Thanks for applying, but......

[fallinnstyle]

Dear xxxx,

Thank you for applying.

However, this is not an open position.

It was created for the sole purpose of promoting an existing employee into.

Feel free to visit our career site for other positions that may be available.

Thanks,

xxxxxxxx

The above was my email response to a job application at a major hospital.

Why would a hospital post a job (there were 10 exact same jobs on the career site, so I applied to just one) and make it available to external applicants, knowing full well they had no chance? It took a really long time to apply for this job on the website..

Thanks,,,just wanted to vent a little bit.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I understand your frustration. Their computerized system should have a way to post such positions internally only -- so that possible external applicants can't see them.

My hospital's system gives the recruiter a choice -- internal posting only? or both internal and external? The recruiter accidentally hit the wrong button one time for a position I was posting internally ... and I felt really bad that 2 people from the outside applied before we discovered the error in the posting.

I'm sorry it happened to you.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Well that stinks- I'm sorry you got sucked into the hospital politics, with the hopes of employment... :icon_roll Hopefully the next one you apply to will be legit and not some stupid public ad that means nothing.....

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Wow! It's refreshing and surprising that they actually sent you a letter confirming the reason you weren't hired was because the job had already been promised to another. For some reason employers commonly post jobs that have already been promised to someone, just for technicality and legalese or union or corp protocols.

Yes its discouraging but at least you know where you stand and that it was not thru a fault of yours that you were not hired. So many times people apply, even interview and are then left in the dark with no response or oh by the way its not you with no explanation and then you wonder and worry and think what did you do wrong. At least now you know it wasn't you!

[fallinnstyle]

Thanks for your replies. I guess I should be glad I know why I didn't get the job....but I still feel misled. I guess I am just tired of putting in so many applications without getting a job. I have been trying to get out of LTC, but it seems hospitals just don't have jobs for me even with LTC experience.

Makes me wonder though if all the apps I have put in for jobs were really meaningless since those jobs had already been promised to someone else.

Job searching is the pits!!

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Thanks for your replies. I guess I should be glad I know why I didn't get the job....but I still feel misled. I guess I am just tired of putting in so many applications without getting a job. I have been trying to get out of LTC, but it seems hospitals just don't have jobs for me even with LTC experience.

Makes me wonder though if all the apps I have put in for jobs were really meaningless since those jobs had already been promised to someone else.

Job searching is the pits!!

Hard to say- but a question that came up on another thread- are you going to these HR places in person, or doing all of your applications online? Online, you never even know if they saw it.... in person, you have a name of who you gave it to :)

[IowaKaren]

How about this. I applied for a Home Health job through a hospital website since I was told that was the way they took applications in that system. Anyway, a couple months later learned that the hospital had dropped it's Home Health agency (didn't make the $$ they wanted). Here I could have applied for the open position months ago and since I found out too late that they had moved but the website still had an application process for Home health on it, well, I missed out on trying to change jobs. How irritating.

[joannep]

I understand your frustration, applying for jobs and not getting any interviews is soul destroying. I can only encourage you to keep trying.

[Isabelle49]

Hard to say- but a question that came up on another thread- are you going to these HR places in person, or doing all of your applications online? Online, you never even know if they saw it.... in person, you have a name of who you gave it to :)

My daughter is applying anywhere she can in our area, but it must be done on line. That is the only way applications will be accepted.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Yes my some of my friends we are but the dinosaurs who went job to job pounding pavement as they say. Most places turn you away and tell you to go online ... there is no more the face to face chance encounter with the big cheese; it's all electronic. I can see a scenario with the frustrated person gripping resume and cover letter in hand being escorted out of the facility because they wanted to hand it to the DON in person. Not happening these days.

Anyway, I think it's terrific that they actually wrote a letter to you. As for the posting for internal positions many places post them externally as well; perhaps looking for that diamond in the rough.

[MamaCJRN]

Two words "Affirimative Action". Employers who participate in Affirmative Action are required to post positions even if they have an internal applicant for the position. I worked somewhere that didn't participate and we just put the person in the job but now where I work we have to post the position no matter what. I'm sorry this happened to you, I don't agree with the reply. I think "A different candidate was selected" would be more appropriate.

Keep your chin up!