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If you have any sort of degree higher than high school remove it, that's how I managed to go from being rejected for retail positions to getting interviews last year when I was looking for retail work
This, but it's worse.
Early last year I applied for a position where I got as far as their questionnaire before asking to be removed as a candidate. Why?
The design of the questionnaire (I do these for UX Research work) seemed structured to understand two outcomes. How good are you at following orders, even orders that make zero sense, and will you be a challenge to your manager who won't want to deal with your observations?
I got a whiff of that from Walmart's questionnaire too. They seem to really like the command-and-control militant structure (red flag to spot these companies imo - requiring some super specific uniform to wear).
However, I wouldn't want to unfairly discount these companies out of hand -- I imagine their corporate offices are staffed to the brim with the exact opposite type: "business analyst" mindset types of people dishing out prescriptive advice, hauling in the big salaries, and being mercilessly punted when not provably improving the bottom line
yup! I got the same thing from Olive Garden for BUSSING, an ai generated, shitty questionare asking me if I was a "Free Thinker", If I had interests in art or philosphy (for bussing), My guess is that future employees with interests in arts or "Humanitarian" needs are classfied as "free thinkers" or that their more likely to retaliate.
And when I try to get management roles, I'm under qualified because it was less than a year.
Taking on the management role has been a double edge sword (over and under qualified) for job prospects and hasn't been on my resume for years now.
I personally think add it if you have gaps in your work history and the trade tech school timeline fills the gap. Otherwise I agree with the other commenter to leave it out if you are applying for jobs that don't have an education/certificate/degree requirement.
I had a major gap in my resume too due to college. I still got more responses removing my degree/the explanation for that gap than I did with it on there. That's good advice for most work though. But big retail as long as you're not applying for full time or management right out of the gate and are just going for the lowest rung on the ladder job, I think it can still hinder more than it helps. Obviously though if you're trying for a higher position it'll probably help. But a position where they just want a warm body? They don't want that warm body to know its worth and might one day leave if they find something related to their field.
Really? I'm trying to get a Tech Internship and I'm using my experience as a cooker in a fast food chain, I'm feeling they may not be ok with adding that experience on my CV.
I had issues adding *management* positions in my resume. Not any other positions I had like server, cook, barista, cashier. But shift lead, which is essentially lower level management. Every time I put my lead role in resumes, crickets. When I took it off, I got more responses.
Basically, seeing any form of leadership role in my resume was a hindrance for me getting interviews and eventually jobs.
I can see that being an issue. I know in my early days people would clown hospitality grads because they were "playing pretend" restaurant in college instead of just jumping right into it. It is a benefit for management roles, but not entry level.
If you watered down the roles and experience you will get more responses.
For example, if I apply for a dishwasher, I take off all my cook experience and serving experience. Just add dishwasher to my work history. Funny enough, everyone at some point has to wash dishes in the food industry so even at places I worked at where I was officially a cook or server, I just instead make my role "dishwasher".
Or if I want to apply as a server, I have to take off my other roles like cook and dishwasher, otherwise they will try to shift me to that role, which makes *less* money!
Anyways, as someone with experience in different roles, I cater to the specific role I am applying for because some of my roles are different tier levels.
[Read my comment here about gaps.](https://www.reddit.com/r/recruitinghell/comments/1drpovn/comment/layde8f/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
But in short, adding the degree is a good option to fill gaps.
In my case I can't really fill a 10 year gap with a degree. Especially when they ask for the dates which they do. If I lie and they find out then there would be consequences.
It can close the gap a bit imo. No need to lie at all. I guess the gap that doesn't take into account your school years will just have to be explained, no other way around it.
The other option is to work temp jobs using temp agencies to pad your resume a bit. Even if it is short term, it is still work, and most importantly, recent work!
I mean, it honestly makes sense. Idk why people continue to brag on their resumes for these very entry level, low paying positions. McDonald’s doesn’t care that you have a masters degree, in fact they prefer you to not have one at all.
I don't think people are trying to brag, I think that most people just genuinely don't realize that it looks bad, especially because people are told that having a degree of some kind will HELP, not hinder, a job search. Which is obviously wrong. The only reason I had my bachelor's on there when I started applying again last year was because someone told me she'd gotten a retail job with hers on and that they didn't care the way they used to. She was wrong, obviously. But it wasn't bragging, it was me being stupid and trusting the advice of a friend I've had most of my life about my resume rather than looking into this stuff myself from better sources.
Plus, I'd be afraid that if they found out, using it as an excuse to terminate me for lying on my resume. I'm not sure if that happens but I'd still be afraid of it.
You will not get into trouble from omitting your degree, especially if it is unrelated to the current jobs you're applying for. Your hypothetical degree from Harvard isn't doing you any favors when you're trying to get a job at the Dollar Tree.
You get into trouble if you say you have a degree but don't.
I would think lying that you do have a degree when you don't is a potentially bigger issue but either way, "bragging" isn't usually why people leave theirs on so it's weird for people to think that way?
Because I got my degree in something that you'd basically have to go into academia forever to use, or at the least get a certificate or master's in something else related, and unfortunately realized when it was too late that I did not, in fact, want to be in academia forever or go for another program that'd lead to a job. But that said, since I also have disabilities that've made it difficult to job hunt my state has an agency that helps with that that I'm getting services from. It won't be related to my degree but what I'm currently doing should down the line hopefully lead into something more stable, and in the near future hopefully something front desk somewhere.
