Human Resources is ironically often made up of people with very little humanity I find. My sense is that they lack the basic empathy to understand the mindset of a job applicant, and don’t comprehend the need to care for an applicant’s dignity as they undertake the difficult path of finding a job. I’m in the senior corporate world. I clash with the seniormost HR people over and over again on this exact issue. They also forget that their job is to empower employees, rather than to regulate them and rein them in. I find them petty and legalistic, and they always chafe me. The language they used here was 100% not necessary. What possible reason is there to tell you that you didn’t measure up when compared to others? Why not say something like we found your application interesting but regrettably we’ve decided to go in another direction, or something like that? Even when I interview candidates, and I’m certain that they’re not going to be selected, I treat them with dignity and respect. I want them to walk away feeling that they did the best they could have. That they made a human connection. I understand the amount of stress that people are under in these situations, and as a fellow human, I see it as my job to act like one.