見完工，等了幾個星期，終於有回覆。
A few weeks after the interview, the reply finally arrived.
不是好消息。
It was not good news.
食檸檬，也非甚麼新鮮事，但今次值得寫下。
Rejection was hardly a novelty. This one, though, was worth writing down.
信的大意是：「抱歉要你等這麼久，我們也掙扎了好一會。幾位跟你見過面的同事，都覺得你可信、清晰、熱誠滿滿，數碼行銷和分析能力非常強。只是我們有另一位候選人，從長遠方面來考慮，顯得更合適……」
In essence, the email read: “Sorry to have kept you waiting. We wrestled with the decision for quite some time. Everyone who met you found you credible, articulate and full of enthusiasm, with exceptionally strong skills in digital marketing and analytics. In the end, however, another candidate seemed the better long-term fit…”
一般拒絕電郵，來到這裏就完，但這封信並沒止於此。
Most rejection emails would end there. This one did not.
「我們是個國際大品牌。可惜英國這邊，掣肘處處。很多事情都由歐洲總部定下來，自主權低。這個崗位偏向執行，沒有足夠空間讓你發揮。」
“We are a global brand, but the UK operation is subject to many constraints. Much is decided by our European headquarters, leaving little autonomy here. The role is largely focused on implementation and would not give you enough room to make full use of your strengths.”
他們並不擔心我不願做，而是知道限制多，很容易令人感到沮喪——明知下一步可以怎樣行動，但就只能寫進簡報；明知一件事可以怎樣改善，但就只能等待總部下指令。這種誠實，在大企業回覆裏並不常見。
They were not questioning my willingness to do the work. They simply understood how frustrating those constraints could become: seeing the next move clearly, only to put it in a slide deck; knowing exactly what could be improved, only to wait for instructions from headquarters. That degree of candour is rare in a corporate rejection email.
「若日後有財務部職缺，在我們架構中，一般都會更偏向分析、洞見、建議。我們屆時會優先考慮你呢！」
“Should a vacancy arise in Finance, roles there tend to centre more on analysis, insight and recommendations. We would give you priority consideration.”
信末特別一提：「如果不嫌棄，我們也很樂意讓你向其他僱主分享這一封信件。這是我們對你的強力背書（tremendous endorsement）。」
At the end came one final note: “If you do not mind, we would be very happy for you to share this email with other employers. It is a tremendous endorsement of you.”
搵工時，眼光似乎要放高一點。
Perhaps it was time to aim a little higher.
過去多年訓練，沒有浪費呢。
All those years of training had not gone to waste.
太好了。
Good news, after all.