This was one of the more interesting application experiences we've featured, as the Marlins held a large internship fair at their stadium in what amounted to lining up for an hour or more to wait to interview with one of 15 different departments.
It's a sweet gig if you get it though, at $800/month for a full year.
We thank you for your interest in the Florida Marlins and our internship programs. This year we had many qualified candidates, and the attendance at our Job Fair was proof of that. We would like to extend a thank you to all of those students/candidates that took the time to apply for these positions and make an effort to attend the Job Fair to interview with our front office staff. We are currently finalizing the 2010 internship group and have filled all of the positions that we had available. At this time, we would like to inform those of you that did not receive a request for a follow-up interview that we appreciate the time that you have put forth towards these positions, and we encourage you to attend the job fair next year as well.
Once again, thank you for your efforts and best of luck to you in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Brian Estes
Human Resources Coordinator
Florida Marlins, L.P.
The Boston Globe comes through as a repeat offender for the Rejection Blog with their 2010 rejection letter. I'll give them credit though, as this year's iteration is actually somewhat personal compared to last year's letter.
Says our contributer, "Strange, I was e-mailed by the Globe's internship coordinator and offered an interview, but they never called. So I e-mailed them my updated contact information and got a quick response."
Dear [name redacted],
Thank you for your interest in the Boston Globe summer internship program.
I must inform you that you were not selected for an internship in 2010.
Unfortunately, there were too many good applicants for too few slots.
I hope you apply again.
And thanks for the blog items you sent. They were fun and
informative.
Best,
Paula Bouknight
Ed note: It's a good thing when places soften their rejections with compliments. If the idea's pitched elsewhere in the future, they can truthfully claim that the Knight News Challenge called it "a good idea."
Dear [name redacted],
Thank you for your recent application [project title removed] for funding through the Knight News Challenge. We have reviewed your request, and unfortunately, we must decline your application at this time. Even though you submitted a good idea, it does not meet the specific requirement of using the latest innovations in technique to inform communities.
Because there are thousands of application and only a few of them advance, we are able to choose only the most innovative ideas. These are new kinds of technologies or techniques, usually things we have never heard of before.
Please understand this does not reflect on the quality of your work. This is an extremely competitive contest. Even good applications can be declined. This particular contest can select only a tiny fraction of the most promising, innovative applications that expand digital news and information in defined geographic communities.
You can read more about the Knight News Challenge here: http://www.newschallenge.org
If you have other ideas that fall within the guidelines for the News Challenge, we encourage you to submit them.
We appreciate the value of your work and wish you success in attracting support from other sources.
Sincerely,
Knight News Challenge Staff
Most selective internship we've featured on this blog. Gig pays $12/hr.
From Joanna Pearstein
[E-mail removed]
Fri, Jun 26, 2009
| Wired's internship program |
Hello,
Thank you for your interest in Wired's editorial internship program. We received a record 400 applications for four spots, and I'm sorry to say that you were not selected. Should you be interested in applying in the future, we'll next be seeking interns in November 2009; watch Mediabistro.com for details.
We appreciate your interest in Wired Magazine and wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Joanna Pearlstein
Senior Editor, Research
When another contributor to this blog posted a rejection from the MetPro/LAT training internship, I had thought the letter looked familiar. Going back through my rejection archives, I discovered that the two letters - sent more than two years apart and written by the same man - are eerily similar.
Below the LATimes summer 2007 internship rejection letter, I've attached a copy of the 2009 MetPro/LAT rejection letter with the copied wording bolded.
Straightforward letter from a niche publication that often publishes really, really good reporting. Has a real, handwritten signature on it.
Been sifting through the rejection archives. To send in your rejection letters (anonymity guaranteed) forward e-mails or scans to rejectionblog@gmail.com
This Newsweek internship was unpaid and in New York in early 2008. Not getting the internship saved me a few thousand dollars.
I like that the letter contains the phrase "We need smart, committed people like you in our profession." In future cover letters, I'm going to find a way to work this in, the same way movie ads will take positive adjectives from movie critics and splash them across the page in big bold letters:
Thank you to our e-mail contributor from Pennsylvania for sharing in this cathartic enterprise.
From: staffingcenter@nbcuni.com <Enterprise@trm.brassring.com>
Date: [redacted], Feb [redacted], 2009 at [redacted]
Subject: Press Coordinator Position (1004229)
To: [Name withheld]
Dear [redacted],
I am sending you this email as you either applied directly to NBC
Universal for the position of Press Coordinator, Job Number 1004229) or your resume was in our database and you were considered for this position.
We wanted to inform you that this position has been filled.
We would still like to maintain your resume/CV in our electronic database located in the U.S., hosted by a third party provider.
The database allows us to match the skills on your resume/CV against the requirements of other open positions. If a relevant match is made, a business representative will contact you to discuss the opportunity.
By initially sending in your resume/CV, you consented to your resume/CV being processed and maintained in our electronic database consistent with GE’s Candidate Data Protection Standards. You may review these guidelines at www.gecareers.com. If you no longer consent, please send an email to chr.webmaster@corporate.ge.com requesting that your resume be deleted from the database. Please provide your full first name, last name, mailing address and home telephone number. Any emails sent to this address for any other purpose other than the above will not be responded to and will be discarded. Alternatively, you may send a letter to the address provided in GE's Candidate Data Protection Standards.
If you would like to know what other positions are available at GE, please visit www.gecareers.com. Job opportunities that are available and open to external candidates will be posted on this site. You can easily set up a job agent and be notified via email when available job openings that meet your criteria are posted to the site. Simply click on Expanded Search and then Job Agent and follow the instructions.
Once again, we thank you for your interest in GE and we wish you every success in your job search.
Sincerely,
NBCU Human Resources
Wouldn't one expect the head of a Master's program in Journalism to avoid opening a letter with such a tired cliché?
Apparently not.
This application was a total pain in the ass, and the writing test took hours of copy editing and rewriting before I could even send in the application. I probably shouldn't have applied to this in the first place though, seeing as I cover sports and this is a two-year basic news writing position.