Receiving a rejection letter dated before your interview Forum

[Anonymous User]

I mean seriously, what the fuck. Can anyone explain this?

[guano]

I mean seriously, what the fuck. Can anyone explain this?

Was the rejection letter mailed out before your interview, or is it possibly just a typo? (if the latter, stop)

Was it written by the interviewer or by someone else?

If by someone else:
I'd call the interviewer up and ask for a moment of his/her time. Then explain about the rejection letter and that said person obviously wasted the interviewer's time and you apologize for the inconvenience.

If by the interviewer:
I'd call the interviewer up and ask him/her if s/he likes having his/her time wasted. Then say "neither do I"

edited for clarity

[Anonymous User]

Letter dated day before my interview, postmark is the day after my interview. Not written by my interviewers or my prior HR contact, just someone I've never heard of or met. I think the only reason they brought me in is so they could say that they recruit from my lower TT when in fact they only hire from the local T14.

- this is OP

[thesealocust]

I mean seriously, what the fuck. Can anyone explain this?

Was the rejection letter mailed out before your interview, or is it possibly just a typo? (if the latter, stop)

Was it written by the interviewer or by someone else?

If by someone else:
I'd call the interviewer up and ask for a moment of his/her time. Then explain about the rejection letter and that said person obviously wasted the interviewer's time and you apologize for the inconvenience.

If by the interviewer:
I'd call the interviewer up and ask him/her if s/he likes having his/her time wasted. Then say "neither do I"

edited for clarity

That advice isn't bad, but getting rejection letters dated prior to an interview is actually a fairly common occurrence in the legal profession, even if it's tragicomic and unprofessional on the part of the firm. You hear stories about it every year, so it's probably not worth getting up in arms about.

[jarofsoup]

Talk to your CDO about it.

[guano]

Letter dated day before my interview, postmark is the day after my interview. Not written by my interviewers or my prior HR contact, just someone I've never heard of or met. I think the only reason they brought me in is so they could say that they recruit from my lower TT when in fact they only hire from the local T14.

send a polite email to your interviewer thanking him/her for his/her time. Having received the rejection letter signed by A. Sole dated X date, you understand it couldn't possibly have been a real interview but you appreciate having the opportunity to practice your interview skills. If s/he ever wishes to donate his/her time again, would it be ok for you to ask further pointless questions?

If I had to take time out of my busy schedule to conduct an interview of someone who'd never get hired, and therefore be completely wasting my time, I'd be freaking pissed.

[guano]

DISCLAIMER - DO NOT DO WHAT I SAID ABOVE. I'M WRITING SARCASM, OR WISHFUL THINKING. DO NOT WRITE THE KIND OF LETTERS THAT WILL DO THE ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET

[iconoclasttt]

I mean seriously, what the fuck. Can anyone explain this?

Was the rejection letter mailed out before your interview, or is it possibly just a typo? (if the latter, stop)

Was it written by the interviewer or by someone else?

If by someone else:
I'd call the interviewer up and ask for a moment of his/her time. Then explain about the rejection letter and that said person obviously wasted the interviewer's time and you apologize for the inconvenience.

If by the interviewer:
I'd call the interviewer up and ask him/her if s/he likes having his/her time wasted. Then say "neither do I"

edited for clarity

That advice isn't bad, but getting rejection letters dated prior to an interview is actually a fairly common occurrence in the legal profession, even if it's tragicomic and unprofessional on the part of the firm. You hear stories about it every year, so it's probably not worth getting up in arms about.

It's a relatively small profession full of people with long memories who talk to one another. A snarky comeback ("neither do I") may make you feel better but has little potential to change the situation for the better. It does have the impression to make the candidate stick in the mind. Though some might be impressed by chutzpah, many will probably say "who the hell is this kid?"

Life at the bottom of the totem pole sucks, but reality is harsh.

[Anonymous User]

DISCLAIMER - DO NOT DO WHAT I SAID ABOVE. I'M WRITING SARCASM, OR WISHFUL THINKING. DO NOT WRITE THE KIND OF LETTERS THAT WILL DO THE ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET

Yeah I know. Still pissed about this, really unprofessional on their part. I'm considering talking to my CDO though, good suggestion.

-this is OP

[presh]

Possibly they are just assholes, but it also could be a form letter where they forgot to change the date. I've had my secretary at work bring me letters back to tell me that I've forgotten to change the court date/salutation/case number/etc on them. It happens.

