Adventures in job hunting: I got an actual apology!

At 11:22 this morning, I get the following email:

Hello [CANDIDATE_FIRSTNAME],

Thank you for applying to our Junior Marketing Coordinator opportunity at [X Company].

We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to review and apply to our organization. For this position, we received a high volume of candidates and although your qualifications were impressive, we will not be moving forward with your application at this time. Please feel free to apply to other opportunities that become available with [X Company]

We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Kind regards,

Holly [——–] , HR Manager

The email was indeed addressed to ‘CANDIDATE_FIRSTNAME’. I edited out the company name and her last name for privacy reasons. She may suck at her job but I still don’t want to be mean enough to publicly put her on blast. Anyways, my rejection email came addressed to “Candidate_FirstName”.

Naturally, my first thought was “Wow, they couldn’t even take the extra step to insert my actual name in the form field for the automatic response they send to candidates they’re not considering!”

COOL!

I clearly didn’t get considered for this position at all. Which is sad because I spent over a half hour on the application. What a waste of my time…

At 11:37 am, I get another email:

Hello [My Actual Full Name Used],

My sincere apologies for the recent email I sent you. Unfortunately the template did not update correctly to insert your name and for that I am truly sorry.  

Regards,

Holly [——–] , HR Manager

Okay, so she apologized. Do I give her credit? I mean, at least she apologized. On the other hand, she is still sending out pretty tone-deaf generic emails to people and form-filling their names so she doesn’t even have to type them in. So, does she really get credit for not being able to do the one and only step required to sending a rejection email?

I spent a half hour to submit my application and had to submit three references up front and she couldn’t even form-fill my name in the rejection email? LOL What is life?

Some days… some days I feel like I’m really wasting my time with this whole working world. I think I’m just going to run away to the Seychelles and sell fruit on the beach for the rest of my days…

Sincerely,

CANDIDATE_FIRSTNAME (lol)

82 thoughts on “Adventures in job hunting: I got an actual apology!”

  1. Hello Candidate_First name,
    I’d applaud her apology because it’s not easy to admit fault and then apologise. It really isn’t. You’re not wasting your time, if you really want it.
    I’m curious. Please, oblige. What was your previous job/did you have any? Why’d you not have one now?

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    2. I was a Communications/PR/Marketing Manager. It’s a long story as to why I got fired, but, it’s also something I’m not legally allowed to talk about. When I accepted my giant severance cheque, I did so signing a legally-binding NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) so that what I know about the company stays inside of my head and cannot be talked about without me being sued.

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  3. “I think I’m just going to run away to the Seychelles and sell fruit on the beach for the rest of my days…”

    I’m dead 😂 That actually doesn’t sound so bad though 😂

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      3. Of course, but I think I would miss the cold and other seasons sometimes 🤔 But if you don’t need that, you should definitely go for it 😂👍

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Oh, sister in unemployment, I rec’d this one this morning. They did address it to me, but instead of being signed by a person it came from the company HR Team.

    “Thank you for your interest in (company name) and your application for the position of (title of position).

    Unfortunately, it was a very competitive process due to the response we received to the position, and we’re sorry to inform you that you will not be progressing to the next stage.

    Please be sure to check our careers site, regularly for new openings.

    We also invite you to join Stella, a private network of Fortune 1000 companies that are all in search of top talent. By reviewing your background and experience, Stella will identify if there are other jobs in the network, including those at our company, where you would be a strong fit. Learn more and join Stella here.

    We wish you success as you pursue new career opportunities.

    Kind regards,
    (Company) HR Team

    Hate that I didn’t make it farther on this one. I thought my qualifications for it were great and I’d at least get an in-person interview. It’s such a pain! I’m getting ready to go on vacation for a couple of weeks to see family in Wales, so am worried about stalling other possibilities I’ve got going. But I just have to trust that the right job is coming.

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    1. It’ll come. Your job will come. I have to believe that. Sending you love and luck and positive vibes. Also, Enjoy Wales. You need some time! Don’t let the holiday hold you back.

