Yet another "thank you" email

It's bad enough to get an email saying the interview didn't work out. It's worse when it's a form letter. I interviewed at a company in San Diego. I went through two phone interviews before being asked to come in, using up plenty of my mobile phone minutes. I drove an hour to the office, went through a 3 hour interview with 5 different people, was told they'd get back to me within a few days, sat in traffic on the way home for 90 minutes, sent some personal thank you emails, and waited.

A week later (this Monday), I got an email from the person in HR I had been talking to. She said that the team had finished the interviews and would be in touch no later than Friday with a decision. I was a little ticked because she sent it to all the candidates, but put our email addresses in the To field instead of using BCC, so everybody was able to see everybody else's email addresses and names. So much for privacy.

Since I had the email addresses of each of the other candidates, I could have done searches and got background information on each of them, then used this information to my advantage in a follow-up email. I didn't (though I wonder if any of the other candidates did). To make matters worse, it was HR that sent the email, and HR should have known better than to disclose the names and email addresses of all the candidates.

Anyway, today, 10 days after the interview, I got the following email:

Subject: Thank you for your interest in [Name of company I applied to]

Dear Troy Hoffman,

Thank you for submitting your resume to for consideration.

We are fortunate to have many qualified candidates apply to each of our positions. We have reviewed the qualifications of each candidate and after careful consideration, we have determined that the credentials of other candidates may better fit our needs at this time.

Please accept our best wishes and thank your for your interest in our company.

Sincerely,

The [Name of the parent company] HR/Recruitment Team

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Is it too much to ask for a personal email signed by a person? There were only four of us (which is information I shouldn't have known). It would have only taken a few minutes to send each of us an email. Even an email that was sent to all of us would've been better than just logging into Taleo and clicking a button to send a form rejection letter to all candidates. Form responses are great when you haven't even gotten a phone call about your application. In fact, I'm glad when I get those, since at least I know they got my application.

However, if somebody invests their time, gas, and energy into showing up in person for an interview, then that person follows-up with a personal thank you after the interview, the least you could do is sign the rejection email with your own name instead of "HR/Recruitment Team."

Maybe it's better I didn't get the job. I'd hate to show up to work one day and find an email from "HR/Recruitment Team" telling me I've been laid off. I can just see it now:

Subject: Thank you for your service at [Company Name]

Dear Troy Hoffman,

As you are aware, many companies have been forced to cut expenses due to the current economic situation. At [company name], we have been fortunate to have avoided workforce reduction.

However, due to a slowdown in sales, we have been faced with the difficult decision of how to reduce expenses. Regrettably, we have been forced to reduce our working staff. This decision was not made lightly and in no way reflects on the performance of those who will no longer be with us.

Since you have received this email, you have been one of those whose position has been eliminated. Please pack up your personal belongings and wait for security to escort you out of the building. Your final paycheck will be mailed to you. Regrettably, there will be no severance package.

Please accept our best wishes and thank your for your many years of dedicated service to our company. We sincerely hope you are able to support your family. Security at [Company Name] will, of course, be increased in the months ahead, so please do not visit without an appointment and approval.

Sincerely,

The [Name of the parent company] HR/Recruitment Team

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