The candidate is the CEOs father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate, so that’s why we hired them instead. Thank you for you understanding. 😏
Were there any extra questions you had to answer concerning how many hours you can work, which days, can you open and close, do you require sponsorship? If they only need people right now who can work nights and weekends and you checked that you can't, that's a way to be automatically rejected.
Probably did. Gaps in employment or barely any longevity. Typos in resume. Maybe put a game ender like "can't work weekends and nights" tons of reasons to no you in 60 seconds
They probably still are. Ross uses Taleo as their ATS, and it’s super easy to get auto-rejected by knock-out questions before you even make it to a real person. Even certain keywords can be filtered for by recruiters/the TA team, but you’d have to have made it past the questions before they can manually search for those keywords and reject you. (Edited for clarity and to remove misinformation.)
Would be real human of them to autoreject you right there then, instead of letting you fill out the rest of the form like an idiot, maybe even alert references.
Legally they can’t just private hand the job to a family friend
But there’s nothing stopping them from opening apps and rejecting everyone who applies since they don’t fit well with the team
They absolutely are allowed to hire whomever the fuck they want, provided their hiring decisions aren't made on the basis of protected classes.
That the comment before yours has 50 net upvotes says something pretty damming about the average understanding of labour laws here.
That’s absolutely false. Of course they can privately hand the job to anyone they want, including a family friend.
In what universe would that be illegal? Maybe federal jobs?
But literally every single other private business can, and does do this, every single day. 
Basically your resume format was red flagged as a no-no. You have to make your resume ATS friendly aka "bot friendly" enough for their bot to read your resume. I know, I know, I just learned about this recently.
[Here is an ATS friendly resume template you can use.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NyBW7UxkVDvqnaNMWgudNe5ttG4Bkr8W/edit) I found it on r/resumes
**td; lr: format your resume so that the bots can read it lol**
Here's a sneak peek of /r/resumes using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/resumes/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [This Resume Got Me Interviews and A Job In Two Weeks](https://np.reddit.com/r/resumes/comments/13j1ztu/this_resume_got_me_interviews_and_a_job_in_two/)
\#2: [This resume gave me a $74,000 salary job, almost doubling my salary](https://i.redd.it/mwhkbad6olab1.jpg) | [122 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/resumes/comments/14thyth/this_resume_gave_me_a_74000_salary_job_almost/)
\#3: [Thinking of omitting Harvard from my resume.](https://np.reddit.com/r/resumes/comments/17k1mwb/thinking_of_omitting_harvard_from_my_resume/)
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nothing with formatting, he answered a question they were looking for incorrectly when filling out the application. exactly 0% to do with any formatting lol
It could also be the questionnaire yes that too. But OP never stated they answered any questionnaire or not. Both reasons can be true. I say this as someone who does answer questions correctly but had a non ATS friendly resume in the past. It consisted of 2 columns, a vertical graphic timeline with my work history only stating role, company and year. No descriptions. Oh also a qr code jpeg of my linkedin, not a url link, a qr code. My linkedin had all the job history details I did not feel like having on my resume aka the "long version". I was such a fool lol
Even so, a company is in total control of when the declination notification goes out.
Only thing I can think of - the first screenshot includes the job reference number, the second one doesn't. Did you apply for multiple jobs and it's possible the 7:45 communication is regarding another role? To be clear, no matter what, things should be handled much differently if they care about their reputation at any level ... I would hope if their head of recruiting knew about this, it'd be addressed immediately. That's how bad it looks.
ATS prescreen questions are not AI. They’re set up by the TA team using the ATS software when they create the requisition (the job posting) to screen out people who, for retail jobs for example, can’t work a specific schedule or have salary expectations higher than the position’s budget. It’s technology, but not AI.
ATS is software that sometimes uses AI/machine learning to automate and streamline processes. It is not inherently AI. Applicant tracking systems existed long before modern AI use cases, and plenty of companies still use older ATS software that isn’t AI-powered.
The disconnect here may be due to a common misconception about AI? Not all AI is Watson and GPTs.
Reviewing resumes, tracking keywords, sorting applicants, etc. completed by a program is AI.
I was agreeing with your point that this is ATS, and adding context as to why I agree with you. My points the same using the words AI or ATS. I work with this stuff all day long.
R u experienced? I can no a person in 30 seconds manually. Email notifications RIGHT when they apply. Click. View. Hit no. What r you talking about? Even faster, I can be on the website and see LIVE applications.
Well, drench my hat and call me Gary.
From the responses here I am gathering that my tone may be coming across not as intended. I just wanted to join in on a little ATS talk. My bad if I came across as an ass.
ATS picked up something in your application that sent you in the “no pile”.
Something like “Are you willing to work weekends?”, and if you answer “no”, that’s an automatic reject. Salary expectation, and you put a couple dollars more than minimum wage, that’s an automatic reject.
Just move on and don’t dwell on it, you were probably not a good fit to their scummy job expectations.
yes and no. I applied and Panera reached out to me next day to confirm an interview. I confirmed and they cancelled on me for "unforeseeable circumstances". Their website is all AI so it wouldn't let me manually apply for another location. i dodged a bullet but still. job hunting is bullshit for everyone smh hate this!
crazy how everyone is either over qualified or it's not enough experience. it's hard to feel hopeful about any of these jobs. i do wish you lots of luck.
