Rejection Letters

'Tis now the time of year when the bevy of rejection letters arrives in ones mailbox. If you're a normal person anyway. I'm sure there is some superstar out there who is getting tons of job offers and has yet to feel the sting of rejection. I, however, am not that superstar and my inbox is amassing a collection of "I regret to inform you" emails.

And yet, I haven't been truly disappointed or upset by any of my rejections for job applications this year. Given the craptastic market and the stories I keep hearing about people not getting any interviews at all, I'm mostly happy that I got some interviews and that they are all at pretty good places. I recall finding the rejection from grad schools more hurtful, like they didn't think I was good enough to accept into their program (those bastards!). But I guess after years of rejection from funding agencies and journals (I'm looking at you Science, Nature, Nat Neurosci, PNAS, Psyc Sci, J Neurosci), I've gotten to a point where the rejection is just part of the job. I would, of course, prefer not to be rejected, but when the other 15 13 (got two more emails) rejection letters I'm expecting show up in my inbox I will just shrug and move on.

I'm actually finding the rejection letters themselves really interesting. Although they all have the same basic info ("We don't want you!") every school has their own take on the rejection form letter. Some were very formal (Dear Dr. <LastName>), some were more casual (Dear <FirstName>), while some went full-on form-letter with a "Dear Applicant" or not using a salutation at all and just getting right to the rejection part. Some have cushioned the rejection nicely, "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider your application. I regret to inform you that you have not been chosen for further consideration for this position. Please know that this should not be considered a negative reflection on your work. The pool of candidates was large and the search committee was forced to make very difficult decisions. We wish you the very best in your career and future endeavors." Others were very short and to the point, "I am writing to share officially the news that the position has been filled. We wish you the best of luck and we thank you for your interest in University X."

With each new rejection letter I take a few moments to enjoy the language and psychology of it then I file it away in a folder and go about my business. I haven't yet gotten to the point where I feel the need to attempt this tactic:

via Geeks Are Sexy