      In the mean time – what is Stella? A cult? Sounds a litle fishy to mee….

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  5. At least she didn’t address you as a number which is also terrible…

    Hello candidate 3041782, thank you for your application. At this time, Holly is too hungover from yesterday’s festivities to properly address you by your real name. Unapologetically, company_X

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    1. Doesn’t it sound like an exhilarating life? I think it would be awesome. New people coming through each season – never having to get sick of anyone because they’re always tourists so they go home after a while and I just get to stay in paradise? This seems like a better dream to have…

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      1. Follow your heart – we’re all just passing through I don’t know why we stop so long when we want to be someplace else – I like the quote about you aren’t a tree – move! Life is so short and really failure is not at all what we think it is and when we actually go where it terrifies us in our thoughts to go – well angels are there too so…

        Liked by 2 people

  7. I wouldn’t work for a company this unprofessional.
    They really have to show they care about the people who spend time applying to them.
    Simple courtesy and honesty is the minimum requirement in my view.
    I rarely get angry.
    This made me angry and wishing you had a decent break soon in your job search.
    Hang in there, lady…. 😎

    Liked by 3 people

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  10. I’ll give her credit for apologizing for this reason … presumably, the letter she sent you would likely be the last contact she ever had with you. It wouldn’t have been all that strange if she didn’t bother to check, or checked, realized it was wrong and still said “Screw it.”

    So at the very least, she was decent enough to acknowledge and apologize for a pretty stupid screw-up.

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    1. I sent her an email back and just said thank you for acknowledging that I am a human being and that I deserved to at least have my generic rejection email addressed to me. Kind of like a… I’m thankful, but you also don’t get a ton of credit email.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. I wrote an comment today on your post but it seems to got deleted 😅 I wrote that it sounds sad what happened but good that you got an apology. I also am struggling with finding a job because of anxiety and always get those standard emails which I don’t like. It’s strange that even putting your name on it was too much work for them.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Oh, I never saw it. Thank you for leaving it again! Perhaps the last one got lost in the the web-universe somewhere.

        I completely understand you with the whole anxiety thing. I struggle a lot with anxiety too. When it comes to looking for a job though, all you can really do is face the fear and hope that it’ll put you in a better place!

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Ok. Well. I think with so many of us there’s someone that can accommodate you getting a job elsewhere. Sometimes, you are exactly what someone’s looking for but not right now in your area. Your, physical area. If I had space, I’d say come give it a try in Arizona. I’m sure you’d crush these interviews down here.

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    1. If I thought it would be possible to get a visa for the States, I’d head south of the border in a heartbeat. And Arizona? No winter? Sign a girl up.

      With a skill set in Digital Marketing/PR, I don’t think the States would ever grant me a visa to work there though. Sadly!!!

      Maybe I should marry an American?

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Ha. Yeah, I see people in parkas at 15 Celsius here. Our winter.

        Yes. I’m sure you’d have your pick of the guys here in America. Canadians are always really pretty, ha ha. Must be all that inexpensive healthcare and fresh air and water.

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      4. I just tell people I was fired. Then, they only verify I worked there. it leaves, the curiosity unaided.

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  15. I have to admit that I find her to be rather ridiculous. I am not sure I would personally view that apology as having much sustenance. But I suppose a small measure of credit can be given.
    Regarding your fruity idea…. that doesn’t sound half bad 😉

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    1. Trying to always see the funny side of it, even as shitty of what it is that we’re all dealing with. And the more I post these, the more I realize we’re ALL dealing with this!

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  17. I’ve noticed that we are supposed to put in so much effort, but they never do. It’s quite outrageous actually given that we will be doing the actual work.
    I’ve had job interviews where nobody was prepared and hadn’t even looked at my CV or knew anything about me. Others where I went and the person I had the appointment with was not available so I had to wait 45 minutes for some beginner to interview me. Sorry, but when companies don’t put any effort into their hiring process, I will not waste my time with them. Surely, you can find something better than this.

