upworthy

linkedin

Humor

Job seeker shares the 'awkward' rejection email they received months after applying

People had a field day with this.

Photo credit: Canva, Reddit

A brilliant example that sometimes rejection is protection.

When it comes to job hunting, you have got to have a lot of patience, resilience, and maybe even a dash of humor. Because let’s face it, scouring the Internet for the right listing, then going through the arduous and impersonal application process is taxing at best, and downright dehumanizing at worst. Being able to laugh at some of the absurdity of it all might be the one thing keeping your sanity intact on the worst of days.

Or better yet, laugh at someone else! Thankfully, someone recently shared a pretty funny rejection email they received from a job they applied to a whopping four months prior (according to Newsweek). It wasn’t funny just because of the egregiously late response, but for the, ahem, head-scratching use of words on said email.

The email, which this person shared on Reddit, stated:

"Thank you for your application for the Compliance Manager position. After careful consideration, we've made the decision to not move forward with another candidate at this time. We appreciate your interest in...and wish you success in your job search."

"Typo...or awkward invitation to move forward?” the OP quipped, also writing, “So, you're not moving forward with another candidate? When should I expect my welcome packet?"

Typo...or awkward invitation to move forward?
byu/rooter1ne inrecruitinghell


Down in the comments, folks were quick to playfully offer “suggestions” for the OP’s reply

“You’re welcome. Sucks for that other candidate though. I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

“Me: That's funny, because I'm not interested in not moving forward as well! I'm glad that my salary requirements of $205K+ full benefits + full WFH were amenable to a forward-thinking organization such as yours.”

“Great, thank you. I just put in my notice effective immediately. When do I start?!”

“Thank you for an update. As a sign of appreciation I also decided not to move forward with other company.”

Others made their best attempts to translate what the email was actually trying to say.

media0.giphy.com

"Your resumé was so awful that we have decided we don't actually want to hire anybody ever again."

“Your application has filled us with a terrible ennui and have gone fishing.”

“Congrats. Neither of you get the job.”

“We have made a difficult decision not to hire anybody else but you 🤣”

“They saw on your resume that you listed ‘attention to details’ as one of your skills and they wanted to really test you on that."

Still others simply poked fun at this employer’s faux pas, finding it to probably be a sign that this applicant dodged a bullet.

“Careful consideration was given, but apparently NOT careful enough to catch the grammatical errors.”

“HA HA HA, proofreading is your friend. You should respond that you wish them success in their future job search since the most basic of job functions is severely lacking on their part.”

media3.giphy.com

Perhaps what's resonated with people about this story the most is that it comes at a time when more people than ever can relate to waiting in perpetuity for a response to a job application, which can be delayed for a variety of reasons—a high volume of other candidates, multiple interview steps, internal changes, or the worst: the listing being fake to begin with, which is a rising issue.

To combat this, the general wisdom seems to be to get better at discerning which jobs are worth applying for, and, of course, to keep applying. That said, maybe sharing experiences like this can also be helpful. It can certainly make things feel a little less lonely.

From Your Site Articles
life
Education

'Get stuff done': President Obama shares why his simple career advice for young people works

"Whoever is running that organization will notice. I promise.”

via Anthony Quintano/Flickr

Former president barack Obama walking down the street with his coat over his shoulder.

If you’re looking for career advice, there are few better people to ask than former President Barack Obama. After all, he got the most prestigious job in the world after only spending four years in the U.S. Senate and seven in the Illinois State Senate.

Obama clearly knows how to work his way up in the world.

Now, he’s investigating what it means to have “good” work in his new Netflix show, “Working: What We Do All Day.” According to Netflix, the show explores compelling ideas and issues about labor and work, while focusing on the lives of individuals in various professions.

Obama sat down with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth to talk about employment-related topics, including the role of work in our lives, disruptions in the workplace in the new Millenium, and the coming AI revolution. During the 15-minute conversation, Obama shared his most important career advice for young people, and it was simple, especially for such a thoughtful, well-spoken man. The former president said, “Get stuff done. Just learn how to get stuff done.”

