Recruiter rejects 2nd best job applicant because he thinks his workplace has less structure than she'd like, helps her get a job at a better fit company

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Sep 20, 2026 11:15 AM EDT

The rejection was actually a blessing in disguise!

The job-hunting process is not for the faint of heart. You have to be 100% comfortable with putting yourself out there to be rejected, and if you're not comfortable with that, you're going to be in a whole world of hurt. If you take every job rejection so personally that you can't bear to apply for another job until you emotionally recover, then you're never going to find a new job!

I totally understand why people get jaded during their job searches. Competent, professional people get rejected all the time for things that aren't necessarily negatives. If you've ever tried to apply to be a cashier at Taco Bell with a Master's degree, you know how it goes. You get rejected, not because you can't do the job, but because you're overqualified! A fast-food manager doesn't want to hire someone they know will quit in three months because they found something better. They want to hire somebody with no other options who will put up with bad working conditions and low pay. If somebody can get a Master's degree, they can probably find a job that pays them more than minimum wage. Or at least they should be able to.

When you get rejected for jobs you're hopelessly overqualified or underqualified for, you can more easily deduce why you got rejected. When you get rejected from a job that you seem to be a good fit for, it's much more of a mystery. A lot of recruiters won't be honest with you about why you didn't get the job. They either don't want to hurt your feelings, or they don't have time to give personalized feedback.

The recruiter in this story went above and beyond for this candidate, whom he ultimately rejected. He told her exactly why she didn't get the job, and although it initially hurt her feelings, she engaged with his feedback in good faith, and it paid back tenfold.

Woman in glasses interviews man at office desk — *A job applicant talks to a recruiter.*
*_{Models for explanatory purposes only.}*

The rejection email had one extra sentence that got me a job two months later

got to the final two for a remote role in april and did not get it. the rejection was the normal template except at the bottom the hiring manager had added a line himself, saying he

thought i would be a good fit somewhere with more structure and less ambiguity than they had, and that he meant that as a compliment.

first reaction was that it stung slightly. second reaction, about a day later, was that this is the only piece of actual feedback i had received in four months of applying.

so i replied. not a long thing. i said thanks for the line, it was useful, and asked if he knew anyone building the kind of team he was describing. that is the whole email.

he replied in two days with two names. one of them went nowhere. the other one was a hiring manager at a company that had not posted anything yet, and i had a call with her before the

role was written. i ended up shaping part of the description in that conversation, which is a strange and very good position to be in. started there in june.

i think the thing that made it work is that i responded to the specific thing he wrote rather than sending a general "keep me in mind" reply.

he had told me something true about myself and i treated it as information instead of as a consolation prize.

most rejections are templates and there is nothing to reply to. but when someone puts a sentence of their own in, that is a person who spent thirty seconds

thinking about you, and thirty seconds is enough to ask them for something small.

will-read Email that original hiring manager and thank him. He is definitely someone you want in your network.

Relevant-Text-7280 This 100%. I'd even argue you should go a step further and treat him out to a coffee or a meal and get him a nice gift. He was, in fact, the one who opened the door for a new job for you. The gift is a thoughtful gesture and goes a long way.

WhimsicalTurtle44 ⚫ the referral to a role that did not exist yet is the best possible outcome of a job search and it almost only happens through this kind of thing

Anna KendrikJ this works maybe 1 in 20 times, but the cost of trying is only one email and thirty seconds of your time! great story

Fit-Mathematician-91 A friend applied for a job once, it included a group interview, he was rejected, only to find out the person who was hired for the position had less experience, etc; needless to say he was profoundly disappointed. suggested he wait a week or so then reach out to one of the interviewers that he felt most comfortable with. Ask "I know I didn't get the job, and since I'm still searching I would appreciate any tips you could provide to me on how to do better on my next interview

sanctusali My fastest hiring decision was during the second interview, I watched the candidate respond and adjust to feedback on how to structure her responses. I wish I'd learned earlier on to treat feedback as useful guidance instead of insulting. Nothing has accelerated my career faster than gracefully accepting feedback and rejection.

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Recruiter rejects 2nd best job applicant because he thinks his workplace has less structure than she'd like, helps her get a job at a better fit company

The rejection was actually a blessing in disguise!

The rejection email had one extra sentence that got me a job two months later

Tags

Handpicked for You

{{title}}

Handpicked for You

{{title}}