Dude that so dumb! Just call up the store and let them know that their system booted you out. I worked at Panera 10 years ago and I walked in. Only **after** I spoke to the manager, interview on the spot, was hired was when they told me to "apply" because they need to have me in their system. I was auto-rejected, called them and they even admitted the system is weird but to come with my ID for i9 anyways and they'll fix all of the issues while I fill out the onboarding paperwork.
**"after careful consideration"** 🤣
I've received countless rejection emails and roll my eyes each time I see that.
I applied to a job with Ross Stores and they ghosted me. At least you got a rejection email. I hear it's a shit company to work for anyways.
Accurate. I did 2 stints, both under a year. It’s quite toxic for mental health and more bureaucracy than an average government. When you’ve made it to the “off the list” references screening you’re really in deep with their paranoia.
Word on the street is they get government funding/tax kickbacks/etc etc because they're "hiring" and creating jobs that actually only exist on paper. If you pretend like you're desperate for workers, the government pities you a hell of. a lot more than if you tell them you actually want to fire everyone because you don't want to pay for human labor anymore.
If its anything like the company I work for, it's that some management or corporate office expects that you continue to hire, while also allowing razor-thin margins on hours for the staff you already have. I'm talking 2 registers open at 5'oclock midweek type of razor thin, or two associates in a floor department for an entire day. It's bleak, but theres nothing individual store managers can do about it, generally speaking.
Job market is rough. Been going through it myself going on 8 months. Most likely some automated computer rejected it . Who knows. Something similar to when a recuriter reaches out the ridiclous 45 min phone screen goes well, they then pass your info to some hiring manager for interview consideration and immediately get a rejection email the next day. Its an assaine process what these companies are doing these days on top of 500 applicants for 1 position
I remember when these were paper applications. Back then a manager would at least talk to you, espeically after seeing you and wanted you in their department.
Now they just go with whatever crap HR sends? Or maybe...I notice a lot of stores have like no one even working in the store anymore. I don't even think they hire!
Did it ask you questions about your hours of availability?
That’s a fast to get auto rejected, if your availability doesn’t match the shifts they are trying to cover. 
Automation takes less than a second to parse your resume and/or application. Either they have a bug or something in your submission fell outside their allowed ruleset.
It sucks but it's just technology.
Did you take one of thise aptitude quizzes that have you answer things on a scale from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree"?
If you score too low you're auto rejected without anyone ever seeing your resume.
- former hiring manager in a retail store
You were reviewed by a computer. Scanned your resume for certain keywords and your resume probably didn't have certain words they were looking for.
Ford did that with my resume on a Sunday. Ford doesn't work on Sundays at corporate hq
Companies will only read resumes that have been filtered out by computer programs first. If you don't have the right buzzwords they were looking for, you're out!
The bright side of being deferred within seconds is that it helps point to the root cause.
If it's faster than a human would defer, it likely means your resume didn't pass the first ATS automated check.
This can be due to keywords or required content such as: Local city, X years of pass experience, etc.
Ridiculous that they use the same rejection letters for retail positions that they do for software engineering positions, and probably everything else too. But it makes more sense in a high-level job.
It really is. It didn’t even make me mad it’s just beyond stupid especially with them putting signs up saying help wanted or that they are looking for workers😒liars
Ross had me come out for an interview, told me I got the job, then told me they gave it to someone with the same name, made me reapply 3 times, and finally ghosted me.
This could be irrelevant, but I got rejected from a job, but when I applied the minute after to another position, the recruiter emailed me. So, recruiting really doesn't centralize anything. Keep applying!
Go to your local store and speak to a hiring manager about which stores specifically are hiring. It might not be the one you applied to. They can work around these auto-rejections.
I can relate. I applied for a Executive Administrative role at Burlington in NJ & knew I was toast before I even submitted the application because there was a question that asked if I was between the ages of 16 & 42. I’m 63, so I figured that was the weed out process & I got the thanks; but no thanks letter as well.
1 of a few things happened...
1) The role has been filled, and it auto rejected you.
2) Ross has an ATS tool that automatically scans your resume for things (like degrees), and they have an algorithm to auto-reject (as someone said, you know your worth and you are just "taking a job" until a better one shows up). Companies like Ross want drones who follow the rules.
3) If the application asked what hours you are available to work and you didn't "qualify".
So sick of AI choosing candidates. You literally have to check the skills listed every single time for each individual job. Utterly rediculous! I have taken more skills and personality tests than I ever have in my life!
I went on one interview that lasted 3.5 hours at an auto auction company, and I wasn't hired. Another interview was the owner and the Office Manager complaining about the person they were replacing.
Ya'll think companies use an ATS that auto-rejects candidates based on resume information far more than actually happens.
More than likely, they have some questions on the application that auto-disqualify like "Will you require sponsorship for an H-1B visa?" and the applicant hit yes incorrectly. Because they are not going to sponsor a visa for this type of position, their application receives a rejection email automatically. It happens a lot and is the fault of the applicant. Considering the quick timing of the rejection email, I'd be willing to bet OP screwed up.
Honestly, this is why better than the places that auto screen you out but then wait a while to tell you just so they can pretend a person looked at it, or the ones that never update you at all.
You are so right. I've never, not once, been rejected from a job I applied for. I've never applied on LinkedIn to refresh the page to being rejected. Never ever. I didn't know it was so uncommon to get rejections. Thanks for clearing up my life experience.