[Anonymous User]

This happens at least once a year. At my school (T14), one firm mailed rejections to interviewees without sufficient grades the day before interviews. Presumably it's the result of an idiot in recruiting rather than an intentional decision by the attorneys. I'd probably just remain silent about it, but if you're inclined to say something, send the interviewer (or if the interviewer signed the letter, the firm's recruiting contact) a polite email explaining your disappointment that the firm wasted your time by interviewing you after it made the decision to reject you.

If it happened to several students, you might also consider emailing Above the Law the dated rejection letter and proof that the firm conducted interviews on a subsequent date. But you obviously should make sure that the firm cannot determine the tipster's identity before doing this.

[Jsa725]

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[Myself]

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[DildaMan]

I would forget about it and move on. What're you gonna do? What're you gonna change?

^ This. That was a dick move but what can you do? Also, this seems to be more common if your interview was obtained through lottery.

[guano]

I would forget about it and move on. What're you gonna do? What're you gonna change?

^ This. That was a dick move but what can you do? Also, this seems to be more common if your interview was obtained through lottery.

And why the lottery system sucks

[Anonymous User]

I disagree with the "shrug it off" or "you're at the bottom of the totem pole, bend over with a smile" advice. Employers need to be called out on their bullshit. Beyond that, there are such things as pride and dignity.

What harm could possibly come to OP from sending a polite, well-written letter expressing his disappointment that he was never really considered for the position? He is done with that firm anyway. He will feel better, and hopefully recruitment will be embarrassed enough to ensure a tighter operation next time and spare another candidate this humiliation. Where is the downside?

[guano]

I disagree with the "shrug it off" or "you're at the bottom of the totem pole, bend over with a smile" advice. Employers need to be called out on their bullshit. Beyond that, there are such things as pride and dignity.

What harm could possibly come to OP from sending a polite, well-written letter expressing his disappointment that he was never really considered for the position? He is done with that firm anyway. He will feel better, and hopefully recruitment will be embarrassed enough to ensure a tighter operation next time and spare another candidate this humiliation. Where is the downside?

Anonymously advising someone else to possibly jeopardize their career is a little hypocritical, don't you think?

[Jsa725]

.

[guano]

how is OP jeopardizing his/her career by writing a polite letter explaining that the unprofessionalism is disappointing and that he/she is declining an interview? i do agree with the anonymous poster that perhaps the CDO and the law firm will straighten things out so that future students aren't toyed like a yo-yo... OP's time is just as valuable as the interviewers time.

at the very least, the interviewer/ HR dept will realize their bush-leaguery and *maybe* make appropriate changes. additionally, the OP can still hang his/her head high because he/she will learn a valuable life lesson: how to be direct and honest with people (while remaining respectful and polite) in a manner that demonstrates his/her unwillingness to be a pushover or disrespected.

people respect others that are not afraid to stand up for their principles.

IF op can pull it off, s/he gains nothing. If OP fails to pull it off, s/he will be worse off. it ain't worth the risk

[Jsa725]

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[DildaMan]

Did OP ever clarify whether he/she got the interview via the school or from some other source?

[itbdvorm]

PSA - many/most/all rejection letters are prepared by secretaries or members of recruiting staff. even if prepared and/or read by the attorney, an individual may fail to update a date on a form letter prior to updating name/address/etc. most likely, someone made a basic mistake. let it go and move on.

[thesealocust]

IF op can pull it off, s/he gains nothing. If OP fails to pull it off, s/he will be worse off. it ain't worth the risk

i agree that the OP may gain nothing from sending an email... i do not see how OP can possibly be worse off unless he/she lacks common sense and lacks an ability to be polite. telling someone that you do not appreciate being disrespected can hardly be a bad thing.

i stand by my assertion that the life experience the OP will gain from standing behind his/her principles will pay dividends.

anyways... its a shitty situation to be in. if OP does it, then the OP should have the email looked at by a friend before sending it.

We cross our bridges when we come to them, and leave them burning behind us - with nothing to show for our progress except the smell of smoke in our nostrils and the presumption that once, our eyes watered.

[iconoclasttt]

Re calling employers out on their bullshit, standing on your principles, etc.: There's a time and a place.

But a hard reality is that no, your time is not as important or valuable as the time of the person interviewing you. That's why you're interviewing. True that sometimes people fail to accord you the respect you feel you deserve, but only in exceptional circumstances will telling them off remedy that.

IMO, one is better off focusing the frustration on something that is actually likely to be productive. But I often see people figuring this out through trial and error.

[Jsa725]

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