Friday, April 28, 2006

A fair rejection

Speaking of dignity and respect...

Dear Dr. [YouKnowWho],

Thank you for your time and the interest you have shown in considering a position here at The University of _________. We were fortunate to have a number of applicants with strong backgrounds such as yours, making the selection process a difficult task.

We regret to say that we chose another applicant for the position whose background appears to best match our need at the moment. Please accept our best wishes for your continued career success.
Granted, this isn't a personal note, as I think we all deserve. But it is honest, straight-forward and respectful. This is the least a department can do. I do not envy those writing these letters, the task of rejecting so many qualified applicants, many of whom will likely end up in careers that fail to utilize their talents. But there are ways to treat others as colleagues, and ways to treat them as insignificant. The choice is in the hands of the one who sets out to write the letter. I just hope I remember that if ever I sit on the other side of the table.

2 comments:

L said...

That looks exactly like the rejection letter I received for my lone application last fall. My husband got two - both mentioned the number of applicants (150 and 250), which is quite useful, but extremely discouraging at the same time. (he's in the sciences by the way)

George Kyriacou said...

Mine was also the same :(