I know why rejection emails suck – I write them

Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by mikeleeorg on Monday August 27, 2018 @03:50PM (#17853920)

When I was a hiring manager, I used to always include a personal note that included suggestions and constructive criticism for the candidate. In a couple of cases, those people replied to me, demonstrated some actions towards those goals, and I hired them later, when I had more available positions.

And those that I didn't hire, I encountered them at other companies. It was flattering to hear them say they remembered me and had a positive impression of our recruiting process, even though they were rejected.

I've always believed that the recruiting process is a great way to sell one's company. Even if the candidate isn't a good match, that candidate may recommend peers to the role if they have a positive experience with you.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by Mister_Snuggles on Monday August 27, 2018 @04:00PM (#17853997)

I interviewed for an internal position once and got similar feedback, by phone, from the HR person. She was on the phone with me for about an hour and, in all honesty, that rejection phone call made that one of the best interviews I've ever had.

I didn't get that job, but it gave me a lot of constructive advice and I ended up getting the next one I interviewed for.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by duxup on Monday August 27, 2018 @05:12PM (#17854607)

You'd probabbly apply again sometime right?

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by Mister_Snuggles on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @05:36PM (#17863118)

If my circumstances were the same I probably would, but circumstances have changed enough that I wouldn't apply for that type of position.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by camelCaseOfBeer on Monday August 27, 2018 @04:47PM (#17854394)

That's nice and helpful, especially since tech interviews can be taxing. Sounds like they actually liked you and probably would've hired you under different circumstances.

I had terribly frustrating experiences interviewing. Mostly just taking a bunch of tests and interviewing two, three times, and not hearing back for months. What sticks out was a post-interview for a large company that aggressively recruited from my uni. When I asked how I could have improved the answer was, "You ask too many specific questions about the company and software platform. Be more focused on the interviews." "For example?" "It isn't appropriate to discuss how wages are adjusted according to location or salaried overtime policies or the tech stack... in an interview..." I took that one as the, "not gonna drink the Kool Aid." box being checked. Dodged a bullet there, though, seeing as her answers did not exactly inspire faith.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by r00fus on Monday August 27, 2018 @04:23PM (#17854177)

> In a couple of cases, those people replied to me, demonstrated some actions towards those goals, and I hired them later, when I had more available positions.

I've seen this being automated in enterprise recruiting systems as "Candidate Relationship Management" using terms like "silver medalist" to identify and re-engage folks who didn't quite make the cut for positions they interviewed for but may be good fits for other open positions or for future pre-vetted candidates.

I applaud you for making things more human!

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by fermienrico on Monday August 27, 2018 @03:58PM (#17853974)

I appreciate people like you but unfortunately most companies' policy mandates not talking about the reasons due to some sort of legal risk of law suit.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by duxup on Monday August 27, 2018 @05:12PM (#17854603)

>When I was a hiring manager, I used to always include a personal note that included suggestions and constructive criticism for the candidate

That's seriously awesome. I would so love that. For me most of the time they just stop responding, even right after "I'll get back to you by the end of the day!" type conversations.

I don't care if it is a no, I just want to get a message, and feedback would be even better.

One company I wanted to work at recently did exactly what I described .... all hyped up meeting, we all got along, good stuff, we'll get back to you by the end of the day. Then nothing, I called a bit later, emailed, nothing.... My impression was pretty negative.

I have a job now, I'm excited to start it, that other company, very negative feelings towards that other company ... if they just sent an email even to say no I'd feel better about it, but nothing.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by bproven on Monday August 27, 2018 @04:21PM (#17854162)

I wish more people did this, but IMO this is very rare.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by tajen on Monday August 27, 2018 @04:24PM (#17854193)

I once sent 49 rejection letters (for an internship!): « Here are statistics about the 50 applications I’ve received. » Received big thanks from at least 50% of them.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by laurentl on Monday August 27, 2018 @05:32PM (#17854755)

Last internship position I opened, I received more than 100 applications. Going through all of them and replying (even with a standard template) was grueling. I did give feedback to everyone we interviewed, though.

A good 50% of the resumes were flat out wrong for the position or missing critical information. A standard rejection letter with stats like these and basic recommendations might be useful in the future. It might also trigger a lot of self-righteous justification though... Don’t know if I’m up to receiving another 100 re-submissions with cooked CVs.

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