How I Turned an Automated Job Rejection Into Getting Hired

Matthew Pastorius, 34, has worked in sales and hopes to work in human resources. In 2023, after receiving a speedy rejection for a job he said he was well-qualified for, he contacted the hiring manager and ultimately landed the role. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

I saw the job posting, and was like, “Oh my God. This is the perfect role for me based on my experience and my interests.” I was infatuated with the company from the jump, so I threw my hat in the ring. Within 24 hours, I got what seemed like an automated email response: “Thank you, but no thank you,” essentially.

I was just like, “Wait a second. That is not possible. You can’t tell me that you looked at my résumé and said, “This guy doesn’t even come close to what we’re looking for.”

Not taking the ‘no’

I thought, I’m not going to take ‘no’ for an answer because I feel so passionate about this opportunity and so confident that this is a fit. So, I reached out to a couple of people on LinkedIn who would either know the hiring manager or at least be in the vicinity of the hiring manager. One of them, fortunately, got back to me and told me that I should reach out to this person, and gave me her email.

Essentially, I said, “I got your contact information from this person. I’m just reaching out to introduce myself. I applied for the senior manager of brand partnerships role. I’ve already received notice that I was denied. But, like anyone in sales, I can’t simply take ‘no’ for an answer, which you can appreciate.”

I also said something like, “I’m a longtime admirer of the company. I wanted to reaffirm my unwavering interest in joining your team, which I would be honored to represent and grow. And basically, “If you’re hiring again in the future, please let me know. I am attaching my résumé, and hoping we can meet in person one of these days.”

This person said, “Thanks for connecting. I’m putting you in contact with the recruiter.

Related stories

There wasn’t anything malicious about my wanting to email. I was just like, “You’ve got to be kidding me. This doesn’t make any sense. Why would I get not even an initial screening call?”

When I got connected with the recruiter, who is lovely, I had such a great experience. It was almost as if that initial rejection had never happened. We spoke as if she came across my résumé and picked me out as a needle in a haystack, and proceeded as if nothing had ever gone awry earlier on.

Further down the line, when I met with the company’s president, who was my last interview before getting hired, I explained how I was rejected and reached out. He was like, “I can’t believe that you were rejected so quickly. Looking at your résumé, you’re exactly the kind of person that would want for this role, so I’m going to have to look into that.” It was along those lines.

Think about how many people that might be happening to. I don’t know who’s programming these ATS screening agents. The sad part is that it seems like an ever-evolving game. If you don’t play the game, you can kiss your chances goodbye.

What’s behind cold outreaches

If I have an initial interview, and even if I think it goes great, and they get back to me and they’re like, “You didn’t have this kind of experience that we’re looking for” — whatever it is — at least then I’d be like, “OK, fair point. Totally understand.”

But to get an auto-generated, “Thank you, but no thank you” email, it was just like “Hell, no.” After all the years I put into developing a career in this particular path, you can’t tell me that I’m not qualified for at least a screening interview. It’s maddening.

Looking back on when my cold outreach did work, the graciousness and the humanity of the individual who replied to me and told me to reach out to the woman I wrote the email to — if it wasn’t for their goodness, then this never would have happened.

I don’t think they realized this at the time, or that anyone ever realizes this, but the person on the other side really needs your help. Whether they’re struggling at work, struggling in their career broadly, or their family is dependent on them getting a job, there’s always something very weighted. There’s a lot of gravity behind these cold outreaches.

It’s been really discouraging and sad that when I tried that approach again, I was ignored. I don’t know if it’s sort of a symptom of the job market right now or if more people are starting to do similar things, where they’re just barraging hiring managers and people on LinkedIn for jobs because it’s a really tough market out there.

It used to be that you had to know somebody. But in my experience in the last three months, since I’ve been looking for a job, is that it’s now not even a matter of who you know anymore. I don’t have an answer. Hence why I don’t have a job.

Do you have a story to share about your job search? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.