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  18. Ugh, I relate to this a little too much right now: I’m an elder millennial and I have been looking for a job for two months. I can’t get any traction anywhere, despite my hard work. It’s been rough. Good luck out there!

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  19. Quite frankly, job applications are one place where people can be pretty unprofessional.

    When I was applying for jobs, I was lucky to get any response at all. On the flip side, for almost every job my company posts, there are people who accept interviews but don’t even show up. I know it’s hard to believe anyone could be so flippant about a company offering them a living, but it actually happens! I don’t know what it is about job searches that makes otherwise professional people act so unprofessional.

    Anyway, I know you wouldn’t do that. I don’t know if your profession has headhunters, but in my industry, the agents pretty much do all the paperwork for you. Have you tried working with an agent?

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    1. Oh gosh, that breaks my heart a little bit to hear that people schedule interviews and don’t show up. I don’t really know that there are agents in my industry. It’s not very regulated and it’s oversaturated by a huge means, so, it’s tough. I would love to just get an interview though – to get my foot in that door somewhere. I know I could wow them if they were just willing to meet me.

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      1. It happens all the time, V. It especially sucks when you’re all excited about a new hire and they stiff ya like that. There’s gotta be headhunting agencies covering marketing around. Sorry to butt in but I thought I’d lend my recruiter 2 cents. Just remember HR’s are human and they F– up. They also deal with a lot of crap all the time 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Guess I’ve just never been the new hire anyone’s excited about because all I seem to find is this shit.

        I’d much prefer it when people just don’t write back at all rather than ‘Hello [CANDIDATE_FIRSTNAME],”

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Can you come and work in Canada? I feel like I’d have a lot more luck with someone who looks at HR like you do versus what I am finding…

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      4. Ha! 🙂 or you can move down here! Olympia. My company is looking at hiring a marketing guru on contract. Omg I would love it if you quadrupled our FB followers with your digital expertise. They think I can do everything just because I dabbled in a little design on Canva. Which isn’t true. HR people are not digital marketing gurus.

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      5. Oh man. You’re not even that far away. If I thought there was even a legal chance I’d jump on it. Facebook really isn’t that tricky either. It’s all about time of day and audience Integration.

        If you ever want any tips, in a non-creepy stranger way, I can email you.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. I forgot about the whole need to get a work-visa or whatever. How sucky! Like, you could use work, even if only temp/ project based, to get you by… and *we* could really use FB followers for my job ads AND a better website. That’s so shitty. Not that I could guarantee a job anyway… but it would be nice if there was at least the possibility of pitching you to my senior mngment people and talking you up. Dang. I’d e-mail you except I don’t want you to have to work for free. Ppl should get paid for good work.

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  20. This is one of those interesting situations where you could either say that, hey this is great. I’ve been spared from wasting any further time since this place seems like they’re not on my level.

    Or, it’s still great, because it gives you an opportunity to thank this woman for her apology and display of due diligence. You could insert yourself to nab a job helping her in her office. She obviously needs the help and no one hates a sincere compliment.

    Either way, I think this is a great opportunity for better, it just depends on how you feel about your decision.

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    1. I told her thank you for her apology and I hope that she considers what she did to me as a reminder there’s human beings behind the form-filled rejection letters she sends out and I hope that she provides candidates in the future more respect.

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      1. Yeah I scrolled up and saw it right after I posted my comment and rolled my eyes to myself lol but I’m so glad you shared this. When I read it, I saw it from yours and Holly’s perspective. You’re exhausted, filling out hours of applications and pounding the pavement just to be slightly ignored (Slightly because they could’ve sent you nothing) and I imagine Holly being the overworked employee tasked with letting you and the 25+ other people waiting to hear back know that her boss is just going to hire his friend’s son anyway.

        I just wanted you to see this as a win for yourself, no matter what, because if you see everything as a win then you never stop winning.

        So, don’t get down on yourself, keep going. But if you really do just wanna go to the Seychelles then do that $hit! I wanna go there too! Lol

        Just be happy

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  21. Oh man this sucks! I do hate how generic these things are but at least you got something.

    Quite often they don’t even send them.

