'Thank you, please don’t waste our time': Job seeker praises company for cancelling interview instead of stringing them along
A post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell has talked about a candidate thanking an employer for a rejection. The original poster shared an email in which a recruiter told them the position had been filled by another candidate and that their upcoming interview was being cancelled.
The message said the decision was “truly a matter of timing rather than a reflection of your qualifications,” praised their background, and expressed interest in staying in touch about future openings.
“It sucks that I don’t have an opportunity, but that’s all I ask at this point,” the original poster wrote. “Don’t lead me through hoops.”
What Reddit said
Many agreed that a clear, timely no beats the alternative. “This is a decent person,” one commenter wrote. “I expect rejection as part of this process but I can’t tolerate ghosting and time wasting.”
Another called it “probably the best rejection email you can get,” and shared what happened when they replied to a similar one with thanks. Two months later, the company came back with a full-time offer for a different role on the team. They turned it down because it wasn’t the job they had applied for, but the door had stayed open.
Not everyone was impressed with the hiring process behind the email. One commenter who works in HR questioned cancelling scheduled interviews at all: “I wouldn’t cancel an interview just because one candidate really impressed me. If I’ve scheduled interviews, I’ll meet all the candidates and make my decision afterwards. It’s only fair to give everyone a chance.”
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Another asked the question many job seekers wonder about: “When companies say they will keep your resume on file in case any opportunities pop up, has anyone actually been contacted?”