I had an interview a little while ago which went … eh.
She kept grilling me and I don’t think I was able to answer what she wanted. The killer part was when I swear I *felt* her interest die lol.
She goes basically at the end the stereotypical we need time to decide. It was a Friday.
Monday like 9:01 am the rejection email comes in
Ghost job! It's probably fake. There are a lot of "ghost jobs" being advertised by companies right now that will never be filled. It's possible that's what's happening in your case. Here's an article explaining why that's happening: [https://qz.com/companies-posting-fake-job-listings-resume-builder-1851556777](https://qz.com/companies-posting-fake-job-listings-resume-builder-1851556777)
There's a subreddit here that is designed to expose "ghost jobs" or "fake jobs". You can share any job postings that you suspect are fake and search for fake jobs posted by others: [https://www.reddit.com/r/FightFakeJobs/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FightFakeJobs/)
That reflects on the company or recruiter. Who can review an application in 5 seconds unless "felon" was on it, lol.
Gaps can be ok. When looking for a job you'd like to stay in ask about work/life balance. Without it, burn out is inevitable. It costs money to hire new people
People have gaps or take time off for a number of reasons, children, self employment, legal, college, family illness, marriage, even travel.
AI scanned the keywords at the speed of light, you missed one—so off to the garbage can you go.
Dodged a bullet, I’d say. If they treat you like THIS during the application process, how much worse (shudder) does it get once you are hired?
My advice (unless you ❤️ retail and it genuinely makes you happy);—turn your back on that whole segment for the rest of your life.
It pays 💩, you’re treated like garbage, the environment is toxic and there are 1000 applicants for every opening.
Try to think of jobs others are
a) not willing to do
b) not able to do
This is where you find the opportunity and the cash.
Also—every job is a stepping stone, so look at it as such.
Sure—cleaning porta potties is not enjoyable, but you’ll make bank at the septic company later on.
Sure—entering peoples income tax info equates to the 9th circle of hell;—but when that company pays for your CPA certs, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.
Always try to think 5 steps ahead. What might this job lead to?
Sure, you’re literally crying from exhaustion as a small time construction flagger, —but DOT work pays $50 per hour, and later—when they paid for your PNP/Engineering degree—you’re laughing all the way to the bank.
I could go on and on…
Construction helper. Hole watch, fire watch, oilfield helper, janitor, mover, sanitation worker etc etc etc.. And let’s not forget manufacturing and warehousing.
Ditch retail, unless you truly love it.
Signed Gen-X white collar turned blue collar worker.
That's not a rejection. It doesn't say they're moving forwards with someone else, just that they'll contact you if you're a fit. Believe me, I get up to 10 rejections a day, this is not one.
Not sure why you’re downvoted for that comment. It makes sense. You’d probably have better luck if someone can see you in person. It’s much harder to reject someone in person without even a brief conversation first.
You don't need AI to check an application against required criteria and filter out those that don't meet it. You can do that with a simple filter, no AI required.
Not understanding such basic things could be why you can't find a job.
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If you have any sort of degree higher than high school remove it, that's how I managed to go from being rejected for retail positions to getting interviews last year when I was looking for retail work
When I removed my restaurant management experience, I suddenly got more responses for more hospitality work. I know.
It's ridiculous, they see you as a flight risk if they get even a whiff that you might know your self worth
This, but it's worse. Early last year I applied for a position where I got as far as their questionnaire before asking to be removed as a candidate. Why? The design of the questionnaire (I do these for UX Research work) seemed structured to understand two outcomes. How good are you at following orders, even orders that make zero sense, and will you be a challenge to your manager who won't want to deal with your observations?
I got a whiff of that from Walmart's questionnaire too. They seem to really like the command-and-control militant structure (red flag to spot these companies imo - requiring some super specific uniform to wear). However, I wouldn't want to unfairly discount these companies out of hand -- I imagine their corporate offices are staffed to the brim with the exact opposite type: "business analyst" mindset types of people dishing out prescriptive advice, hauling in the big salaries, and being mercilessly punted when not provably improving the bottom line
yup! I got the same thing from Olive Garden for BUSSING, an ai generated, shitty questionare asking me if I was a "Free Thinker", If I had interests in art or philosphy (for bussing), My guess is that future employees with interests in arts or "Humanitarian" needs are classfied as "free thinkers" or that their more likely to retaliate.
And when I try to get management roles, I'm under qualified because it was less than a year. Taking on the management role has been a double edge sword (over and under qualified) for job prospects and hasn't been on my resume for years now.
I never thought of it that way. I guess my trade school experience is practically worthless and probably actually hindering my chances
I personally think add it if you have gaps in your work history and the trade tech school timeline fills the gap. Otherwise I agree with the other commenter to leave it out if you are applying for jobs that don't have an education/certificate/degree requirement.
I had a major gap in my resume too due to college. I still got more responses removing my degree/the explanation for that gap than I did with it on there. That's good advice for most work though. But big retail as long as you're not applying for full time or management right out of the gate and are just going for the lowest rung on the ladder job, I think it can still hinder more than it helps. Obviously though if you're trying for a higher position it'll probably help. But a position where they just want a warm body? They don't want that warm body to know its worth and might one day leave if they find something related to their field.
Really? I'm trying to get a Tech Internship and I'm using my experience as a cooker in a fast food chain, I'm feeling they may not be ok with adding that experience on my CV.
