'Decided to waste my time...': Reddit explodes after CEO sends the 'rudest rejection ever' email

A hopeful job applicant got a brutal reality check when a Nordic consultancy CEO personally torched them in a rejection email—calling their application a “waste of time.”

Reddit user Weary-Spring419 shared their experience on r/recruitinghell, calling it the “rudest rejection ever.” The user explained, “Applying for a consultant position directly via email to the CEO—as asked at the job posting. This is the response I received after he asked for clarification whether l'm a Masters student or not at the moment. The full-time occupancy or the need for an MSc degree was not mentioned in the job descriptions at all.”

The CEO’s email pulled no punches:

“Hello
The two positions are full-time and specifically require completed education at master's level (Associate) and experience (Consultant). On our site—which is where I would assume you found two positions—there is an open Business Analyst position which is part-time and for candidates still doing their master's. The fact that you (a) haven't bothered to do a minimum of research, and (b) decided to waste my time with an irrelevant application strikes me as a clear sign that you are not a very good fit for any role at I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours."

Redditors didn’t hold back their reactions. One user urged, "Reply back that a company that has a CEO taking time out of their “busy” day to write nasty rejection emails isn’t a company worth working for."

Another added, "They don’t even have an HR department or application portal, since the way of applying was to send the application directly to him (who’s apparently the CEO of this company) via email. He asked whether I’m still a Masters student — which he could’ve checked in my CV instead in seconds — then after my clarification, he responded this way. The whole communication was within 12 hours. I don’t care about the rejection at all since job seeking comes with that, but God…this is a major red flag. Oh. And it is a Nordic consultancy…you know, with the fair approach and famous work culture. :)"

Some users went straight for the jugular. “Name and shame!” one demanded. Another laughed at the CEO’s priorities: “Lmao the CEO could've redirected your email to HR or sent some automated rejection, but he decided to dedicate personal time to make an ass out of himself. Must be very busy indeed.”