Q: I decided to look for a leadership position in my own school district. I spent a lot of time preparing for this interview and then spent days on pins and needles, replaying the interview in my mind while waiting to hear back. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the position, but that’s not why I’m writing. While I’m disappointed, I can accept the outcome. I’m struggling, however, with how I was rejected. As background, I’m an experienced, effective, hard-working, tenured teacher who has worked in the same district for more than 20 years. Yet after a week of waiting, some stranger in Human Resources sent me a robo-rejection letter thanking me for applying to [insert fiscal year, position name and number, a jumble of numbers and acronyms, and the name of the school district], and wishing me luck in my job search. I know it was an automated form letter, and I’m sure it’s the same one the district sends to external candidates, but that’s my point. Instead of making me feel like a valued, respected, long-standing employee, my district made me feel like a serial number. I got this letter in the middle of the school day, when I still had classes left to teach.
I don’t blame the person who signed the robo-rejection. I don’t even know the person, and I’m sure my district uses a software program that automatically generates these letters as soon as a position is formally filled. I also know there’s not much I can do now, but I’d like to prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future. It seems so unnecessary, and with a few small and simple tweaks, Human Resources could make the application process far more personal. Is there any point in sharing this with anyone in my district, and if so, what’s an effective way to get my point across without jeopardizing future job prospects? I still hope to obtain a leadership role in my own school district.
A: While you’re right that you can’t undo the experience, I think your desire to transform pain into something positive will give you a sense of agency and help you feel less powerless. It’s a protective instinct. At the same time, I think you’re smart to consider the most effective and diplomatic ways to offer feedback, particularly since you still hope to be promoted in this district.
I know you don’t know the person who signed the robo-rejection letter, but you could start by requesting a meeting with them. I’d reiterate what you told me in your letter — that you don’t blame them and suspect you got the same automatically generated letter as everyone else. Tell them you’d love to discuss ways to possibly improve the process. The individual whose name is on the letter may not even realize that the district sends the same form letter to current and prospective employees. Or even if they do, they might not have considered how that might offend current staff members. And at a time when educators’ morale is low, teachers are resigning in droves, and retention is a real issue, I can’t imagine any official in your district would want to offend a current staff member.
Plus, you’re right that a few small changes could greatly improve the process. I don’t know the limitations of the software program they use, but I wonder if they could generate a different — preferably warmer, acronym and number-less letter — for internal candidates. Or perhaps they could stop sending robo-rejections at all to current employees! If that’s not possible, then maybe they could put safeguards in place to ensure that internal candidates would first get the news from someone who actually interviewed them. That would be a far kinder approach.
You mention that you’ve been in your county for two decades, so I also wonder if you could tap any contacts, either for advice or help connecting with someone in Human Resources. I worry that if you simply reach out to someone you don’t know and they choose to ignore your request to meet, you’ll end up feeling even less valued. And ultimately, I think that’s what you need most right now — to process this demoralizing experience with people who know you well and can remind you that you’re a skilled teacher and a wonderful colleague. If all else fails, you can always forward this column to someone in Human Resources!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phyllis L. Fagell
Phyllis L. Fagell is the school counselor at Landon School in Washington, D.C., a therapist at the Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Md., and the author of the Career Confidential blog. She is also the author of Middle School Matters and Middle School Superpowers, available at https://amzn.to/3Pw0pcu.
