Rejection

Excitement brushed up to my cheeks when I opened my inbox that faithful morning and saw an e-mail from THE Company. My heart started beating and my fingers slightly trembled with joy as I touched the mouse to move the cursor over the feedback e-mail. As I clicked on the bold letters, the content of the e-mail was revealed to me like a magical secret. This must have been the exact feeling that King Arthur must have had, when he finally held Excalibur in his seeking hands.

I couldn’t believe it. Finally I would get the chance to show my true potential in a personal interview. I could finally earn the recognition I secretly longed for and do my very best for the company of my dreams. Finally, I would see a face to all the names that I got to learn about via e-mail over the last days. I was pure ecstasy.

Unexpected feedback

‘Dear San,

We sincerely appreciate your interest in company and the time taken in speaking with us recently.I recalled the phone interview I have had before and nodded in anticipation. It was indeed a good interview. The HR person and I had shared a few laughs and it seemed all so very promising. My smile got bigger as I read on. After reviewing your profile and interviewing several candidates, wow, I must have made a great impression if they mention the competition I thought, eagerly reading on. the hiring manager has decided to move forward with other candidates … who more specifically fit the profile we are looking for. Say what?!?

Great, it’s raining!
Do you know that feeling when a piano drops down on you from the 5th floor? No? Well, this is it!!! Cold disappointment crashed down on me and it felt like drowning in a puddle of question marks. What? How? Why? Say? No? Kidding? April fools? Mix-up? Alternative Reality? Company Espionage? These are the first fragments that shoot in your mind after rereading such an e-mail over again. All the best to you and thanks again for your time.’Yeah, Happy New Year to you too, pal! >=(

I couldn’t believe my eyes. So, I read the e-mail again. And again. And again, again, again and just to make sure one last time. Hm. Strange, they really hadn’t mentioned a time and date for the personal interview at all. You never know. It could be a test. Testing how carefully a candidate reads his or her e-mails and does not simply jump to conclusions.

The rejection response letter

Aw, bloody optimism, I scolded myself. Well, at least I can ask them what they did not find suitable about me, right? I just have to respond in a calm, objective and polite way. And here I would like to give you my dear reader a piece of advice: If you are so incredibly disappointed at a rejection, PLEASE take your time to digest the bad news and write a response mail ONLY after the furious red dots in front of your eyes have disappeared. Trust me the outcome of that certainly passionate e-mail might lack professionalism.

Lesson learned

Don’t be blue, your time will come too!
After you have given your best in suppressing your anger, relax and take it easy. There are so many more jobs out there that might fit you even better. Who knows, maybe this was the BEST thing that could have happen to you. You never know that until you move on and that is indeed what you should do immediately after any kind of rejection.

In this regard: Good luck again!