rejections

What to know about job rejections — why they happen, deciphering form letters, asking for feedback, and not getting discouraged.

coded HR language?

A reader writes: I have been in the search for a job for the past 9 months. I have had interviews and I have successfully been able to get my resume in front of hiring managers. As with any job search I have also received my share of rejections. I have noticed in a number […]

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belligerent rejected candidates, part 3

Here’s a conversation I had with a rejected job applicant today. He left me a voicemail inquiring about the status of his application, and I checked and saw that we had sent him an email two weeks ago to let him know that we would not be able to consider him for a position. Feeling […]

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job rejections and vitriol, part 2

About a year ago, I wrote a post about how a small fraction of job applicants respond to rejection notices with outrage, rudeness, or general vitriol, and gave a few real-life samples. Some background: My organization emails rejection notes to all applicants we don’t offer a job to. It’s a friendly and polite letter, and […]

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passed over for promotion

A reader writes: A co-worker of mine was recently promoted to an open position without any other candidates, myself included, having been interviewed. When I first attempted to talk to the hiring manager about this, he accused me of “overreacting” and acting immature. Now, my purpose is not to argue why I should have been […]

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“But I’m qualified for that job – why did you reject me?”

There’s an interesting discussion going on over at Evil HR Lady about whether it’s okay to ask for feedback when you don’t get a job, with a lot of people pointing out in the comments section that when they’ve agreed to give rejected candidates feedback, it inevitably ends with the candidate trying to convince them […]

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rejecting job candidates

In a post today, Penelope Trunk talks about the advantages of rejecting bad candidates on the spot — for instance, telling them at the end of the phone interview that they’re not among the strongest candidates and you’re going to be focusing on others. I will occasionally do this, but more often than not, even […]

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asking for feedback after a job rejection

A reader writes: What is the current protocol, or successful strategy, for contact after not getting a job? I have already thanked the panel for the interview. Is there any reason to ask for feedback? I’m always impressed when a candidate asks for feedback after not getting the job — and it there’s an easily […]

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job rejections and vitriol

My organization emails rejection notes to all applicants we don’t offer a job to. It’s a pretty damn nice letter, and we send it within a few days of knowing that we’re not moving the applicant forward in the hiring process. Sometimes we hear back from people thanking us for the notification since apparently more […]

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