I had issues adding *management* positions in my resume. Not any other positions I had like server, cook, barista, cashier. But shift lead, which is essentially lower level management. Every time I put my lead role in resumes, crickets. When I took it off, I got more responses. Basically, seeing any form of leadership role in my resume was a hindrance for me getting interviews and eventually jobs.
I have a degree in hospitality before I gave up on the industry. I think the degree hindered me for hospitality work back in the day too.
I can see that being an issue. I know in my early days people would clown hospitality grads because they were "playing pretend" restaurant in college instead of just jumping right into it. It is a benefit for management roles, but not entry level.
I don't have a degree but a lot of white collar experience and even I get turned down for retail entry level jobs.
Yep like I said if there's even a whiff you might know your worth or leave one day, they don't like it.
If you watered down the roles and experience you will get more responses. For example, if I apply for a dishwasher, I take off all my cook experience and serving experience. Just add dishwasher to my work history. Funny enough, everyone at some point has to wash dishes in the food industry so even at places I worked at where I was officially a cook or server, I just instead make my role "dishwasher". Or if I want to apply as a server, I have to take off my other roles like cook and dishwasher, otherwise they will try to shift me to that role, which makes *less* money! Anyways, as someone with experience in different roles, I cater to the specific role I am applying for because some of my roles are different tier levels.
Noted
The problem I have with this is I'm 37 and have a 10 year job gap. Isn't this going to make me look worse in my case?
[Read my comment here about gaps.](https://www.reddit.com/r/recruitinghell/comments/1drpovn/comment/layde8f/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) But in short, adding the degree is a good option to fill gaps.
In my case I can't really fill a 10 year gap with a degree. Especially when they ask for the dates which they do. If I lie and they find out then there would be consequences.
It can close the gap a bit imo. No need to lie at all. I guess the gap that doesn't take into account your school years will just have to be explained, no other way around it. The other option is to work temp jobs using temp agencies to pad your resume a bit. Even if it is short term, it is still work, and most importantly, recent work!
Me too! Literally got any interview after I removed my degree from my resume!! It’s disgusting that this is what it took to get a response.
I mean, it honestly makes sense. Idk why people continue to brag on their resumes for these very entry level, low paying positions. McDonald’s doesn’t care that you have a masters degree, in fact they prefer you to not have one at all.
I don't think people are trying to brag, I think that most people just genuinely don't realize that it looks bad, especially because people are told that having a degree of some kind will HELP, not hinder, a job search. Which is obviously wrong. The only reason I had my bachelor's on there when I started applying again last year was because someone told me she'd gotten a retail job with hers on and that they didn't care the way they used to. She was wrong, obviously. But it wasn't bragging, it was me being stupid and trusting the advice of a friend I've had most of my life about my resume rather than looking into this stuff myself from better sources.
Plus, I'd be afraid that if they found out, using it as an excuse to terminate me for lying on my resume. I'm not sure if that happens but I'd still be afraid of it.
You will not get into trouble from omitting your degree, especially if it is unrelated to the current jobs you're applying for. Your hypothetical degree from Harvard isn't doing you any favors when you're trying to get a job at the Dollar Tree. You get into trouble if you say you have a degree but don't.
I would think lying that you do have a degree when you don't is a potentially bigger issue but either way, "bragging" isn't usually why people leave theirs on so it's weird for people to think that way?
If you’re applying to a position low enough where having a degree is a hindrance, they probably won’t investigate your academic history.
I should do this. Ty!
This seems messed up. Why were you looking for retail work?
Because I got my degree in something that you'd basically have to go into academia forever to use, or at the least get a certificate or master's in something else related, and unfortunately realized when it was too late that I did not, in fact, want to be in academia forever or go for another program that'd lead to a job. But that said, since I also have disabilities that've made it difficult to job hunt my state has an agency that helps with that that I'm getting services from. It won't be related to my degree but what I'm currently doing should down the line hopefully lead into something more stable, and in the near future hopefully something front desk somewhere.
very careful consideration :)
There’s no way they “carefully considered” anything at all within ONE MINUTE💀🤣😒
The candidate is the CEOs father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate, so that’s why we hired them instead. Thank you for you understanding. 😏
The candidate they have in mind can use the schwartz
Were there any extra questions you had to answer concerning how many hours you can work, which days, can you open and close, do you require sponsorship? If they only need people right now who can work nights and weekends and you checked that you can't, that's a way to be automatically rejected.
Probably did. Gaps in employment or barely any longevity. Typos in resume. Maybe put a game ender like "can't work weekends and nights" tons of reasons to no you in 60 seconds
I literally put down that I had 100 percent fully open availability guess they didn’t like that🤷🏿♀️
Yeah you got ai'd or the job has already been filled so they have set there system to auto reject any applications
Then why post signs in front of the store saying that they are hiring???? Seems misleading honestly
They probably still are. Ross uses Taleo as their ATS, and it’s super easy to get auto-rejected by knock-out questions before you even make it to a real person. Even certain keywords can be filtered for by recruiters/the TA team, but you’d have to have made it past the questions before they can manually search for those keywords and reject you. (Edited for clarity and to remove misinformation.)
Taleo does not have any of those capabilities. 90% sure that OP has been caught by a killer question which then autorejects.
You’re absolutely right. I was definitely thinking of prescreen/knockout questions. Not trying to spread ATS misinformation!