He then unpacked what he meant by his simple motto.

“I've seen at every level people who are very good at describing problems, people who are very sophisticated in explaining why something went wrong or why something can't get fixed, but what I'm always looking for is, no matter how small the problem or how big it is, somebody who says, 'Let me take care of that,'” Obama said.

“If you project an attitude of, whatever it is that's needed, I can handle it and I can do it, then whoever is running that organization will notice. I promise.”

Obama is spot-on with his analysis. You can talk about things all day, but what really matters is taking action and making things happen. Maybe that’s why his campaign slogan in 2008 was a simple three-word phrase about taking care of business, “Yes, we can.”

"The best way to get attention is, whatever is assigned to you, you are just nailing. You're killing it. Because people will notice, that's someone who can get something done," Obama continued.

As someone who has managed people at the top levels of government, Obama has a rare understanding of the importance of relying on people to carry out essential orders and knowing who to trust to get it done efficiently and correctly. When you’re president of the United States, you must have complete trust in the people you delegate work to because thousands or even millions of lives could be at risk.

Obama also added that young people shouldn’t focus on a specific job title but on things that interest them. "The people that I find are the most successful are the people who say, 'I'm really interested in computers and figuring this stuff out,' and they end up being a Bill Gates," he said.

People will be happier with careers that are rooted in their interests because they’re doing what they love. We only get 24 hours in a day. Most people sleep eight, work eight and enjoy eight for themselves. Everyone loves sleeping and time off, but you can be happy 24 hours a day when you love your job.

From Your Site Articles
barack obama
Pop Culture

Man goes skydiving with a cardboard sign asking for work. His new boss responded the same way.

Sometimes you gotta just take a leap of faith.

Photo by Kamil Pietrzak on Unsplash

Thinking outside the box pays off.

Times seem grim for employees. Every day seems to bring a new series of layoffs, pay cuts, strikes and…you know, the whole threat of being replaced by robots thing…

Chris Serrano, a creative director who “does all his own stunts,” found himself in one of these abysmal situations after getting laid off.

However, Serrano quickly turned his luck around by thinking outside the box and leaning into his daredevil personality. On his LinkedIn, he posted a video of himself jumping out of a plane with a cardboard sign that read, “Open4Work.”

“I got laid off last week. So I’ll be freefalling until I find a new gig—literally. If you’re looking for an award-winning creative that works hard, takes risks, and knows how to pack a parachute, reach out. Don’t let your brand plunge to its death. Hire me instead,” he added in the caption.

Can’t say this guy isn’t clever. Or brave.

It wasn’t long before Serrano’s post caught the attention of Jack Peagam, UK- based entrepreneur and co-founder/CEO of the social app Linkup, which aims to authentically connect people based on similar hobbies and interests. Fitting that these two connected over a shared passion for extreme sports.

Peagam seemingly one-upped Serrano’s stunt—videoing himself skydiving with a cardboard sign that read. “Hey Chris, sorry 2 see you got laid off. We’ve got work 4 U. Let’s Link Up”.

In his own caption, Peagam matched Serrano’s knack for wordplay, writing, “Can't guarantee you a parachute payment, but we're ready to catch you and launch you into new heights of success. 🪂 ✈️ I'm sure you'll free-fall in love with what we're doing. I believe this is the ultimate way to extend the offer."

Because clearly these two are a match made in workplace heaven, Serrano then shared a subsequent video showing both thrill-seekers signing a new employment contract while jumping out of a plane together.

“When I lost my job, I was a bit nervous as to what could be next, but taking a leap of faith from a plane is sometimes all you can do,” Serrano shared, according to Good News Network.

That leap of faith certainly paid off. Peagam loved Serrano’s “bold” and “daring” ad, telling Good News Network it “featured everything I love about creative talent.” Serrano was also "blown away" by the support he received after posting, from folks sending positive comments to sharing the video across the platform.

