"Thank you for applying for the position.... We appreciate your patience during the hiring process and apologize for the lateness of this response.

"We received a very large number of extraordinarily impressive applications.... and the decision was a most difficult one. After a long deliberation, we've finally selected a candidate whose background and skills more closely met the needs of the organization at this time.

"Please know that we deeply appreciate your interest... and wish you the best of luck in your current job search."

I'm used to these rejection letters. It goes with the territory in looking for a job, any job, even ones where you are qualified. But this one specifically hurts because I was absolutely, positively, unequivocably perfect for this job-- my background, my interests, everything. And I waaannnttteeeddd it. Badly. Even if it didn't pay what I would like. It was perfect for me and I was perfect for the job.

And for some unknown reason, I didn't even get an interview. That hurts more than anything. And this rejection is worse than any I've ever gotten (even more than the time when I was in college and didn't get the job at the record store I really wanted). I'm dumbfounded and more than depressed by it all. Unbelievable.