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Fun with Rejection Letters

Jan 17, 2011#1

Dave

So today my wife got a rejection email for a job she applied for. There were two things which immediately leaped out at me. First, the letter was from my place of business, Bellevue University. Secondly, the rejection wasn't the only part of the email.

Reading from bottom to top it went like this:

From Boss to Admin Assistant: blah blah blah...we need to send out an email to the applicants who are not getting interviews.

Admin Assistant to Boss: Can I get a list of names?

Boss to Admin Assistant: Here's the "non-qualified" folder. I've already sent emails to those who are in the qualified folder.

*Boss's generic email telling the candidate that they were good but she looked elsewhere*

That's what my wife received - an email saying she didn't even get looked at and then a rejection worded all flowery. She forwarded it to me and I fired off to the Admin Assistant and her boss:

Just a quick note. My wife applied for a position here at Bellevue University and was sent this email turning her down. We understand the job market and the fact that some people won’t be qualified for every position, but it probably would have been a good idea to edit or change the email string so as not to embarrass or discomfit applicants who are already feeling the pressures of non-employment. To receive an email that explicitly states that they were not even considered make the denial email look almost disingenuous.
Again, we are not overly upset at the rejection as we understand the inherent difficulties in the current job market, but I feel this could have been handled better.

I got back a very speedy note from the boss apologizing in very generic terms. Then I got this one from the Admin Assistant:

I am very sorry that I sent out the email that you received. This is out of character for me since I am always making sure my work is done correctly. I will just need to double check and recheck as I always have done in the past. I can assure you this was an honest mistake and it will not happen again. I appreciate you bringing this to my supervisor’s attention so I can correct what is wrong.

The job applied for? Administrative Assistant (Level 2).

Jan 17, 2011#2

Thread Necromancer

thought: fire them all, they can't do their jobs right. If we could rid ourselves of the ineptitude then we could clear a lot of space for people who are will and able to do the job right. End of thought.

Jan 17, 2011#3

CrimsonSoul

At least they didn't tell her that they needed a little more information from her and send her here to finish out the rest of the application for her interview

Jan 17, 2011#4

Krisken

I get a strong feeling your wife would have done a better job than that assistant.

Jan 18, 2011#5

fade

Nice vocabulary.

Not sarcastic in the least, either.

Jan 18, 2011#6

makare

In my experience any kind of formal apology generally comes off as obnoxious.

Jan 18, 2011#7

Chibibar

you know Dave, this got me thinking. I was reading our job descriptions (my wife and I) and realized that my wife barely qualify and probably wouldn't even get the job today (compare to other applicant that we get here) BUT..... she is indispensable to her group. She picks stuff up quick and now people go to her for questions and stuff.

This brings me to the point of "non-qualify" if it is anything like our college, it is more than likely a group of people just look at a minimum (bare numbers) like years of service they are looking and degree and just weed down the pile without looking other stats until round 2 of the "qualify" pile.

When I am on a hiring committee, I always try to look at all apps at LEAST and see if there is a gem or two in there and discuss with the group.

Jan 18, 2011#8

Dave

The biggest problem is that they probably already had someone in mind but they HAVE to interview candidates. They just have to throw something in that totally ignores a large portion of the population. In this case the job was for Administrative Assistant and they were asking for experience with Microsoft Project and Project Management experience. You know, something an AA would never need?

Jan 18, 2011#9

Chibibar

Dave said:
The biggest problem is that they probably already had someone in mind but they HAVE to interview candidates. They just have to throw something in that totally ignores a large portion of the population. In this case the job was for Administrative Assistant and they were asking for experience with Microsoft Project and Project Management experience. You know, something an AA would never need?

oh.. I hate those too. If they have someone in mind then they should have kept it internal. Our college allows that since our college don't have a "promotion" type. If you want a pay raise, you have to apply for the next position up

my boss has been trying to get my title upgrade from a 2 to a 3. No dice, but I have enough qualification to go to a 3 if I apply at other campus..... weird huh?