Your application has been unsuccessful

In the world of work there are a small number of very fortunate people who have obtained their jobs without having gone through a formal application process. The rest of us have had to submit job applications and these generally require writing a cover sheet and a resume to tell employers how wonderful we are and what makes us the best person for the job.

If we are successful with the application this will generally be rewarded with an invitation to attend an interview. Here we can really demonstrate how good we are and often this will require preparing to deliver a winning performance before an interviewer or a selection panel. For those who have undertaken this difficult journey, it is useful to understand what happens after the interview, when the applicant or candidate for the position is advised of the result.

It is always a good idea at the end of the interview to ask about what happens next in the selection process. You will likely be told the time frame for completion of the interviews and when you can expect to be advised of the results. At least now you will know how long you have to wait to find out if you have been successful or not.

If you receive a phone call this is usually a good sign. On the very rare occasion an interviewer may call and explain why you have missed out on the position, but more commonly a phone call is to personally advise that you have been selected for the position or for another interview.

There are some employers that choose not to inform the unsuccessful applicants that they have missed out on the job. If you have obtained a timeframe for the decision and hear no more from the employer after the advised time, you can safely assume that you were not selected. If you want a more positive confirmation, by all means you could follow up to check what has happened.

All other forms of contact, by letter, email, SMS or fax will be bad news. What you receive in this written communication follows a fairly standard pattern with four main elements:

1.     You did not get the job

2.     There were lots of other good people who applied and in this instance we chose one of them

3.     We appreciate your interest in the job and your efforts with the application

4.     Best wishes for the future

When you understand that any written message will be a rejection and that they all follow this sort of standard pattern, why bother reading them? Let me provide you with a few real examples of these messages and how to interpret what they are saying.

You did not get the job

There is no kind way to say this and therefore the message should be clear and brief. This does not always happen however as this example shows,

I'd like to thank you all very much for applying for the advertised position.  The panel has decided to offer one position and an order of merit has not been established.  Please contact me if you would like to receive feedback.

Firstly, it appears to be addressing me as ‘you all’ and I am pretty sure there that there were no American Yankees in the interview. Perhaps this message was written by the secretary who is a Southern Kentucky belle?

No doubt the person who sent the message thinks that the applicant might be interested in the process the panel used to make its decision. What a pity there is no clear indication of where the applicant was ranked in this order of merit. Sure ‘we’ would like some feedback. Isn’t that the purpose of this message? Start with a clear statement saying that ‘we’ did not get the job!

Another common approach, no less frustrating, is to hide the bad news, presumably in an attempt to soften the blow. Consider this example where the message is placed at the end of a long winded sentence.

I refer to your application for the above position. Your claims to the position have been considered in relation to the selection criteria against which all applicants were assessed.  I wish to advise that on this occasion, your application has been unsuccessful.

The more of these messages that you read, the more likely you are to become sceptical of the amount of truth they contain. This next example is a classic piece of writing from a Government Department. Not only does it make one feel sorry for having applied but also a little embarrassed about exposing their financial troubles.

This email confirms the advice given to you earlier this week that we have decided to suspend the selection process for the advertised positions. The decision reflects a tightening of our budget and allows us to focus on finalising recruitment in other priority areas.

Pending a favourable review of the funding situation later this year, we may readvertise the positions. I will retain your application and advise you either way.

Thank you for your understanding.

If this first message been given clearly and with some sensitivity, then the reader may want to continue to see what reasons are provided for failure to land this job.

There were lots of other good people who applied and in this instance we chose one of them

The art and craft of writing rejection letters is demonstrated in the different ways that this message is stated. Consider the following examples, along with some commentary which suggests alternative interpretations that can be made from reading between the lines.

The relevant Hiring Manager has considered the applications for the available role and decided on a preferred group of candidates to progress. It is regrettable that not all the talented contenders can move forward, and I am writing to say that we will not be pursuing your application further at this time.

This appears to provide good feedback but on closer inspection says very little that can help the applicant understand the current decision or what might be improved for future applications. At first glance it seems to suggest that the applicant was considered ‘talented’ but a closer inspection shows that there while there were some talented contenders in the group, you may not necessarily be one of those. All that is clear from this message is that the applicant has been dropped. There is no reason provided.

The next example says the same sort of thing and offers an almost apologetic philosophical perspective.

