Oh, boy, do I love reading rejection emails. I’ve been getting rejected left to right over the summer so why wouldn’t I love them. In all seriousness, I’ve grown pretty numb and every time I do get rejected, I see it as a sign. A sign that the job or internship wasn’t meant to be. It sucks once in a while, but I’ve found ways to deal with internship rejections. However, I usually respond back to these lovely emails with the utmost respect. I’ll give you reasons why you should as well.
Networking
Responding with professionalism can definitely make you stand out. It shows you are mature, open-minded, and most of all professional. Regardless, the more professional you are, the more a great impression and reputation you will make. You may not be offered this particular job, but you may be referenced for another job.
You May Get The Job In The Future
The job I currently have secured is my office assistant job in college. However, I was rejected at first. I applied over the summer of 2018, got the interview and thought it went well. Of course, I was disappointed when I was met with a rejection email. However, I replied back saying that it was a pleasure meeting them and that I hope the rest of their summer goes well.
Over the fall semester, I was let go of my job due to dramatic schedule changes. So, I reached out to the recruiter behind that summer job I applied to. Lo and behold, I got the job. My recruiter said that emailing her back was one of the best things I could have done. You may truly be a great fit for a job but the timing has to match up as well. I love my job, the people, and honestly, it was better than my fall semester job. Your resume may truly be on file.
When Not To Respond Back
The obvious answer to this is when you are angry. Angry emails can cause down-right chaos. You don’t want to go down that route. However, there’s also a time in which you shouldn’t answer back when the EMPLOYER is being rude or unreasonable. I’ve heard horror stories with rejection emails being rude or even overbearing. Yes, you read that right as I had to be reminded twice that I had been rejected.
Need An Example
This is my most recent rejection email and I think the only rejection email that I never responded to. I asked a question about an internship they were willing to offer me, and they took it back. Now there may be other reasons such as maybe more interns were faster in their acceptances and were readily willing to work. Though, the circumstances in which the email was sent has me thinking that the question was too much. I was ready to send a petty email back until my friend snapped me out of it. Instead, I deleted the email and posted it here to reflect on 😂.
It’s All About Respect
Let’s face it, rejection emails are better than no responses. I love receiving closure and therefore you deserve my respect. I will gladly write back to you. In the case above, I was not glad at all considering a simple question was enough for my internship to get rescinded (they offered it to me earlier this week). My friends assured me that it’s good to know their true colors. I would not want to work for a place that doesn’t let me ask questions. Even if I got rejected for something else, the email could have specified. Regardless, the way in which the situation was framed has me believing has me assuming the questions were the trigger.
Besides, I would have been so angry emailing back so this is one of the cases where no response is better. It’s better to keep your cool especially if you find yourself in a similar situation as these people have. But if the job is legit, the employer is cool, and the process went smooth, then consider responding nicely to that rejection email. You have nothing to lose and something to gain in the future.