11/08/2026
**“We will get back to you.”**
That was the exact statement I heard from our first HR, almost 12 years ago, when I walked into our first, very small office.
My immediate thought was:
*“We should give constructive feedback to the candidate instead of ghosting them.”*
But her reply stayed with me for the next 12 years.
She said:
**“We are not ghosting him. And we have not rejected him either.”**
I was confused.
So I asked her to explain.
She said:
“We received 100+ applications for one position. We are going to select only ONE person.
Does that mean the other 100+ candidates are rejected?
No.
It simply means that, **for this particular role, at this particular time, one person was a better fit for what we needed.**”
And then she said something even more interesting:
**“We may need those other candidates tomorrow.”**
That thought has stayed with me.
A few days ago, we received **1,500 applications for one position.**
Think about it.
1,500 people cannot be “bad candidates” because only one person gets selected.
The world is full of talented people.
Sometimes, someone simply fits a particular requirement better **at that particular point in time.**
And that's not rejection.
It's selection.
If we send a rejection email, what are we really saying?
“Your skills are inferior to the person we selected.”
But how can we possibly make that comparison?
Every individual is different.
Different skills.
Different experiences.
Different strengths.
Different personalities.
Different circumstances.
**Not being selected doesn't mean you are not good enough.**
It may simply mean:
**“You weren't the right fit for this particular opportunity, at this particular time.”**
And who knows?
The candidate we didn't select today may become exactly the person we desperately need tomorrow.
**The world is small.
The talent pool is big.
And careers are long.**
So perhaps we should stop calling every non-selection a **“rejection.”**
Sometimes, it is simply **“not now.”**