We have carefully considered all applications for this position and decided on a preferred applicant group. Regrettably, not all applicants can be progressed, and I am writing to advise that we will not be pursuing your application further at this time.

A common thread is observed with selection panels that undertake a process of narrowing down the field of potential candidates and then placing them in a ranked order. The next example demonstrates how the applicant was considered suitable for the position but was not ranked as highly as the preferred candidate.

Whilst we have found you suitable for placement, unfortunately we are unable to offer you a position as vacancies have been filled by higher ranked applicants.

An alternative to this approach seems to be to reject applicants that do not closely match the specifications for the ideal candidate. These three examples demonstrate this theme.

Your application has been reviewed in detail and assessed according to the requirements of this role.  Unfortunately in this instance we have received other applications that better match these requirements, and as such we will not be progressing your application further.

The Selection Committee considered your claims against the selection criteria and decided that, on this occasion, there was another candidate whose credentials more closely matched the criteria we were seeking for the position.

Although the position is yet to be filled, I regret to advise that, on this occasion, we are working very closely with another candidate who more closely matches our requirements.

Apparently even this process lacks some precision or objectivity, even when the culling process is undertaken by a recruitment agency, as shown in this example.

Other candidates at this stage appear to more closely suit our client's requirements; accordingly, I regret to advise you that your application has been unsuccessful in this instance.

The process of creating a short list of candidates or selecting the preferred candidate for a position is not an easy one.

We received a number of applications for this role and selecting the shortlist for interview proved a difficult decision.

And the enormity of this decision appeared to be beyond the capabilities of some.

The number of highly qualified applicants was overwhelming and consequently made this a very difficult decision.

This recruitment process appears to be a lot more difficult and time consuming than one might imagine and it is comforting to read that those making the selection appreciate and acknowledge the time and effort taken by the person applying for the job.

We appreciate your interest in the job and your efforts with the application

A heartfelt word of appreciation is always welcome when your best efforts have proven unsuccessful. The easiest way to convey this message is to start with a word of thanks.

Thank you for:

·         your interest in our company

·         taking the time to express interest in this position

·         the time and effort that you took in preparing your application

·         taking the time to apply and share your credentials with us

·         the chance to understand more about your skills and experience

·         applying for the position and participating in the interview

·         your attendance and thoughtful comments at interview

These words go a long way to lessening the disappointment of failure and they provide the unsuccessful applicant with some assurance that the organisation appreciates the time and effort taken by the applicant in applying for the position. Sincere expressions of regret tend to indicate that the organisation is perhaps not so bad after all, even though they may not have made the best selection in the eyes of the applicant. Sometimes there is an even an offer of further feedback.

Should you wish to obtain feedback, please send an email and we will then be in contact with you to arrange a suitable time.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or another member of our team by email.

Since there is little chance of changing the selection decision, why would you want to waste more time and effort with this process? Is an extended feedback session going to provide you with any useful insights not already provided or do you just want to extend the hope (prolong the agony)? These offers are really just rhetorical questions. You are not meant to respond to them because there is nothing to be gained from the exercise.

Now we proceed to the end of the message and it always ends on a positive note so that you think well of the organisation and might even be encouraged to apply again if another opportunity arises.

Best wishes for the future

The message may include apologies and will typically offer hope for the future.

I apologise for the delay in conveying the outcome of the process.

I take this opportunity to wish you success in achieving your career aspirations and thank you once again for your patience and interest.

Thank you once again for your interest in our organisation, and best wishes for continued success in your career search.

We wish you success in your future career endeavours.

We wish you every success in the future and should one of our future advertisements interest you, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Alternatively you may register your details at our careers website to stay abreast of new opportunities within our organisation.

Now that we have considered all of these comments, are there any lessons to be learnt?

What can one learn from all of this?

If the message appears to be a standard letter with the only personal bit being your name and address, then there is nothing useful included besides being told that you did not get the job. However, when somebody has taken the time to compose an individual message for you, there may be some comfort provided in knowing that somebody cares about your situation.

If a little levity and creative writing are used, then this shows that there are people involved in the process and perhaps they understand the pain of receiving a rejection letter. Above all, do not be discouraged when you read that your application has been unsuccessful. Somebody was successful, and next time it might even be you.