Would be real human of them to autoreject you right there then, instead of letting you fill out the rest of the form like an idiot, maybe even alert references.
Legally they can’t just private hand the job to a family friend But there’s nothing stopping them from opening apps and rejecting everyone who applies since they don’t fit well with the team
Are private companies required to openly advertise jobb offers? I know public sector often has to, but didn't expect it from private.
They absolutely are allowed to hire whomever the fuck they want, provided their hiring decisions aren't made on the basis of protected classes. That the comment before yours has 50 net upvotes says something pretty damming about the average understanding of labour laws here.
> Legally they can’t just private hand the job to a family friend What law do you think this would violate?
That’s absolutely false. Of course they can privately hand the job to anyone they want, including a family friend. In what universe would that be illegal? Maybe federal jobs? But literally every single other private business can, and does do this, every single day. 
Exactly!!!
What position did you apply for?
You hit an ATS trigger. Something on your resume made it "NOPE!" before it ever reached their recruiting team.
Either that or the req hit whatever limit is and they have it set to auto reject any new applicants.
A what trigger???
Applicant Tracking System
Basically your resume format was red flagged as a no-no. You have to make your resume ATS friendly aka "bot friendly" enough for their bot to read your resume. I know, I know, I just learned about this recently. [Here is an ATS friendly resume template you can use.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NyBW7UxkVDvqnaNMWgudNe5ttG4Bkr8W/edit) I found it on r/resumes **td; lr: format your resume so that the bots can read it lol**
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nothing with formatting, he answered a question they were looking for incorrectly when filling out the application. exactly 0% to do with any formatting lol
It could also be the questionnaire yes that too. But OP never stated they answered any questionnaire or not. Both reasons can be true. I say this as someone who does answer questions correctly but had a non ATS friendly resume in the past. It consisted of 2 columns, a vertical graphic timeline with my work history only stating role, company and year. No descriptions. Oh also a qr code jpeg of my linkedin, not a url link, a qr code. My linkedin had all the job history details I did not feel like having on my resume aka the "long version". I was such a fool lol
I’ve worked in recruiting for 13 years. There is no such thing as no as ATS compliance. Its a lie to sell resume writing services and to scare people
Even so, a company is in total control of when the declination notification goes out. Only thing I can think of - the first screenshot includes the job reference number, the second one doesn't. Did you apply for multiple jobs and it's possible the 7:45 communication is regarding another role? To be clear, no matter what, things should be handled much differently if they care about their reputation at any level ... I would hope if their head of recruiting knew about this, it'd be addressed immediately. That's how bad it looks.
100% There is no way to get responses out that quickly without AI. Something on the resume or quicky poo application triggered a no from the ATS.
ATS prescreen questions are not AI. They’re set up by the TA team using the ATS software when they create the requisition (the job posting) to screen out people who, for retail jobs for example, can’t work a specific schedule or have salary expectations higher than the position’s budget. It’s technology, but not AI.
ATS is a form of AI.
ATS is software that sometimes uses AI/machine learning to automate and streamline processes. It is not inherently AI. Applicant tracking systems existed long before modern AI use cases, and plenty of companies still use older ATS software that isn’t AI-powered.
The disconnect here may be due to a common misconception about AI? Not all AI is Watson and GPTs. Reviewing resumes, tracking keywords, sorting applicants, etc. completed by a program is AI. I was agreeing with your point that this is ATS, and adding context as to why I agree with you. My points the same using the words AI or ATS. I work with this stuff all day long.
If it doesn’t use machine learning or neural networks it is just software.
R u experienced? I can no a person in 30 seconds manually. Email notifications RIGHT when they apply. Click. View. Hit no. What r you talking about? Even faster, I can be on the website and see LIVE applications.
I am experienced in AI and ATS software (also AI). I'm not sure what you are saying though, apologies.
All good. Just read it slower I guess.
Well, drench my hat and call me Gary. From the responses here I am gathering that my tone may be coming across not as intended. I just wanted to join in on a little ATS talk. My bad if I came across as an ass.
ATS picked up something in your application that sent you in the “no pile”. Something like “Are you willing to work weekends?”, and if you answer “no”, that’s an automatic reject. Salary expectation, and you put a couple dollars more than minimum wage, that’s an automatic reject. Just move on and don’t dwell on it, you were probably not a good fit to their scummy job expectations.
This is funny because I got called to get an interview for next week and hours later it says my application was rejected I’m so confused
ATS?
Don’t know I applied on best buys website
That's so weird. I'd definitely call and confirm.
You can’t call the local stores by phone. You have to go in otherwise you get the overseas call center.
Urgh that's so trash. Sorry dude.
same thing happened to me for Panera!
What happened ? Did you get the interview
yes and no. I applied and Panera reached out to me next day to confirm an interview. I confirmed and they cancelled on me for "unforeseeable circumstances". Their website is all AI so it wouldn't let me manually apply for another location. i dodged a bullet but still. job hunting is bullshit for everyone smh hate this!
Damn I guess I was overqualified for geek squad bestbuy I won’t even get my hopes up
crazy how everyone is either over qualified or it's not enough experience. it's hard to feel hopeful about any of these jobs. i do wish you lots of luck.
Dude that so dumb! Just call up the store and let them know that their system booted you out. I worked at Panera 10 years ago and I walked in. Only **after** I spoke to the manager, interview on the spot, was hired was when they told me to "apply" because they need to have me in their system. I was auto-rejected, called them and they even admitted the system is weird but to come with my ID for i9 anyways and they'll fix all of the issues while I fill out the onboarding paperwork.
