Rejection Letters, Good and Bad

(Dongdaemun, Seoul) Where does my future lie?

Dear qui tacet:

Thank you for your interest in Boutique Consulting Firm.

After reviewing your qualifications and our present requirements, we regret that we will not be pursuing your application further at this time. Our decision only reflects an attempt to match the talents of prospective employees with our current openings.

Your resume will be placed in our active file and we will certainly contact you should a suitable position develop.

We appreciate your interest in Boutique Consulting Firm, and wish you success in future job endeavors.

Regards,
Boutique Consulting Firm

Replies to this message are undeliverable and will not reach the Recruiting Team. Please do not reply. (my emphasis)

Was it really necessary to add that last line? Including it just looks mean, and turns off more people than excluding it would have (i.e. some disgruntled applicant that wrote a lengthy reply and got it bounced back).

Here’s a nice one from Google:

Dear qui tacet,

We enjoyed reviewing your application and greatly appreciate the time you spent applying to the Google Start Program. Due to the overwhelming response and limited amount of positions, we will unfortunately not be moving forward with your application at this time.

Here are some tips to help build your resume:

* Don’t settle for the status quo. Seek challenges, take smart risks, innovate.

* Exhibit leadership. Demonstrate your ability to influence and make an impact. Highlight how you have taken initiative and ownership of your results.

* Explore opportunities that enhance your overall background and experience. Demonstrate excellence beyond the classroom and feature activities and skills that make you unique.

For more tips, please visit www.google.com/jobs/students and click on “Getting into Google” on the left pane.

If you have any questions, please email students@google.com. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

~The University Programs Team

To be sure, it’s a form letter, but that’s well hidden by the generally positive tone. Moral of the story: If you have to say no, at least say it nicely, and those who know this are probably going to be more successful.