A job seeker was left stunned after receiving a blunt rejection email from a CEO, which many deemed “rude” and “unprofessional”. In a Reddit post, the candidate said he had applied for a consultant position, but the CEO responded by calling the application “irrelevant” and scolding the applicant for “wasting” their time. The reason for the rejection? The candidate lacked a Master’s degree, a requirement for the role.
“Applying for a consultant position directly via email to the CEO — as asked at the job posting. This is the response I received after he asked for clarification on whether I’m a Masters student or not at the moment. The full-time occupancy or the need for an MSc degree was not mentioned in the job descriptions at all,” the post read. The job applicant received a response to his application, but it was far from the polite rejection letter he was expecting.
The email read, “The fact that you haven’t bothered to do a minimum of research, and decided to waste my time with an irrelevant application strikes me as a clear sign that you are not a very good fit for any role.”
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Was told I wasted a hiring managers time for rejecting a job offer
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The applicant further revealed that the company lacked an HR department, and his entire exchange with the CEO took place within a 12-hour window. He expressed that while rejection is a normal part of job hunting, the CEO’s response was alarming.
“They don’t even have an HR department or application portal, since the way of applying was to send the application directly to him (whos the CEO of this company) via email. He asked whether I’m still a Masters student — which he could’ve checked in my CV instead in seconds — then after my clarification, he responded this way. The whole communication was within 12 hours. I don’t care about the rejection at all since job seeking comes with that, but God…this is a major red flag”, the user added.
The CEO’s email sparked outrage, with many labelling it “rude and unprofessional.” Some even suggested “naming and shaming” the organization, while others shared their own horror stories of job rejections.
One user wrote, “Reply back that a company that has a CEO taking time out of their “busy” day to write nasty rejections emails isn’t a company worth working for.” Another commented, “Following that up with “Kind regards” is crazy. I hope you fill out a Glassdoor review and add this as a screenshot if you can.”
A third said, “As a recruiter that recruiter is disgusting. The best part of my job is human interaction I would never send this kind of response. Please don’t think we are all like this.”