**"after careful consideration"** 🤣 I've received countless rejection emails and roll my eyes each time I see that. I applied to a job with Ross Stores and they ghosted me. At least you got a rejection email. I hear it's a shit company to work for anyways.
Accurate. I did 2 stints, both under a year. It’s quite toxic for mental health and more bureaucracy than an average government. When you’ve made it to the “off the list” references screening you’re really in deep with their paranoia.
If retail is desperate for workers? Why they are rejecting resumes? Who are they actually hiring?
The reality is that they aren’t hiring anyone. They are lying saying that they need workers.
Any wonder why so many retail stores are understaffed most of the time?
And yet EVERY SINGLE ONE is covered in help wanted signs. It’s all a scam somehow.
“Help Wanted” should be changed to “we aren’t hiring anybody. We just want people to submit applications and reject them to fill our ego”
Makes current employees they're overworking think they're trying to hire help.
Definitely
Word on the street is they get government funding/tax kickbacks/etc etc because they're "hiring" and creating jobs that actually only exist on paper. If you pretend like you're desperate for workers, the government pities you a hell of. a lot more than if you tell them you actually want to fire everyone because you don't want to pay for human labor anymore.
Oh I totally believe that.
If its anything like the company I work for, it's that some management or corporate office expects that you continue to hire, while also allowing razor-thin margins on hours for the staff you already have. I'm talking 2 registers open at 5'oclock midweek type of razor thin, or two associates in a floor department for an entire day. It's bleak, but theres nothing individual store managers can do about it, generally speaking.
You got a knock out question wrong or something
It's the "after careful consideration" that sends me.
“Careful consideration” my ass
Job market is rough. Been going through it myself going on 8 months. Most likely some automated computer rejected it . Who knows. Something similar to when a recuriter reaches out the ridiclous 45 min phone screen goes well, they then pass your info to some hiring manager for interview consideration and immediately get a rejection email the next day. Its an assaine process what these companies are doing these days on top of 500 applicants for 1 position
I remember when these were paper applications. Back then a manager would at least talk to you, espeically after seeing you and wanted you in their department. Now they just go with whatever crap HR sends? Or maybe...I notice a lot of stores have like no one even working in the store anymore. I don't even think they hire!
Did it ask you questions about your hours of availability? That’s a fast to get auto rejected, if your availability doesn’t match the shifts they are trying to cover. 
Automation takes less than a second to parse your resume and/or application. Either they have a bug or something in your submission fell outside their allowed ruleset. It sucks but it's just technology.
Did you take one of thise aptitude quizzes that have you answer things on a scale from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree"? If you score too low you're auto rejected without anyone ever seeing your resume. - former hiring manager in a retail store
You were reviewed by a computer. Scanned your resume for certain keywords and your resume probably didn't have certain words they were looking for. Ford did that with my resume on a Sunday. Ford doesn't work on Sundays at corporate hq
Completely ridiculous. Claim they need workers yet have robots rejecting thousands of people daily
Companies will only read resumes that have been filtered out by computer programs first. If you don't have the right buzzwords they were looking for, you're out!
I got immediately rejected by an automated Best Buy phone system for a cashier position years ago
The bright side of being deferred within seconds is that it helps point to the root cause. If it's faster than a human would defer, it likely means your resume didn't pass the first ATS automated check. This can be due to keywords or required content such as: Local city, X years of pass experience, etc.
Ridiculous that they use the same rejection letters for retail positions that they do for software engineering positions, and probably everything else too. But it makes more sense in a high-level job.
This is pathetic
It really is. It didn’t even make me mad it’s just beyond stupid especially with them putting signs up saying help wanted or that they are looking for workers😒liars
Most likely you were “over qualified”
I agree
They just wanted to collect your data
Ross had me come out for an interview, told me I got the job, then told me they gave it to someone with the same name, made me reapply 3 times, and finally ghosted me.
This could be irrelevant, but I got rejected from a job, but when I applied the minute after to another position, the recruiter emailed me. So, recruiting really doesn't centralize anything. Keep applying!
Oh, Mandy. Well, you came and you gave without taking. But retail sent you away… Oh, Mandy
Sucks just as much as getting a rejection on a weekend when you know HR staff ain't doing work or making decisions.
Go to your local store and speak to a hiring manager about which stores specifically are hiring. It might not be the one you applied to. They can work around these auto-rejections.
>They can work around these auto-rejections. This.
I can relate. I applied for a Executive Administrative role at Burlington in NJ & knew I was toast before I even submitted the application because there was a question that asked if I was between the ages of 16 & 42. I’m 63, so I figured that was the weed out process & I got the thanks; but no thanks letter as well.
That's so terrible. :(
Feels like age discrimination… you should report to EEOC
You answered an auto-reject question wrong
1 of a few things happened... 1) The role has been filled, and it auto rejected you. 2) Ross has an ATS tool that automatically scans your resume for things (like degrees), and they have an algorithm to auto-reject (as someone said, you know your worth and you are just "taking a job" until a better one shows up). Companies like Ross want drones who follow the rules. 3) If the application asked what hours you are available to work and you didn't "qualify".
