My Friend Replied to a Rejection Email — the Recruiter’s Reply Was a Total Surprise

Sometimes, it takes one bold, almost reckless move to flip the script. My friend had been drowning in rejections, barely scraping callbacks, until one day he answered a rejection email in a way no one expected. That single reply changed everything, far beyond what anyone could predict.

One Reddit user shared an explosive recruitment story and it went viral in no time.

The OP wrote, “My buddy has been on the job hunt since his team was downsized back in early March, and honestly, he’s been getting super burnt out. He’s been sending out probably 10 to 20 applications a day and had only gotten a couple of initial calls over the past month to show for it.

A couple days ago, he got another one of those standard rejection emails. You know the one: ‘while your qualifications are impressive, we’ve decided to pursue other candidates...’ He was about to just archive it with the rest, but then he noticed it came directly from a recruiter’s email, not a ‘no-reply’ address.

On a whim, he just decided to shoot a reply back. He figured, what’s the harm?”

The OP’s friend made a power move that brought an unexpected outcome.

The OP continues the story, saying, “He sent something simple like:

‘Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you considering my application. I’m still very interested in the company, so please keep me in mind for any future roles that might be a good fit.’

Well, this morning he gets a new email from the SAME recruiter. I’m not kidding.

‘Hi [Friend’s Name], thanks for your gracious response. A spot on the team has actually just opened up unexpectedly. Would you be available for a call next week to discuss it?’

He was completely floored. He had already mentally moved on from that role. Now he’s got an interview scheduled for this coming Tuesday afternoon.

Just thought I’d share. I guess being polite can actually make a difference. Wild.”

Redditors rushed to the comments section, and they didn’t hold up their emotions:

• One user wrote, “This also happened to me. I got the rejection. Said something along the lines of ‘thank you for considering me. If there is any feedback about my application or interview that I could use to help with future interviews that would be very helpful’. And within a day I got another interview and just accepted the job.”
• Another one said, “Similarly, I didn’t get a job interviewed for but members of the hiring committee who worked in a related department appreciated my follow-up message so reached out a year later when they had an opening.
  
  The woman who would have been my boss was wackadoodle and brought out by security after verbally abusing the person who got the job, and I watched from my office in a position that launched my career.”

• One more user shared, “Many years ago, I saw a kid selling candies in front of my office building and he asked me if I was interested in buying some. I politely declined but he told me to have a nice day and showed a good sport when anyone else would’ve had a frown on their face. Made me want to go back and buy some just for his amazing attitude. The same thing applies here. If you behave different in a positive way, you stand out and they will look at you differently.”
• Someone commented, “After looking for many months I was desperate enough to apply for a junior position and got an interview. It quickly became apparent that I was overqualified and didn’t get the position. However three months later I got a call from the recruiter that the manager had resigned and recommended me as his replacement. I worked there for 6 years before moving on to.”
• Some commenter added, “I interviewed for a role I really, really wanted about two years ago. I thought it was mine, but they went with an internal applicant instead, and I literally cried. I continue for 2 more years in my soul crushing job, hating it. Then one day, just out of the blue this past February the same recruiter called me because the person who got the job was promoted and the spot was open again. She’d remembered me from the first time because I was nice upon being rejected after 3 rounds.
  
  Interviewed for it with the person who got the job the first time (my new boss) and landed it. Couldn’t have gone any better, and I LOVE my new boss. So glad this is how it happened for me.”

When it comes to workplace scandals, many of us picture office intrigues and some work-related drama. But this woman unknowingly became a reason why her colleague experienced a major family storm. Read the full story, and have a say about who’s the bad guy here.