While maybe not all of us can jump out of a plane to secure the job of our dreams, there is something to be said for the magic that happens when we use our imaginations and show up as our most authentic selves. Losing a job isn't fun, but it doesn't take away the special, unique qualities that we bring to the table. And when we can harness that, often opportunities seem to fall from the sky—quite literally, in this case. Bottom line: even in less-than-ideal circumstances, or perhaps especially then, a dose of optimism and ingenuity goes a long way.

From Your Site Articles
joy
Identity

Woman's potential boss offers his references during her interview. That's brilliant.

We often forget that the hiring process is a two-way street.

Fauxels/Pexels

Potential employers offering potential employees their professional references should be a regular thing.

Usually when people apply for a new job, they hyperfocus on making sure the potential employer knows they're an ideal candidate. They research the heck out of the company, tailor their resume for the position and practice answering tough interview questions they anticipate the hiring manager might ask.

But a hiring process is a two-way street, up to and including when an offer is made. That's perhaps never been more true than it is now, when unemployment is at a historic low and people can be choosier about the jobs they take. But even in a tough job market, a job interview means you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you.

One woman shared a story that took that idea to the next level with a hiring practice that really should be standard everywhere.

Allison Peck shared in a LinkedIn post last year that she'd had a manager offer her three professional references—women who had worked for him in the past—so she could get some outside perspective on what he was like as an employer.

"Why don't hiring managers give 3 of THEIR references to job candidates?" Peck wrote. "This happened to me once and I'll never forget it. I was in the final round of interviews at a company years ago, and the hiring manager asked me for 3 references. Naturally, I provided him their contact info. And he said this:

'Thanks, here are 3 women who have reported directly to me previously and they've agreed to speak with you if you're curious what it's like working on my team.'

When I called those three women, they all had great things to say and that man was one of the best managers I've ever had.

Any hiring managers out there confident enough in their leadership abilities that they'd offer this in the future?"

The fact that the manager recognized that she might want feedback from other women shows an understanding of the dynamics that women can face in the workplace, which is a good sign in and of itself. And that he offered the references without even being asked was also a definite plus.

Ironically, the kind of employer who would offer such a thing the way he did is probably the kind of employer you'd want to work for, without even having to contact their references. But talking with people who have worked for your potential boss before could definitely offer some peace of mind and give you added information you may need to make a decision about a job. It also makes it more likely that you'll both be a good fit for one another, which again is the whole point of the hiring process.

Commenters agreed.

"I love this. When I hire into my team it's something I offer too. I'm still in touch with people who were reporting to me 8-10yrs ago, most of whom have gone on to do some wonderful things and I now consider friends." – Karen Hutchison

"I am with you on that. At my stage of my career, I will max out on salary and the benefits are usually decent. So what I care about is the team and leadership. So when I was unexpectedly let go 9 months ago and started looking all over again, I made it a point to ask about the team leader/manager and any other dynamics if I got to be interviewed by a peer panel. I ended up going with the job where the peers spoke highly of their manager both privately and in group interviews. I just wanted to work where boss actually cares about people more than they cared about managing her/his boss." – John Waldbaum

"Ok, I'm impressed. It would be great if this was normalized, and honestly, it would benefit both prospective hires as well as organizations. Many people get a job and start off excited just to find out that the manager they ended up working with is not exactly a good manager for them. This can translate into poor performance or even turnover. You can only find out so much during an interview that is timed and has set unwritten norms/ expected "etiquette". Normalize reverse references!!!" 😁 – Stanley Molton

"Wow I wish this were done everywhere! Speaking to other women candidates during the interview has never given me the sense they can speak openly (especially if it's recorded), because at the end of the day, they still report to that manager. Now, a manager that does this is demonstrating that there's recognition and sensitivity to what women are faced with in the workplace, and they have confidence in their reputation even behind closed doors." –Larissa Morrell

Resources like Glassdoor have helped provide an avenue for former employees to share their experiences, but there's an extra layer of impressiveness when a potential employer offers you their references themselves.

Reverse references. Let's make it a thing.

From Your Site Articles
Trending Stories