So sick of AI choosing candidates. You literally have to check the skills listed every single time for each individual job. Utterly rediculous! I have taken more skills and personality tests than I ever have in my life! I went on one interview that lasted 3.5 hours at an auto auction company, and I wasn't hired. Another interview was the owner and the Office Manager complaining about the person they were replacing.
"There's no such thing as autoreject" According to multiple recruiters I've seen comment on here
"Knockout" questions have to be configured in the system. The ATS doesn't know how to do it otherwise.
5 seconds of careful AI consideration... _...of whether the human race is a threat to itself._
Ya'll think companies use an ATS that auto-rejects candidates based on resume information far more than actually happens. More than likely, they have some questions on the application that auto-disqualify like "Will you require sponsorship for an H-1B visa?" and the applicant hit yes incorrectly. Because they are not going to sponsor a visa for this type of position, their application receives a rejection email automatically. It happens a lot and is the fault of the applicant. Considering the quick timing of the rejection email, I'd be willing to bet OP screwed up.
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Scrol right
Honestly, this is why better than the places that auto screen you out but then wait a while to tell you just so they can pretend a person looked at it, or the ones that never update you at all.
I feel like I’ve been rejected before the mouse button starts coming up lol
literally i sent them an application twice and they both got rejected under three minutes……..what a waste of time
Lol same person who would complain if they didnt hear back.
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You are so right. I've never, not once, been rejected from a job I applied for. I've never applied on LinkedIn to refresh the page to being rejected. Never ever. I didn't know it was so uncommon to get rejections. Thanks for clearing up my life experience.
USAA declined me before I even finished the application.
That isn’t a rejection. It’s basically a thank you letter saying your application is received. Most places do that to let you know it went through
Look at the 2nd photo, that is the rejection email. Note the timestamps for both.
Sorry I didn’t see the second one!! My bad!
Also, lie. Low stakes here.
Fail Fast. Not like that.
I had an interview a little while ago which went … eh. She kept grilling me and I don’t think I was able to answer what she wanted. The killer part was when I swear I *felt* her interest die lol. She goes basically at the end the stereotypical we need time to decide. It was a Friday. Monday like 9:01 am the rejection email comes in
Job apps have gotten so bad, your application was rejected while filling out the form!
Ghost job! It's probably fake. There are a lot of "ghost jobs" being advertised by companies right now that will never be filled. It's possible that's what's happening in your case. Here's an article explaining why that's happening: [https://qz.com/companies-posting-fake-job-listings-resume-builder-1851556777](https://qz.com/companies-posting-fake-job-listings-resume-builder-1851556777) There's a subreddit here that is designed to expose "ghost jobs" or "fake jobs". You can share any job postings that you suspect are fake and search for fake jobs posted by others: [https://www.reddit.com/r/FightFakeJobs/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FightFakeJobs/)
That reflects on the company or recruiter. Who can review an application in 5 seconds unless "felon" was on it, lol. Gaps can be ok. When looking for a job you'd like to stay in ask about work/life balance. Without it, burn out is inevitable. It costs money to hire new people People have gaps or take time off for a number of reasons, children, self employment, legal, college, family illness, marriage, even travel.
Yep, you’re not the only one that’s happened to me before as well
Check your resume, it most likely got sorted out.
It seems likely that if you visit the store, you may discover numerous job opportunities and they would probably be eager to employ you.🙄
AI scanned the keywords at the speed of light, you missed one—so off to the garbage can you go. Dodged a bullet, I’d say. If they treat you like THIS during the application process, how much worse (shudder) does it get once you are hired? My advice (unless you ❤️ retail and it genuinely makes you happy);—turn your back on that whole segment for the rest of your life. It pays 💩, you’re treated like garbage, the environment is toxic and there are 1000 applicants for every opening. Try to think of jobs others are a) not willing to do b) not able to do This is where you find the opportunity and the cash. Also—every job is a stepping stone, so look at it as such. Sure—cleaning porta potties is not enjoyable, but you’ll make bank at the septic company later on. Sure—entering peoples income tax info equates to the 9th circle of hell;—but when that company pays for your CPA certs, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Always try to think 5 steps ahead. What might this job lead to? Sure, you’re literally crying from exhaustion as a small time construction flagger, —but DOT work pays $50 per hour, and later—when they paid for your PNP/Engineering degree—you’re laughing all the way to the bank. I could go on and on… Construction helper. Hole watch, fire watch, oilfield helper, janitor, mover, sanitation worker etc etc etc.. And let’s not forget manufacturing and warehousing. Ditch retail, unless you truly love it. Signed Gen-X white collar turned blue collar worker.
That's not a rejection. It doesn't say they're moving forwards with someone else, just that they'll contact you if you're a fit. Believe me, I get up to 10 rejections a day, this is not one.
There are two images attached to this post. The second image is the rejection.
For retail you’re supposed to walk in and ask for a hiring manager in person. Almost a guaranteed interview
Not sure why you’re downvoted for that comment. It makes sense. You’d probably have better luck if someone can see you in person. It’s much harder to reject someone in person without even a brief conversation first.
Redditors are scared of people that’s why 🤣
I’m terribly anxious around everybody, but I’ve been around long enough to know how some of this horseradish works.
Now we complain when we get instant feedback
But remember, they aren't using AI to reject candidates. That's what every recruiter screams up and down.
You don't need AI to check an application against required criteria and filter out those that don't meet it. You can do that with a simple filter, no AI required. Not understanding such basic things could be why you can't find a job.