be disappointment? Why didn’t they think to include that? It’s so obvious!

    1. A Bug!*

      Whoever wrote that letter is a person who thinks that “sour grapes” is the inevitable response to rejection. It’s no surprise that they aren’t familiar with how normal people would react!

  26. Naomi*

    Ugh. It’s not even that the advice is bad, because Alison is always reminding people not to take rejections personally because someone else might have been a better fit. But the employer should do applicants the courtesy of assuming they already know how to take rejection like adults.

  27. Mallory Janis Ian*

    OP: “But I wanted to get your opinion, since perhaps it’s just because I am still in the disbelief stage.”

    Ha! I was in the disbelief stage, too, by the time I’d reached the end of their letter.

  28. Gandalf the Nude*

    Hi,

    Okay, it’s the response you probably weren’t expecting. Thank you for your consideration. Rejection is tough, and it’s kind of you to prepare applicants for that roller coaster of emotions. I had some ideas for some emotions you could add to your list:

    Relief: We know you need a job, but think about the bullet you just dodged! We’re pretty presumptuous and condescending in our rejection letter, and it is likely that’s what we would have been like to work with!

    Satisfaction: It can be annoying to waste time applying and interviewing for a job that seems great on paper only to find that they rely on bizarre workplace fads and office trends du jour. Since you weren’t a good culture fit here, you’re probably a good fit for a job someplace you’d actually want to work. Did you know that businesses that hire based on substance instead of flash are more likely to recognize and retain good employees?

    Super relief: The good old “That really isn’t the place for me.” Let’s be real, we really aren’t the place for everyone. When it comes down to it, only a few people will survive our bizarre hiring process and still actually want to work for us, and only one will actually be hired. So, please, thank your lucky stars it wasn’t you.

    4. Carrie in Scotland*

      You win the comments Gandalf.
      I’m actually wondering if you sent this, they’d hire you…

    6. Elle the new Fed*

      “When it comes down to it, only a few people will survive our bizarre hiring process and still actually want to work for us, and only one will actually be hired. So, please, thank your lucky stars it wasn’t you.”

      Reading this gave me flashbacks to the candidate who had to cook dinner for some of the staff with 20 other candidates as part of his interview….

    7. A Bug!*

      Yeah, but they can’t use your suggestions; it just wouldn’t flow right. The punctuation is all wrong: you’ve got everything right where it’s supposed to be.

    9. Lee Ann*

      Awesome – I was going to add relief! Though the time I felt it, it was when the interview made it obvious it was a very bad fit, but I was on unemployment and if I’d turned it down that would stop.

  30. KR*

    I feel like something as serious as someone not getting a job shouldn’t be something companies should joke around with, because for all the company knows their applicant could be facing a mortgage foreclosure or be defaulting on their student loans.

    4. Donna*

      I feel the same way. It’s as if the author has no clue that some people have to work in order to eat and pay for shelter. There’s so many situations that an applicant could be in–homeless, in a toxic or abusive work environment, or in danger of losing their homes as you said. I’ve been in all of these situations and if I would have received a letter like that, I probably would have sent it to the local news along with some statistics on unemployment and poverty.

    5. Mookie*

      Yep, whole response had a triumphant, gleeful sadism about it, like something Nelson Muntz would say when he was older and more verbose but just as full as ever of schadenfreude.

  31. ArtsAdmin4Life*

    In my other life as a playwright, I get these kinds of rejections at least a dozen times a year, as if the gatekeeper assumes that as an artist, I can’t handle being let down without it being sugarcoated. It’s grating, infantilizing, and just makes the gatekeeper seem unprofessional. You don’t want to work for or with someone you speaks to you that way.

  36. Sparky*

    I’m confused because the rejection letter doesn’t address the amount of gumption the applicant demonstrated. Was it just the right amount, not enough or too much? Or the right amount, but the wrong kind of gumption. How can the applicant learn from this if they don’t talk about gumption?

    1. So Very Anonymous*

      I too thought there should have been a “Gumption: ” paragraph. In fact, it made me question the hiring company’s commitment to gumption — it seemed gumptionless to not address the applicant’s gumption levels. YOU CAN NEVER USE THE WORD “GUMPTION” ENOUGH.

  37. Emmy Rae*

    I once had a rejection letter where they took the time to personalize it to our interview – they wrote “I wish you luck in finding a job that provides X and Y [aspects I said I was looking for in a role].” I wrote back and asked for feedback and they never responded.

    I appreciated the demonstration that they had taken a close look at me but would have much preferred feedback!

  38. Nethwen*

    This reminds me of one of my first meetings at one company. They announced a big change, but prefaced it with a speech about how people don’t like change and often experience grief at loosing what is familiar. They then explained the different stages of grief and gave people a few seconds to work through the first stages, before saying something like, “Now that you’re past the denial stage, these are the logistics of the change.” Then they suggested that people had passed through the middle stages and on it went throughout the entire announcement.

