{"id":"career-internship-rejection-reply","audience":"college","category":"career","technique":"tone","track":"writing","title":"Reply to an internship rejection and keep the door open","free":false,"task":"You didn't get the internship, but the recruiter's note was kind. Write a reply under 70 words, plain text: thank her by name, ask to be considered for the spring program she mentioned, and ask one question about what would make your application stronger. No disappointment or complaints, don't ask her to reconsider, and sign it \"Best, Hana Mori\".","materialLabel":"The recruiter's email and your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"EMAIL FROM: Lauren Pike, University Recruiting, Northgate Analytics\nHi Hana,\nThank you for interviewing for our Summer Analytics Internship. It was a very competitive year, with over 600 applicants for 12 spots, and we've decided to move forward with other candidates. The team enjoyed your presentation on the farmers market data.\nWe'll open our Spring Co-op in January and would welcome your application.\nBest,\nLauren\n\nMY NOTES (Hana Mori)\n- ugh. I really thought the final round went well\n- my friend got an offer, I'm happy for her but it stings\n- the interviewer was Mr. Osei, not Lauren. Lauren just handles scheduling\n- want to ask if they'd reconsider?? -> no, career center says never do that\n- I don't know if it was my SQL test or something else","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":70},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Letting feelings leak in","why":"The AI picks up on your notes and writes 'I was disappointed' or hints you'd like them to reconsider.","fix":"Add: \"No disappointment, no asking them to reconsider.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Skipping the next step","why":"AI rejection replies just say thanks, so the spring program goes unmentioned.","fix":"Add: \"Ask to be considered for the Spring Co-op.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Not asking for feedback","why":"The AI won't ask what to improve unless you tell it to.","fix":"Add: \"Ask one question about what would make my application stronger.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over.","fix":"Cap each part: \"4 sentences, each under 14 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it's going","why":"AI adds bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in a recruiter's inbox.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Mentions the spring program","patterns":["spring","co.?op"]},{"label":"Asks one feedback question","patterns":["one question","stronger","feedback","improve"]},{"label":"Keeps the tone steady","patterns":["(no|not|don't|do not).{0,20}(disappoint|reconsider|complain)","positive","gracious"]},{"label":"Gives the sign-off","patterns":["best, hana","sign"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]}],"hint":"A graceful reply can turn a no into a later yes. Tell the AI the next step to ask for, the one question, what to leave out and how to sign off.","rubricLabels":["Thanks Lauren by name and asks to be considered for the Spring Co-op","Asks exactly one question about what would make Hana's application stronger","Doesn't express disappointment, mention her friend's offer, or ask Northgate to reconsider, and ends with 'Best, Hana Mori'"]}