5 HR Rejection Phrases Everyone Has Already Heard and What They Mean
Informing candidates about not proceeding with their application is sad but also standardized nowadays.
When was the last time you applied for a job and you were rejected? If it was recently, you might still feel a bit of bittersweet taste. Any rejection is sad and hits confidence badly. Especially, when you put your heart into the application and make effort to go through rounds of discussions and case studies.
In the end, you see the light at the end of the tunnel and a potential offer. Great. But not quite fast as then you have a 10-min call with the hiring partner who announces: We are sorry, we won´t proceed this time. Alternatively, you receive an email just like these below.
1. Position has been filled
A simple message informing you that the position is no longer available or has been even canceled. It usually looks like this:
Dear candidate,
We have received your application for the position XX and we thank you for it.
We regret to inform you that the position you applied for has been filled.
We thank you for your time and interest in our company and wish you every success in your future search.
Best regards, HR
It means that you are either late with the application, or you were not selected to proceed. You can receive this one a month or two after you applied when the process is over. There is usually an internal candidate who can get this role and is trusted. They had to publish the ad, but in fact, aimed to select the candidate from the current team.
2. Your qualifications are not the correct match
You dream about a career in a certain area. Yet, have no experience in it. So, you try your luck anyway as many skills are transferable. Others are not. That is when we get this email.
Dear candidate,
Thank you for your recent application for XX. After further review we have determined that your qualifications are not the correct match for our current opening.
We encourage you to check back to our career site for other opportunities that you may be interested in.
We wish you the best of luck in your search.
Regards, HR
Not much to do here. You do not have the right educations or experience. What it means is that you maybe did not use the correct keywords in your CV. Whenever you see the job ad, think about the job and what you will be doing. If you are confident you could do it, prepare the CV in that fashion. Use the language they use in the ad, and highlight only some pieces of information.
Especially nowadays when machine learning comes in place for the first CV scanning. The closer your words, the higher the chances you could match the requirements regardless of your not perfectly fitting background. Then, during the interview, you can show them all your qualities.
3. We have someone better
This next one is annoying. It should be deleted from the HR handbook of rejections. Let´s take a look at it:
Dear candidate,
Thank you for being part of our recruitment process for Requisition XX. Although we consider you a strong candidate, unfortunately on this occasion we have identified someone whose qualifications more closely match the requirements for this role.
We encourage you to continue to visit our web to view all open positions in the company as new positions are posted daily.
Thank you for your interest in this opportunity, we wish you continued success in your career search.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely, XX
So, you are a strong candidate but there are even stronger applicants. Bummer. Especially because many have amazingly matching CVs, but then during the interview, they are not the right ones. Attitude matters a lot and soft skills qualities as well. Yet, we often have no chance to prove ourselves. What a waste!
In either way, it means that they did the scanning and rank. Yet, in my opinion, it is pointless to say the obvious. If only they had time to write exactly what they looked for, it would save a lot of candidates´ time and nerves.
4. Follow us on social media
Do you also think that rejection should not be used as a marketing tool? A friend of mine showed me this email and we laughed. Seriously, guys?
Dear candidate,
Thank you again for your interest in XX!
We wanted to take a moment to update you on the status of your application for — XX. The purpose of this email is to inform you that you are no longer in consideration for XX. We have decided to move forward with candidates whose background and experience more closely match those required for this position. Your resume will be retained in our system and we will contact you should we find a match with another available position that is a fit with your skills and experience.
We encourage you to stay connected and learn more about XX through the following:
Follow us on social — LinkedIn • Facebook • Instagram• Twitter
Login to your profile to view the status of any applications you have submitted
Visit our Careers site to view our current opportunities and apply to those in which you are qualified
If you have questions or concerns about our process, we encourage you to email us at XX.
We appreciate your interest in XX.
Global Talent Acquisition, XX
What a long vague email. The company´s name is mentioned 7x. Why? Following companies on social media is cool, but not if they reject you with such an email. Plus so much fluff around rejection. If you reject, keep it short and to the point, please.
5. We are too busy
Some communication is apologetic from the beginning. HR teams are busy and it can easily happen that for one position they receive hundreds of applications. That´s crazy. So, no surprise they have a solution for that within the first piece of communication:
Dear candidate,
Thank you very much for taking the time to apply for one of our positions. Your credentials will be reviewed and we will contact you within two weeks if your skills and experience are suitable for an open position. Due to the quantity of responses received for each job posting, we may be unable to offer a personal response to each application and further status updates may not be possible.
Your CV will be retained on our records and your qualifications will be considered for any future openings. However, please feel free to send us an updated CV should any of your contact information, experience or education change.
If you do not wish to have your details retained on our files please email XX to request for them to be deleted.
Kind regards, HR
The take-out is easy, the position was not specific enough. So, many people applied. HR people are lousy at writing job ads. They do not point out important facts very well, and then they are surprised about the number of applications. So, if you are seeking a job, choose those that are written specifically and clearly. Vague statements won´t get you closer to a new job. Don´t waste time on easy jobs.
Final Thought
Looking for a new job is not an easy task. You can feel discouraged by the rejections. However, you should never lose your confidence. Not even after receiving such rejections like outlined. Recruitment is individual. It is not about the actual skills. It is about keywords, the mood of recruiters, their stress levels, and their understanding of the job. Many recruiters don´t even know what positions they advertised are about.
Let´s then focus on job ads that have some thoughts in them. Apply for less, but with more time to prepare for the hiring process. Lastly, when you receive a rejection, spend a minute and de-code the message behind it. It might sometimes amuse you. After all, we want to work in a company that treats us with respect, not as ´not good enough´or as a marketing target. Good luck with your next endeavors!
