Fed Up with Rejection Letters
The Game
Rejection is part of the game, unfortunately. Or, you could be applying to a ghost job, where a company isn't really hiring, but using the job listing as a front to show that "they're doing well".
There could be a computer reading your résumé/CV, that's full of qualifications that made you apply to the role, which doesn't see the right key words to push your résumé forward to the HR department's recruiter.
It could be a spam job listing on LinkedIn from H&R Block, for example, as one specific key word in your search brings up 28 pages of roles that don't even contain your key words from your search.
I promise you, that's a thing!
What in my qualifications did not exactly align? Is there a perfect candidate?
The elusive "we regret to inform you that we pursued another candidate for the role" is super vague, at best.
Yes, you read the bullet points. Yes, they matched your qualifications. Yes, you included a cover letter that probably no one bothered to read. And, yes, you're right to be frustrated.
no-reply@JK-were-not-really-hiring-blah-blah-blah.com
The effort you put in should count for something. I promise that it does when you land the role. Using a recruiter or a career coach is also a great plus!
There will never be a "perfect candidate", but there are some unicorns that check off most of the boxes and bring a special sauce to the mix. This is only discovered at the interview phase or once someone actually beings a role and sheds their first week-first month shell of anxiety.
Are you actually seeking a person to fill a role?
Companies can just be trying to gather data on talent that's out there. They might also be collecting résumés for future roles that are in the pipeline, even though the job listing is up now. They may be trying to save face to investors by putting up ghost roles so that it looks like they're prospering and looking to hire, when in fact they're not. As a dear and wise friend of mine says: "Who's to say?"
Be mindful that personal data collection comes in various shapes and forms; there should be no need for you to give a random company your name, address, telephone number, and email, only to have it stored in their database forever, while they send you a rejection letter. That's not a good look!
Regardless of their undisclosed motives, the main motive for a company to put out a job role is to fill a need or fill a position within.
What are you asking?
You've done your research for the role. You're excited to apply to the role. The bullet points align with your qualifications. You're proud of your résumé/CV. You have a stellar cover letter that's tailored to this particular company. Yay! You finish the application and press "submit".
Now you wait.
It's not a rejection. No, it's not even a request for a phone screening or an interview. It's a long list of questions, questions that would be asked on an interview; they call it a written interview.
If you have the energy to fill something like this out, save it as a PDF and upload it, then by all means, go for it!
If you put your energy into writing a beautiful résumé and a tailored cover letter, and that still wasn't good enough to warrant a screening call or a face-to-face interview, then it's also appropriate to pass it up.
Jumping through fiery hoops should be reserved for daredevil motorcyclists flying off a ramp, through a fiery hoop, and landing on another ramp with agility and grace.
My most recent rejection letter and my response:
Are you actually interested in this candidate?
When all of the stars and planets align, and Company X wants to reach out to you, they will! It won't be a 10-page request in an essay format asking to explain why you're good or worthwhile, it won't ask what you learned in high school biology. They'll reach out to you because your résumé impressed them enough to want to reach out and request a phone call or an interview.
This will be based on your qualifications.
If suddenly this company that you've had your eye on is already asking the world of you, and you're not receiving a paycheck, AND they've suddenly become iffy, AND you're no longer inclined to care for this position.
That's really okay, too!
Note: Always have the courage to re-apply to a company or a [similar] role. Just because you weren't a fit this time, doesn't mean you're not a fit.