Kelly Blazek has been described as a “passionate advocate” for those seeking work. But when her rejection note to someone seeking a bank job received a note that went vitriolic and viral at the same time. How can you avoid the “Blazek effect” when you write or send a rejection email or letter?

But first, let’s look at what happened with Kelly Blazek, the woman who runs a job bank list and calls herself a “passionate advocate” for people seeking work and yet forwarded a rejection note when her brain apparently exploded.

listings and also to connect with her via LinkedIn and CNN lead to a response described by Blazek as Blazek wrote:

“Wow, I cannot wait to let every 26-year old jobseeker mine my top-tier marketing connections to help them land a job.”

“I suggest you join the other Job Bank in town,” she wrote to the young woman who was just moving to Cincinnati. “Oh wait– there isn’t one

The NY Post reports that Kelly Blazek, the group’s self-described “House Mother” and communications professional, has scrubbed all traces of herself from the Internet after the web erupted when her vitriolic emails went viral.

It all began when Diana Mekota wrote Blazek about her qualifications so she could use the listserv to find a job after relocating to the Ohio city from Rochester, N.Y., the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.

But Blazek, who once said she wanted her “subscribers to feel like everyone is my little sister or brother, and I’m looking out for them,” instead wrote back with a scathing email telling Mekota off – big time.

Five Steps to Avoid the Blazek Effect

To avoid attracting the viral negativism that Blazek has achieved with her one simple rejection post, it is to follow one simple rule if you’re a business owner: Don’t send rejection letters.

But if you must, then consider the five steps set out in the FindLaw Small Business blog, which are as follows:

Be succinct. You’ll notice that Blazek’s rejection rant does not keep it nice and simple and straight to the point. She certainly gets her point across, but a more succinct approach could potentially have saved her from lambasting the job applicant and exposing her to potential legal consequences.
Don’t be specific about why he or she didn’t get the job. You don’t owe a rejected job applicant an explanation about why someone else was hired. Keep it general. Lawsuits may be prompted by perceptions that the reasons proffered were a pretext for something more legally dubious such as unlawful discrimination.
Don’t mention the experience and qualifications of other candidates. Don’t say that you went with someone who is more qualified or that you had a pool of candidates who were more qualified. If a rejected employee pursues legal action, his or her lawyer may ask for the applications of the employee who was hired along with the other top candidates.
Don’t make empty promises. Avoid reflexively making statements like “We’ll keep your resume on file for future openings” or “Please apply for future openings” — unless you really mean it. You could be vulnerable to legal consequences if you lose or misplace the resume. The same might happen if you give the impression the applicant is qualified for a future opening, only to hand him or her a string of rejections.
Show respect. This is the golden rule in every aspect of life, and the cardinal employment sin that Blazek committed. Blazek was understandably frustrated from getting spammed by job applicants. But rejection is hard and rubbing salt on the wound by being mean about it will only breed ill will, resentment, and a potential desire for legal revenge. One of the best ways to avoid legal action is to treat people like, you guessed it, people. Don’t underestimate the value of being respectful, even on the faceless Internet.