    I got one that had the email subject as reject before interview.

    I’d only applied a day earlier and this email was sent before the closing date.

    I was fuming x

    Liked by 1 person

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  23. Insincerity is the name of the game. I am fucking dead at your last sentence HAHAHAHA! Also, i totally fucking relate with the whole runaway to some beautiful country, live simply and find a menial fucking job.

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      1. People are overwhelmed with their work loads and it is hard for them to do things right. A lot of mergers and downsizing leads to job cuts and some are doing the job of two or one and a half. Things slip. Mistakes are made. The person replying to you may have been in that position. Sounds like someone complained about the reply hence the apology.

        Liked by 1 person

  27. Love this post, Candidate_Firstname, lol. Good luck on the job hunt, fellow millenial. I am in the middle of changing jobs right now and it’s amazing what they expect from us. Entry level positions require basically being already an expert in certain technology. And when I browse job offers and find those for typical student job positions, McDonald’s cashier level, they expect a motivational letter and 3 years of experience. I’d understand a need for a personalized letter if you are applying for a management position, or something that not everybody can do, but seriously? What are they supposed to write, “Hello, I am deeply honored that you are reading my words, working for McDonald’s has been my biggest dream ever, because I am just fascinated with burgers”?

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    1. Congratulations Candidate_LastName, I find you keenly qualified for the position of burger flipper at McDonalds. You can start next Thursday if you would like to. Please just forward me the $4,000 security deposit that all employees have to pay to work here…

      haha Yeah, job hunting is stupid. I am so with you.

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  28. to be fair, this is where the complaints about millenials ring true. Before the internet, one submitted a paper application AND there was no “rejection” call back. One was expected to call and keep calling to find out if the hiring decisions had been made. Why do you expect a personalized rejection letter? Going through the application process, its not like they OWE you anything because you did the work REQUIRED to apply for the job? This is where the stereotype “entitlement” comes from. I think it was nice for her to even try to insert name, sheesh. What personalization there once was, went out the window when technology arrived. No one writes actual thank you cards anymore, let alone letters. I’m the only person I know who actually sends out christmas cards, and gives them out. I actually make my own, to carry on the tradition that no longer exists. We all deal with a system that relies on technology, and that, is impersonal. Imagine what it is like for those of use who didn’t have to deal with this for the first half of our life. Yet, here we are blogging, using an internet benefit. I’ve accepted the depersonalization, the loss of small businessess, the inability to talk to a person, the same person, about an issue. I don’t believe society owes me an easier way, or personalization or acknowledgement. Pretty much I expect the system and learned to use it and even get some shortcuts where possible. It has helped me to give what I believe to be missing in our culture, instead of fighting or expecting what exists to be better. Idk if that makes sense. The small things I do doesn’t solve anything or change the world, but it does allow me to focus on what I can give, what can i do, versus what other’s should be doing for me. I’m not saying you are wrong in an ideal world, but really?

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    1. Calling myself, and millennials entitled here is egregious and frankly, not something I’m willing to accept.

      I never told her that she had to send me a rejection email. I never forced her to send me anything at all. In fact, much like you speak in your example of the ‘before the internet’ days, plenty of companies still choose to send nothing at all to candidates who have been rejected. And I’m fine with that. I accept that on a weekly basis.

      So I’m not sure why that makes me, or my generation entitled? Seems a little far-reaching to me.

      If a company is going to set up rejection emails to prospective candidates and auto-populate the email to form-fill in the information of a candidates first and last name, literally the HR Manager had one fucking job to do and that was to click ‘Populate’. And she didn’t do that. That doesn’t make me entitled, that makes her an idiot, and really bad at her job. She’d have been better off not sending anything at all. She probably should not be sending anything at all. But again, that’s not me being entitled, that’s me stating a fact. If she’s not capable of clicking populate, why is she sending these emails at all?

      Honestly, I’m someone who accepts all sorts of opinions and beliefs that vary from mine and I welcome them on my blog. That being said, I really take offense to your stereotyping myself, and my generation like this.

      Liked by 1 person

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