    I’m sure it was kindly meant, but as a young professional, I kept wondering why all these people who had been in the profession for years were so emotionally unstable that they needed to be delicately walked through a change. I know we were a stereotypically nostalgic profession, but come on! Also, people don’t progress through the stages of grief at the same speed nor at a convenient pace, so that part was silly. Additionally, the reasons they gave for why people wouldn’t like the change had nothing to do with what I was thinking and the reasons for the change seemed out of touch with what would happen in all but the most well funded departments.

    1. Panda Bandit*

      Wow. The stages of grief aren’t even meant to apply to this kind of situation. They were meant to explain what terminally ill people are going through.

  39. JB*

    Wow.
    As a current job-seeker, I’ve recently been rejected for several positions. Luckily, I haven’t been rejected in this way. This seems very rude. I’d much rather get a straightforward “Thank you for you interest in the position. We have deciede not to move forward with you.”

    1. The_artist_formerly_known_as_Anon-2*

      I said this before – once, I interviewed with a public utility – during a period that I was out of work.

      I was informed – they had around 400 responses to the listing. After eliminating “gumption” applicants and others whose qualifications didn’t match, they called in five, and I was one of the five.

      I was told –

      a) the process was going to be completed THIS week!
      b) you will get a call from me EITHER way.
      c) if you are the successful candidate – I will make the offer on that phone call, I will give you a dollar amount, which is not negotiable but we feel it will be fair, and we will want a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from you at that time.

      Well, at the end of the week, I received a courteous call that they were “leaning” in another direction and the HR guy thought he’d let me know. To me that meant they were going to make an offer to another candidate — assume that the job is going to him/her. BUT – “thank you for coming in!”

      Not the answer I’d like to hear BUT – most definitely a professional way to do things. I wouldn’t be bugging them AND I knew I could move forward in other directions.

  40. GreenTeaPot*

    I once received a rejection letter that read, “Since we have hired another candidate whose qualifications better meet our needs, we no longer have any need of any information you may have.”

    As if I had been bombarding them with info…

    1. Donna*

      That’s weird. I wonder if the writer meant your references and transcripts and just had a brain fart?

    5. GreenTeaPot*

      I was baffled by it. I am quite certain that any “information” I might have provided at the time I applied was succinct.

  41. nicolefromqueens*

    I’m almost officially 32 and I want to send them an equally snark “rejection application”.

  42. FD*

    I do want to give the rejection writer a bit of the benefit of the doubt. Getting rejected from a job you were interested in can be unpleasant, and I suspect that this came from a genuine desire to make it a bit easier.

    Now, the way they tried to do that was completely awful, but I do want to at least credit them with seeing applicants as people instead of numbers.

    1. Bookworm*

      Those were my thoughts exactly. It seemed like a genuine attempt to give a thoughtful rejection, with sort of a reminder that “it’s not about you, it’s about the specific job/sheer number of candidates”.

      That said, I might rankle a little at receiving this.

      1. FD*

        Exactly. I think the intention was good but it definitely comes across as ‘You’re too dumb to work this out yourself.’

  43. Sybil Fawlty*

    I wonder if they’ve been getting a lot of angry phone calls and/or emails from rejected candidates, and tried to address all of those issues in the rejection letter?

    I agree, it’s not a great letter, but I think it was an attempt to be thoughtful. I’d rather get a letter like this than no response at all.

  45. Three Thousand*

    It occurs to me that this letter might have been written by someone who deals with a lot of angry rejected applicants and is trying to preempt some of that hostility. I could sympathize if that were the case.

    1. Tomato Frog*

      That was my assumption. But instead they just created hostility in a brand new set of people.

  46. The_artist_formerly_known_as_Anon-2*

    I wouldn’t want to work for a company that did this – and then see that company go to a down cycle –

    And then, apply to a job at a company where a rejectee who got this letter in the past is reviewing job applications.

    How you treat people in the application/interview cycle reflects not just on your company but everyone who works there.

    If someone is informed he’s not going to move forward in the interview process, but is informed in a professional manner, you’ve still probably left a good impression on him.

    If you choose to rankle the candidates you reject, it may come back to haunt you, or anyone who worked in your firm. Think about that.

  48. Mockingjay*

    I got the impression that this letter is the result of a staid company hiring a consultant to make their image more “relevant.”

    Epic fail.

  51. Buzzword Bingo*

    This reminds me of a Nigerian scam email. “Hello and greetings, I am certain the joy you are experience to find myriads of fortune in larder are past emotion! But and also you feel doubt, to the reasonable mind this is the prodigious and therefore not actual?”

    This is the saddest thing I’ve seen in some while.

  52. Audiophile*

    I received a rejection like this one time, from a startup/tech company. It ended with: “I am sorry this isn’t the answer you were hoping to receive.” They lost me as a potential employee, somewhere in the middle. I wouldn’t apply to work there again.

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