Rejected!

Over the past three months I've applied for a lot of jobs, well over 25. Most employers ask for a resume, cover letter, and ask you to fill out an application. Applying for jobs can become oa full time job. Gathering all of the required information can take hours, even days. This is why I love to get rejection letters, especially ones that I can tell where written by a real person. I like them because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Since I apply exclusively via email or websites I feel helpless and anxious once I press "Send" or "Submit". Have they read my resume? Do they have questions? Did they fill the position? Until I have some sort of correspondence from them I am unsure as to my status with that employer. I've got almost instant rejection emails which lead me to believe that I answered one of there multiple choice questions wrong, these are better than nothing. The best ones are signed by a real person and the email is from a real person not humanresources@wesuck.com. I've received a wide range of rejection letters but by far the best one I've received was this one:

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your interest in the D. E. Shaw group. Although it is clear that someone with your qualifications has much to offer, we have been unable to identify an ideal match between your particular background and experience and our current needs. However, we will keep your resume in our files on the chance that a suitable position should become available at a later date.

We appreciate your taking the time to contact us and wish you the best in your job search.

Sincerely,
Elisheva Glass
Strategic Growth

Someone with my qualifications has much to offer! There's hope! This is much better than "Thanks, but we've decided to pursue other applicants at this time." Which is basically "Thanks, but no thanks."

If you're ever in a position which you're hiring please take the time to send a nice personal note to everyone who applies. Or at least everyone who applied with the required materials.