- By Kamakshi Bishnoi
- Sat, 16 May 2026 05:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Recruiters often face criticism for giving vague or unconvincing reasons while rejecting candidates, but an Indian professional has shared a highly unusual rejection experience that has now gone viral.
According to the post shared on Reddit, the candidate claimed they were rejected not due to skills or experience, but because their previous company was located just 600 metres away from the hiring office.
“Today I received the funniest rejection mail of my life. They said they liked my profile and experience, but they cannot continue because my previous company is located approximately 600 meters from their office due to confidentiality and data security policy,” the user wrote in a Reddit post.
Rejected because my previous company is only 600 meters away from their office 💀
by u/Mother-Charity-3369 in IndianWorkplace
The employee also shared a screenshot of the recruiter’s email, which cited internal policy concerns related to confidentiality and data security as the reason for not proceeding further.
“Due to internal management policies related to confidentiality and data security, we are unable to move forward with your application at this time, as your previous company is located approximately 600 metres from our office,” read the email.
The applicant, who did not name the company, said they found the explanation surprising and shared it online for its unusual nature.
“Bro, they actually measured the distance. At least they were honest instead of saying: “we moved forward with other candidates” Before anyone asks, I am not mentioning the company name because I don't want to create unnecessary problems for them or for myself.”
Social media reaction
Users reacting to the post questioned the logic behind such a rejection, calling it outdated in today’s work environment.
“I work in a shared location where a 40 sq ft. cubicle holds employees from 5 different organisations. This is ancient-level thinking, which lacks trust for the employees,” said one user, while another added, “This begs the question: what is the minimum distance required to be eligible for this company?”
A third commented, “I feel like this company would think 10 times before letting employees work from home lol.”
“In today's hyper-connected world, everyone is one phone or email call away, so distance big or small doesn't matter. I think it's a joke. You should draft a good reply and see how they respond,” wrote another.