Jobseeker uses AI to apply, rejection email wins hearts online – ‘Generous’

Jobseeker Uses AI to Apply, Rejection Email Wins Hearts Online – ‘Generous’

The Viral Rejection Email

Jobseeker uses AI to apply rejection – In a surprising twist, a rejection message from a job application has sparked widespread appreciation on social media. Unlike standard generic replies, this email stood out for its thoughtful critique and openness. The sender began with the typical opening: “Thanks for taking the time to apply. Unfortunately, we’ve decided to…” but quickly diverged into a detailed analysis of the candidate’s work.

Feedback That Resonates

The email highlighted three specific issues. First, the cover letter was flagged as AI-generated, with the recruiter noting that the candidate had been asked for a concise summary of a technical challenge but delivered a lengthy discussion on their “holistic approach to software craftsmanship.” Second, the code submission used variables like temp1, temp2, and temp3 without explanatory comments or test cases. Third, the company’s name was misspelled twice in the same paragraph, despite the candidate listing “attention to detail” as a key strength.

Despite these flaws, the email offered a second opportunity, encouraging the applicant to resubmit with a revised version that showed effort and care. The tone was described as both constructive and empathetic, with no mention of a cooldown period or lingering negativity.

Online Praise for Transparency

“This is brilliant and generous. Feedback is (usually) a gift,” remarked one user.

“Genuine feedback can help improve a lot, nowadays it’s just like throwing punches in the thin air,” another added. “I think most candidates would prefer an honest rejection with specific feedback over a generic one with no context. Even when it’s hard to hear, it gives us something concrete to improve instead of guessing what went wrong.”

“As a fresher, this hits different. If more companies were this transparent, we’d actually grow from rejections instead of just vibing in the void,” noted a third.

The email’s unique blend of honesty and encouragement has turned it into a viral sensation, challenging the norms of how rejections are communicated in the hiring process.

Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.