How should I interpret it when a job I applied to has sent me an email and a letter to my house saying........

Question

that they will keep in touch with me if my application is selected for interview and that if not they will keep it on file for a year? Is that face value or something else? I ask because this is a job I really want, and it has been about a month now. I followed up with them once.

Now for turning me down does this mean I did something bad? This is for a newspaper btw.

So they can't tell me why? This job required a credit check, by law they would have to tell me if that has been used as a reason why I wasn't hired.

I have a Bachelor's. This concerns me because I know it doesn't guarantee you a job, but I didn't think I'd get passed over so much.

Answer 1

If you got this letter and did not get any further contact, it means your application did not qualify for an interview. This could be for any reason, from not meeting the job requirements, to not having enough experience, to the job being no longer available (funding cuts, internal transfer of another employee, etc).

Normally companies do not tell you why you did not get through the application process. In a big company, the HR folks usually have a checklist to go down when evaluating resumes, so the ones that don't qualify at all are weeded out before being passed along to a hiring manager or someone who is more familiar with the actual job. They do this for lots of reasons; companies get dozens of resumes when they post ads in the paper, and it's not a good use of the manager's time to read each and every one of them when half or more are just plain not qualified. So the initial review is usually done by someone who reads resumes for their entire job. That means qualified people sometimes get passed over because they did not include a few "buzz words" on their resumes or in their KSA's.

As for the credit check... if you did not get selected for an interview, chances are they did not run your credit. It would be very expensive for a company to pay for credit checks on every single person who applied so normally they save that step for folks who make it through the first round.

Answer 2

It could be that they don't think you're quite the best match, but they are willing to keep you're file on record because you have at least some of the qualities they are looking for. I've had responses like those from Lockheed Martin, The Vanguard Group, and other big companies that are really difficult to get into.
I don't have a BS degree, so that's most likely the problem for me, when it comes to getting in at those places.

Answer 3

Its a nice and diplomatic way of saying "f*ck off, we dont need you..." I doubt they dig back into that stash when another position comes through 8 months later. So forget it and post more cvs, you might get lucky elsewere...

Answer 4

dude,its just a polite way to tell you that you did not get the job..happens to me all the time. dont sweat it,just apply for a different job

Answer 5

I believe it's a way to say nicely we weren't interested. Sorry that you didn't hear what you'd like to hear. Good Luck.

Answer 6

It is a form letter to cover their bases so you can't sue them for discrimination if they don't hire you.

Answer 7

yep, definitely a courtesy mailing. Keep looking, good luck to you!

Answer 8

That usually means you didn't get the job and probably never will. =(

Answer 9

"don't call us, we'll call you."

looks to me like a standard (generic) follow up letter.

Answer 10

it's a courtesy mail. dont' hold your breath on a reply...