Just when you thought it was over, rejection letter season kicks back into high gear.  Or in this case, rejection emails.  For those of you who have been on the Academic job market at least once, you know exactly what I am talking about.  Those mysterious letters or emails from schools you applied to over six months ago that inform you of your rejection for a job that you long gave up on. 

My favorite so far came in yesterday.  I’ve pasted the text here with the school and position ID information deleted:

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your recent application for the Assistant Professor of English with the University of [Blank].

Your application has been carefully examined to evaluate your combination of education and experience in relationship to the specific requirements of this position.  After a thorough review of all the applications we have selected another candidate who we feel best meets the needs of both this position and our department.

We appreciate your interest in finding employment with [Blank], and we wish you success in your efforts to find a rewarding position.

Sincerely,

English

 Do not reply to this email.  This is an automated email account which is not checked.  Questions should be directed to the hiring official of English.

Is it just me or does this letter sound like it was generated by a spambot?  Come on people.  If you’re going to require a writing sample from me, the least you can do is craft a well-written rejection letter.  One will do.  Then you can cut and paste my name and yours into the template. 

Have a good rejection story to share?  Feel free to post it as a reply.