As it happens, big business actually can't be faulted for its seemingly faulty memory. The lack of rejection letters from hiring organizations is simply a sign of the times borne out of the current unemployment crisis. Theoretically, larger organizations should have the manpower and the budget to expedite rejection responses, but conscious of costs, even corporate giants are cutting back. The majority of small to midsized firms cannot even consider the expense, so job-seekers are often left hanging due to these new normal economic restraints.
A plethora of issues exists behind the lack of rejection letters, ranging from understaffed organizations and overwhelmed talent acquisition departments besieged with legions of resumes to the costs associated with sending these often meaningless missives. These days, the reality is that corporate staffers simply cannot keep up with the volume of responses to job listings, resulting in the rejection letter becoming a casualty of the unemployment crisis. Making matters worse, staff cuts and hiring freezes have resulted in a lack of manpower necessary to accomplish the task of expediting rejection responses, so again, the rejection letter falls victim to the many wrinkles in the job market. And then there's the economic angle to consider. Most organizations are not budgeted to expedite mass rejections letters. Putting it into perspective, if a hiring company receives 300 resumes in response to a single help wanted listing, realistically speaking, the hiring company is not going to spend approximately $130 (at the first-class rate) on the cost of postage alone to send out scores of rejection letters -- never mind the expense of envelopes, paper, et cetera. It just isn't economically feasible, so many organizations have done away with this practice, and probably wisely so, considering current economic conditions.
Fortunately, electronic mail has proven itself to be a cost-effective method of getting the rejection message across. However, the major knock on email is the manpower which must be utilized to expedite rejection messages. With so many personnel cutbacks in the workplace, most firms simply cannot assign workers to this task, which is time-consuming and admittedly benign. Perhaps an intern could be pressed into service, but most talent acquisition departments are unlikely to entrust this more or less confidential duty to a college student who, technically, isn't an employee.
A plethora of issues exists behind the lack of rejection letters, ranging from understaffed organizations and overwhelmed talent acquisition departments besieged with legions of resumes to the costs associated with sending these often meaningless missives. These days, the reality is that corporate staffers simply cannot keep up with the volume of responses to job listings, resulting in the rejection letter becoming a casualty of the unemployment crisis. Making matters worse, staff cuts and hiring freezes have resulted in a lack of manpower necessary to accomplish the task of expediting rejection responses, so again, the rejection letter falls victim to the many wrinkles in the job market. And then there's the economic angle to consider. Most organizations are not budgeted to expedite mass rejections letters. Putting it into perspective, if a hiring company receives 300 resumes in response to a single help wanted listing, realistically speaking, the hiring company is not going to spend approximately $130 (at the first-class rate) on the cost of postage alone to send out scores of rejection letters -- never mind the expense of envelopes, paper, et cetera. It just isn't economically feasible, so many organizations have done away with this practice, and probably wisely so, considering current economic conditions.
Fortunately, electronic mail has proven itself to be a cost-effective method of getting the rejection message across. However, the major knock on email is the manpower which must be utilized to expedite rejection messages. With so many personnel cutbacks in the workplace, most firms simply cannot assign workers to this task, which is time-consuming and admittedly benign. Perhaps an intern could be pressed into service, but most talent acquisition departments are unlikely to entrust this more or less confidential duty to a college student who, technically, isn't an employee.
So, for all the resumes I've sent out -- and this number is probably nearing the 150 mark by now -- this is actually the first rejection response I've received. Granted, it's via email but I think we all agree that electronic media is a perfectly acceptable mode of communication. Snail mail, of course, is a thing of the past, and I certainly don't fault firms for slashing their postage stamp budgets during this time of economic uncertainty. Regardless of the method of expedition, I appreciate the outreach, as well as knowing where my application stands, even though an interview isn't the end result.
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